India General Elections 2024 updates | PM Modi, Delhi CM face-off in Mumbai with simultaneous election rallies

In his speech address in INDIA bloc allies, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to voters to save India. “I’m coming here directly from jail, I beg you to save our Bharat, our nation. The Prime Minister aims to finish democracy,” he said.

“I don’t have to go to jail if you vote for INDIA alliance, and if you vote for Kamal, I’ll be sent back to jail in June 2, “ he said. “If Modi wins, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Stalin, Vijayan, will also go to jail, like me,” he said. He also added that Mr. Modi would retire and Amit Shah would be made the PM of the country. “He is asking vote for Amit Shah,” he said.

If he [Modi] wins, within two months, he’ll remove Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He finished all BJP leaders, such as Fadnavis, Shivraj Singh, Vasundhara Raje, and soon he will finish Yogi,” he alleged.

- Abhinay Deshpande reports.

In his speech, PM Modi said that anyone over 70 years old will have their medical needs taken care of for free. He refers to the Congress manifesto as a “Maoist-influenced manifesto.” “I ask NCP (SP) leaders to get Rahul (Gandhi) to publicly state that he won’t speak against Savarkar. They managed to halt him temporarily for polls. Ask Rahul to say he won’t criticise Savarkar -- they can not,” he said.

“I will never let Congress take away the reservations for Dalits and backward classes,” PM Modi said. “I travelled across the country and I can says that this election results on June 4 are going to break all previous records,” he added.

- Abhinay Deshpande reports.

In this city of dreams, I come to you with the dream of 2047 for a developed India in which Mumbai plays a crucial role, PM Modi said in a rally Mumbai. “It’s wonderful to be amongst the vibrant people of Mumbai! Our party has a special connection with this incredible city. The NDA stands committed to diligently serving the people here,” Mr. Modi said.

“I will leave only after giving Viksit Bharat to you. I’m working 24/7 for the year 2047:,” he said. 

He also spoke about the abolition of Article 370, he said, “Those who consider reinstating Article 370 should understand that no power in the world can bring it back. I have buried it in the graveyard.”

- Abhinay Deshpande reports.

Ahead of his final poll rally in Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Chaitya Bhoomi, the memorial of Dr. BR Ambedkar, at Dadar in Mumbai. He also visited the Swatantryaveer Savarkar Smarak in Mumbai and paid his tributes to V.K. Savarkar.

The Congress has demanded answers from PM Modi on why the BJP is “sponsoring” industrialist Gautam Adani’s Dharavi land redevelopment plan and asked why Mumbai has lost several big-ticket projects to Gujarat in the last few years. 

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that the Dharavi Redevelopment Project has turned into a “BJP-sponsored land grab for the outgoing PM’s best friend, the Adani Group”.

While only 54,461 slum inhabitants and 9,522 residents living in chawls and buildings will receive homes within Dharavi according to the latest documents, “Adani is anticipating astronomical profits and a profit margin that could be as high as 434%,” he claimed. “This lucrative ‘revdi’ for the Adani Group comes at the expense of millions of Mumbaikars, not just the residents of Dharavi. Does the PM have any defence for the massive loot that he is orchestrating in full public gaze?” he asked. - PTI

TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has challenged the BJP to a public debate to compare their respective records of development governance. Addressing an election rally in support of his party’s candidate Rachana Banerjee in Hooghly district, Mr. Banerjee dared incumbent BJP MP and candidate Locket Chatterjee to confront him with their respective report cards on actual development work in the constituency. “BJP claims to have accomplished a great deal. Let them produce a white paper. I challenge her (Locket Chatterjee) to face me with our work report cards. We will emerge victorious comfortably,” he said. 

He criticised the central government’s tax policies, highlighting the disproportionate GST rates on essential goods compared to luxury items. He also expressed confidence in INDIA bloc’s victory, with TMC playing a pivotal role. 

Mr. Banerjee characterised PM Modi as an ‘outsider’, visible only during elections, and questioned his absence during the COVID pandemic in the State. He accused Mr. Modi of exploiting the Pulwama terrorist attack for electoral gains in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Addressing the controversial Sandeshkhali incident, he accused the BJP of conspiring to tarnish Bengal’s reputation. He contrasted this with alleged high rates of attacks on tribals in BJP-led States. 

Hooghly district is scheduled for polling on May 20 in the fifth phase of elections. 

-PTI

The BJP has expelled senior leader Bijoy Mohapatra and two others from the party on the charge of “anti-party activities”. The action against Mr. Mohapatra came after his son Arvind was made the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate from the Patkura assembly segment. Mr. Mohapatra, a former state executive member of the party, is accused of canvassing for his son.

In a statement, the party said state executive member Sarada Pradhan and vice-president of state BJP SC Morcha Rakesh Mallick were also expelled. Mr. Pradhan and Mr. Mallick are considered close to Mr. Mahapatra. The action was taken according to the direction of BJP state president Manmohan Samal, the statement said. 

-PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah led a roadshow in Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi, amid tight security arrangements. Thousands of people lined up on both sides of the 1.5-km stretch to participate in the roadshow.

He is campaigning for the party’s Ranchi candidate, Sanjay Seth.

The Ranchi administration has made elaborate security arrangements for the roadshow, including using drones and CCTV cameras at strategic locations, SSP Chandan Kumar Sinha said.

- PTI

More than 25,000 displaced Kashmiri Pandits voters from across the country are eligible to exercise their franchise in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla constituency on May 20. 

Nearly 17.32 lakh people are registered to vote. They would decide the fate of 23 candidates, including Sajad Lone of the People’s Conference and Omar Abdullah of the National Conference.

“A total of 25,821 Kashmiri migrants are registered as voters from Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency on May 20. Of these, 12,747 are male voters and 13,074 are female voters,” Assistant Returning Officer (ARO), Migrants, Riaz Ahmed said. 

Twenty-six polling stations have been set up for the migrants, of which 21 are in Jammu, four in Delhi, and one in Udhampur, he said. The Election Commission has arranged a pick-and-drop facility for the Kashmiri migrant voters. It will be available from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., he said. ”The transport facility will be available where there is more concentration of migrant voters on polling day,” he said. 

- PTI

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has accused the Narendra Modi government of orchestrating a plan to take away the rights of tribals. Speaking at an election rally in support of TMC’s Jhargram Lok Sabha candidate Kalipada Soren, Ms. Banerjee asserted that the BJP was aiming to uproot tribals and deprive them of their land rights. “BJP may want to drive out Adivasis, Kurmis and other backward castes through the NRC and engineer fights among them by introducing the Uniform Civil Code. But I vow to protect them till my last breath,” she said.

“If INDIA bloc comes to power in Delhi, I assure you the NRC will be scrapped. We will come up with laws that ensure tribals’ permanent right on their land,” she said.

-PTI

Addressing an election rally in Rourkela, Union Minister Amit Shah predicted a wave for the BJP in Odisha. The BJP will win over 75 assembly segments and 15 Lok Sabha seats, he said. The State has 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly seats.

He also said this election is to restore Odisha’s pride, language, culture and tradition. He also claimed that the Odisha government is run by officers.

He also commented on the national picture. “PM Modi has already won over 270 seats and is now moving towards 400,” he said.

- PTI

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for not speaking on the issue of the alleged attack on his party MP Swati Maliwal. 

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Ms. Sitharaman demanded the AAP convener make a statement on the matter and tender an apology for the alleged assault on Ms. Maliwal at his official residence on May 13.

She said AAP MP Sanjay Singh had promised action in the case, but Mr. Kejriwal was seen the next day in Lucknow with Bibhav Kumar, the accused. “This is height of shamelessness,” she said.

She also said that it is “unbelievable and unacceptable” that Kejriwal has not spoken a word about the attack on his party MP. - PTI

The BJP’s Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva has released a 40-page Hindi and English booklet titled “Congress and AAP- Partners in Loot”, which lists alleged scams and corruption involving the AAP and the Congress governments, that ruled the city for the last more than two decades. The two parties are contesting the polls together in the national capital. 

“For the first 15 years, the Congress, and now in the last 9 years, the Delhi government (run by AAP) has inflicted harm on the people of Delhi,” the BJP’s ‘charge sheet’ read.

It is unfortunate that the Aam Aadmi Party, born out of anti-corruption movement, has its senior leadership in jail or facing charges of corruption, it said. Mr. Sachdeva said there was a long trail of scams of the AAP government in Delhi related to excise policy, health, education, panic buttons in the buses, Delhi Jal Board among others.

The booklet was divided into sections, including the jailing of the AAP in the “liquor scam,” Chief Minister’s “Sheeshmahal,” nine years of “corruption,” their siding with “anti-national” forces, the “anti-Hindu” face of AAP, its “failed” education model, and its “failure” to clean Yamuna. The BJP had swept the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 and 2019, winning all seven seats in Delhi with huge margins. The national capital goes to polls on May 25. 

-PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that the SP and the Congress will use people’s votes to come to power and then gift a part of their property to those who carry out “vote jihad” for them.

Addressing a rally in Hamirpur, Mr. Modi cautioned people against the “intentions” of the two opposition allies in Uttar Pradesh.

“Today I have come to caution you against the SP and the Congress. They take your vote, but after coming to power, they will distribute these gifts to those who do vote jihad for them,” he said.

“This time, the SP and the Congress have made their intentions clear even before the elections. The Congress is saying that it will investigate everyone’s property. Then they will give a part of your property to the vote bank that does vote jihad for them,” he said.

- PTI

Election Commission issues show cause notice to former Calcutta High Court judge and BJP candidate from Tamluk Lok Sabha seat Abhijit Gangapadhyay for making comments against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee which it said were “beyond dignity”.

BJP leader and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday exuded confidence that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming back to power with a good majority in the Lok Sabha.

If the BJP wins majority in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Modi will become the Prime Minister for the third term in a row.

Addressing Industry captains at the CII Annual Business Meeting, she said, “We are confident that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming back with a good majority”.

General elections are going on in the country. Out of seven phases, four phases have been concluded. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4.

“Soon after the government is formed, we look forward to a more pointed engagement with the CII to see what best can be done in the July budget, which will be the full year’s budget...a lot of consultation can begin with the CII team as well,” she said.

The BJP ended the “crisis of credibility” in Indian politics by fulfilling the promises it made to people, former Haryana minister and six-term MLA Anil Vij said on Friday.

The Ambala Cantonment MLA said his party does what it promises.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Haryana on Saturday to address two rallies in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Lok Sabha poll candidates, Mr. Vij said, “Modiji’s visit will further boost the party’s campaign in the state.” According to State BJP leaders, the prime minister is scheduled to address a rally each in Ambala and Gohana (in Sonipat district) on Saturday. It will be his first visit for campaigning in this election season to Haryana, which goes to polls on May 25.

“There is great enthusiasm among people about the Prime Minister’s visit,” Mr. Vij said.

- PTI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said he would treat Amethi and Rae Bareli equally when it comes to development if his party comes to power at the Centre.

Read more here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday claimed that the Congress and Samajwadi Party will run a bulldozer over the Ram temple if elected to power, and asked them to take “tuition” from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath “where to run bulldozers”.

Addressing a rally in U.P.’s Barabanki, he also said the INDIA bloc is in the fray to create “instability” and is collapsing like a pack of cards as the polls progress.

Asserting that his government is going to score a hat-trick, Modi said in the new government, he has to take many big decisions for the poor, youth, women and farmers, and for that he has come here to seek the blessings of the people of Barabanki and Mohanlalganj.

“June 4 is not far. Today, the whole country and the world knows that the Modi government is going to score a hat-trick,” he asserted.

- PTI

While addressing a public meeting in Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack against the Congress party and said that they have looted people of the country for decades.

Carrying out an election campaign in support of the BJP candidates from Amethi (Smriti Irani) and Raebareli (Dinesh Pratap Singh) Lok Sabha constituencies he said that both of them are working very hard and the party will register a victory in both the constituencies.

Slamming the INDIA bloc, Amit Shah said, “After a long wait, we got Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The Congress says that the Pran Prathishtha has not been done in the right way. But you know what if they come into power they will put a Babri lock on it.”

“They play dynastic politics. Lalu ji wants his son to become CM, Mamata wants the same for her nephew, and Sonia Gandhi wants her son Rahul Gandhi to become Prime Minister. They claim that Raebareli and Amethi’s seats belong to them. But I feel it is the people to decide. There is no seat reserved for Parivaar,” he added.

- ANI

Even as the Lok Sabha elections for the Ladakh appear to be divided on regional basis, it will not affect the unity over the demands for statehood and safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, said Chering Dorjay Lakruk, president of Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA).

A three-cornered election in Ladakh, with the BJP and the Congress candidates from Leh and an Independent nominee from Kargil, gives an edge to the Kargil candidate.

In an interview with PTI, Mr. Lakruk stressed the need for safeguards to protect the land and culture of Ladakh, and also raised concerns over the pasture lands, used for grazing by the local nomadic tribes, being taken over by China.

LBA, a prominent social and religious organisation of Ladakh, has had a key role in developing a consensus on the need for the Sixth Schedule.

The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution deals with provisions for the administration of the tribal areas in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

Founded in 1933, the LBA had raised the demand for making Ladakh a separate state soon after Independence. However, it was included in Jammu and Kashmir at that time. But the demand for a separate identity continued.

- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the Congress is aiming to win 50 seats in the Lok Sabha elections to save its honour.

Addressing an election rally in U.P.’s Fatehpur, Mr. Modi took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for not contesting from Amethi, the seat which he lost to BJP leader Smriti Irani in the 2019 elections.

The Prime Minister said he had predicted that Gandhi would not dare to contest from Amethi and this has turned out to be true.

“The further news is that to save its honour, the Congress has now launched Mission 50. The target of the Congress is to get 50 seats in the entire country by any means,” he said.

- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday targeted the opposition INDIA bloc, saying they are in the fray to create instability while the BJP-NDA alliance is dedicated to the national interest.

Asserting that his government is going to score a hat-trick, Mr. Modi said in the new government, he has to make many big decisions for the poor, youth, women and farmers, and for that, he has come here to seek the blessings of the people of Barabanki and Mohanlalganj.

Addressing an election rally, Mr. Modi said, “June 4 is not far. Today, the whole country and the world knows that the Modi government is going to score a hat-trick”.

“Today, on one side there is the BJP-NDA alliance dedicated to the national interest and on the other side, the INDI Alliance is in the field to create instability in the country. As the elections progress, these INDI alliance people have started collapsing like a pack of cards,” Mr. Modi said. 

PTI

Asserting that he enjoys the benevolence of Lord Ram, Samajwadi Party candidate from Faizabad Lok Sabha seat Awadhesh Prasad has claimed the BJP will not get any advantage from the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

“Ayodhya’s Ram temple is not at all an issue this time. And the BJP will not be able to get even one per cent of benefit from it,” he told PTI in an interview.

“I am fortunate that I was born in Ayodhya. In this Lok Sabha poll, Lord Ram’s benevolence will be on me, and his benevolence cannot be simply ignored,” Mr. Prasad added.

As campaigning for the Faizabad seat, which will go to polls on May 20, gathers momentum, Prasad -- a nine-time MLA -- is busy addressing public meetings in various Assembly segments of Ayodhya which is part of the Faizabad Parliamentary constituency.

PTI

Speaking at a rally on Friday in Barabanki, PM Modi said as elections progress, ‘INDI people’ have started collapsing like a pack of cards. 

In the new govt, I have to take many big decisions for the poor, youth, women, and farmers, Mr. Modi said. 

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for repeatedly targeting him and NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar and claimed that he is eager to reclaim the PM’s post instead of paving the way for the next generation.

Addressing an election rally in Thane to canvass for incumbent MP and his party candidate Rajan Vichare on Thursday, Thackeray called the contest a clash between loyalty and betrayal.

The Shiv Sena, led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has nominated Naresh Mhaske for the Thane Lok Sabha constituency, which along with 12 other seats, including six in Mumbai, will vote in the fifth phase on May 20.

PTI

Over 1,480 elderly voters and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) cast their votes using the home voting facility in all seven parliamentary constituencies of Delhi on the first day of the exercise on Thursday, according to official data. The home voting facility is available to voters above 85 years of age and PwDs, offering them the option to cast their votes from their homes.

The facility, which started on May 16, will be available till May 24, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Delhi said.

Delhi goes to polls on May 25. 

While the maximum votes were cast in the West Delhi constituency where 406 voters, including 338 elderly voters, exercised their franchise, zero votes were cast in the Northeast Delhi constituency. 

PTI

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections, qualified by experts as by far the most expensive democratic exercise in the history of India where poll-related spending by political parties could exceed a jaw-dropping Rs 1.35 lakh-crore, have emerged as a space where social media and other digital platforms are formidable campaign instruments.

With about a third of that booty earmarked for communication, political parties are harnessing the power of these platforms to intimately connect with voters to amplify their agendas.

In West Bengal though, it seems candidates across the board aren’t ready to give up on the traditional campaign methods just yet with parties displaying an overt preference for a mix and match of tried-and-tested mass outreach methods with those of the digital age. 

PTI

Any inconsistency in judicial decisions is bound to be seen as unequal application of rules. On the principle of parity, former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who leads the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, is arguably entitled to interim bail to enable him to campaign in his home State for the next phases of the general election, from May 20.

Take a look at this interactive feature on elections results in the previous two Lok Sabha elections (2014 and 2019), which can be filtered down further using several criteria, and voter turnout trends in the ongoing 2024 elections. Click here

In a vibrant democracy such as India, the right to vote is not just a privilege but also a fundamental duty enshrined in the Constitution. Several countries around the world such as Australia (where voting is mandatory), South Africa, South Korea, France provide a holiday on election day to facilitate voter participation.

The Hindu looks at the archives and the data to fact-check the Prime Minister’s claims on the Muslim community, OBC quota, inheritance tax.

Click here to watch the video