Lok Sabha election 2024 updates | As it happened on April 18

Three-term Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule and her sister-in-law Sunetra Pawar on Thursday filed their nominations for the Baramati Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra’s Pune district on the NCP (SP) and NCP tickets, respectively.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, husband of Sunetra Pawar, also filed a set nomination papers for the seat, which an NCP functionary described as a back-up plan in case Sunetra Pawar’s nomination does not stand scrutiny or any discrepancy is found in it.

Polling in Baramati, the pocket borough of Pawars, will be held on May 7.

Congress leaders Balasaheb Thorat and Vishwajeet Kadam, among others, accompanied Sule, the sitting MP from Baramati and daughter of NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, as she filed the nomination papers before the returning officer at the Council Hall in Pune.

Holding unemployment, price rise, and divisiveness as the key issues governing the Parliamentary election in India, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre of keeping the Manipur issue burning to distract the country’s attention from real issues.

He also sought to rebuff the NDA government’s claim of India becoming a superpower, pointing out that about 70 crores of its citizens are earning less than ₹100 per head a day. “How can we talk about being a superpower when our farmers are protesting and our youngsters are scrambling for employment,’’ he asked.

Three mute sisters of Dadhkai village, also known as ‘silent village’ of India and situated in Jammu and Kashmir’s Gandoh area of Doda district, are eagerly waiting to cast their votes for the first time besides inspiring the other villagers to vote.

Doda is part of the Udhampur parliamentary constituency which is going to polls in the first phase on Friday (April 19) to decide the fate of 12 candidates including Union minister Jitendra Singh of the BJP, former MP Choudhary Lal Singh of the Congress and former minister G M Saroori of the DPAP.

The hilltop tribal village, 105 km from Bhaderwah town, is home to 105 families. Of these, 55 families mysteriously have at least one person who can neither speak nor listen. There are 84 such people in the village, of which 43 are women and 14 children below 10 years.

Despite having hearing and speaking disabilities, the three siblings -- aged between 20 and 24 -- are upbeat about participating in the polling after their names were included in the electoral rolls.

-PTI

A total of 10,829 police personnel will be deployed for election related work in Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur and Tiruvannamalai districts on Friday to ensure peaceful polling.

Election officials said that police in these districts have roped in personnel from all wings, including the Armed Reserve, the law and order and the traffic. Also, additional police personnel from neighbouring States like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, CRPF personnel, retired army staff and policemen will do election related duties in these districts.

Leader of Opposition in Assam Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, on Thursday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging that the BJP was trying to woo voters of Jorhat constituency by unfair means.

Saikia claimed that the saffron party leaders were distributing liquor and offering bribes to voters, and trying to intimidate them.

“Many bottles of liquor were seized from a vehicle of an Hon’ble member of Nazira Town Committee. The vehicle is registered in the name of a lady member of Town Committee,” he said.

The vehicle with the liquor was found at the Office of the Executive Engineer and the Assistant Executive Engineer of Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Nazira Division, Saikia claimed.

-PTI

Women voters outnumber men in the four Lok Sabha constituencies in Odisha that go to polls on May 13, the first phase in the state and the fourth across the country.

Briefing reporters, chief electoral officer (CEO) Nikunja Bihari Dhal said Berhampur, Koraput, Kalahandi and Nabarangpur Lok Sabha constituencies and 28 assembly seats coming under the parliamentary segments will go to polls on May 13, the nomination process for which began on Thursday.

According to Dhal, out of 62,84,649 voters in these four LS constituencies, 31,87,771 are women, 30,96,243 men and 635 transgenders.

To record a single home vote, a special polling team, including three women officials, trekked 18 kilometres inside the deep forest under the Idukki Lok Sabha constituency. According to officials, the team trekked to the Nooradi tribal settlement under the Munnar forest division as part of the ‘vote-from-home’ exercise meant for senior citizens aged above 85 and differently abled voters.

According to Devikulam Subcollector V.M. Jayakrishnan, Sivalingam, a 92-year-old bedridden man in the Nooradi settlement, filed an application for home voting, which the election authorities approved. Nooradi is a remote settlement in Edamalakkudy, the first tribal panchayat in the State.

Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri’s daughter Aastha Agnihotri on Thursday declined to contest the elections, citing the death of her mother in February to stay away from electoral politics.

Talk of the Congress fielding Aastha Agnihotri from the Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency, where the BJP has renominated four-time MP Anurag Thakur, or the Gagret assembly segment had gathered steam after Mukesh Agnihotri reportedly expressed reluctance to contest the polls for personal reasons following the death of his wife Simmi Agnihotri.

In a message posted on her Facebook account, Aastha Agnihotri said, “I am trying to find a way to live in my mother Prof Simmi Agnihotri’s absence. In these sad times, I don’t have the desire to enter the Lok Sabha or the Vidhan Sabha.” She also shared a video of her interaction with the media in which she expressed her reluctance to contest the polls.

-PTI

The 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, which are set to commence from April 19, will see the country vote in seven phases as simultaneous elections also take place for four State Assemblies — Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.

A total of 102 Parliamentary constituencies in 21 States and Union Territories (UTs) will go to the polls in the first phase on April 19. Assembly elections to Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim will also be held on 19 April. 

With the weather likely to play spoilsport, Arunachal Pradesh is all set to vote on Friday to elect two Lok Sabha MPs and 50 MLAs.

In the 60-member assembly, the BJP has already won 10 constituencies unopposed.

In the Arunachal West Parliamentary seat, eight candidates are in the fray including Union Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju and state Congress president Nabam Tuki.

Sitting BJP MP Tapir Gao and state Congress vice-president Bosiram Siram are among six candidates who are contesting from Arunachal East.

All arrangements have been completed to conduct polling which will begin at 7 AM and continue at 5 PM.

-PTI

Acting on the advice of the Election Commission of India (ECI), West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Thursday called off his proposed tour to Cooch Behar, during which he intended to “oversee” the polling process.

He, however, alleged that an attempt was being made to “politicise the Governor’s office”, while asserting he would not allow anyone to use him as a “pawn on the political chess board”.

“My priority is to be with the people of Bengal. My focus is to fight against violence in the state, particularly during election(s). My field visits are for these purposes but there is an attempt to politicise the Governor’s office. I will not let anyone to lower the dignity of the office of the Governor,” Bose said in a statement released by the Raj Bhavan.

-PTI

Shivamogga Lok Sabha member B.Y. Raghavendra owns assets and valuables worth over ₹55.85 crore, according to the affidavit he submitted along with the nomination papers.

The value of his assets has come down by ₹3 crore, compared to his affidavit on assets and liabilities filed during the previous elections held in 2019. The previous affidavit showed that he possessed assets worth ₹58.85 crore. However, the value of assets owned by his wife Tejaswini R has gone up by nearly ₹9 crore. As per the previous affidavit, she owned properties worth over ₹8.49 crore. The latest affidavit shows that she has assets worth over ₹17.86 crore.

Puducherry’s District Election Officer A Kulothungan said on Thursday, flying squads of the Elections Department seized Rs 4.09 crore during search operations at two premises here, a day before the Lok Sabha elections in the union territory.

He told reporters that the Assistant Returning Officer S Yashwanthiah received a tip-off that cash had been kept in a residence in a locality in Puducherry following which the flying squad swung into action.

Members of the flying squad rushed to a house and found cash to the tune of Rs 3,68,78,500 while Rs 40,46,500 was found during a search operation in another building taking the total seizure to Rs 4,09,25,000, the official said.

-PTI

Veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa’s son B Y Raghavendra and Fakira Dingaleshwar Swami of Shirahatti Fakkireshwar Math are among prominent candidates in the Lok Sabha election who filed their nominations on Thursday, for the second phase of polling in Karnataka on May 7.

Yediyurappa, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and several other leaders of the BJP-JD(S) alliance held a massive road show in support of sitting MP Raghavendra who later submitted his papers as the BJP candidate from Shimoga, a seat he has represented thrice in Parliament.

Dingaleshwar Swami, a prominent Veerashaiva Lingayat seer who filed his nomination as an independent from Dharwad Lok Sabha segment, is taking on BJP MP and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi. He has accused Joshi of “suppressing” Veerashaiva-Lingayats and other communities, and also misusing the Lingayat maths and causing disrespect to them, in order to stay in power.

-PTI

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti, National Conference’s (NC) Mian Altaf, and J&K Apni Party’s Zafar Manhas on Thursday filed their nomination papers for the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat.

Ms. Mufti, who was accompanied by her supporters, urged voters “not to boycott this time”. 

“This election is not about electricity, water or roads. It’s about the post-2019 assault on J&K’s identity and pride. Our land, power project, and assets like minerals, sand, and lithium are being snatched from us. An attempt is being made to make us bonded labourers. We will stand against this assault,” the former J&K Chief Minister said.

Former RJD MP Shailesh Kumar, who had defeated BJP’s Syed Shahnawaz Hussain in Bhagalpur seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, joined the JD(U) on Thursday in the presence of senior leaders.

Welcoming Shailesh Kumar aka Bulo Mandal into the party fold, former JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lalan’ said the induction will add to the party’s strength in Bhagalpur, where Mandal had also represented Bihpur assembly seat several times.

Senior minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, also a former state unit chief of the JD(U), said the induction of Mandal, who belongs to the Gangota caste, came less than a week after former Rajya Sabha MP Ashfaq Karim joined the JD(U) after quitting the RJD.

-PTI

The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta reserved its verdict after hearing the response of Election Commission on the pleas.

The petitioners have also sought reversal of the poll panel’s 2017 decision to replace the transparent glass on VVPAT machines with an opaque glass through which a voter can see the slip only when the light is on for seven seconds.

-PTI

Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora has claimed that Congress, his former party, ceded too much ground to the Shiv Sena (UBT) while striking a seat-sharing deal for the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra and especially in Mumbai.

The former Mumbai Congress chief, who crossed over to the rival Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde earlier this year, also said he was ready to contest from the Mumbai South constituency, which he represented as Congress MP from 2004 to 2014, if his new party wanted.

“Congress has unfortunately surrendered to a party which it neither trusts, nor values as an alliance partner. I know what the Congress party feels about Uddhav Thackeray,” said Mr. Deora. - PTI

Gujarat BJP president C.R. Paatil could not file his nomination for the Navsari Lok Sabha seat at an “auspicious” time on Thursday after too many supporters turned up at his roadshow in the morning, said party office-bearers.

The sitting MP will now file his nomination at ‘Vijay Muhurat’ – 12.39 p.m. – on April 19, they said.

As per the schedule shared by the state BJP a few days back, Paatil was supposed to submit his nomination papers to Navsari collector exactly at Vijay Muhurat.

Many poll candidates prefer to file their papers at 12.39 p.m., believing any task undertaken or commenced at this precise time ensures victory.

- PTI

Assam is all set to witness direct and triangular contests for the first of the three-phased Lok Sabha polls in five constituencies to decide the fate of 35 candidates, including that of Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

The BJP is contesting in all the five seats, the Congress in four and supporting the Assam Jatiya Parishad contestant in one, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in two and the All India Trinamool Congress and CPI(M) in one seat each.

The prestigious Dibrugarh constituency has three candidates in fray with Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, a Rajya Sabha MP, pitted against the United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA) candidate Lurinjyoti Gogoi of the AJP and Aam Aadmi Party’s Manoj Dhanowar.

In Jorhat, four candidates are in contention, with Lok Sabha’s Deputy Leader of the Opposition Gaurav Gogoi locked in a direct contest with sitting BJP MP Topon Gogoi.

- PTI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has expressed astonishment at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Central agencies for allegedly targeting him while ignoring “serious allegations” against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Speaking at a public meeting organised by the United Democratic Front in Kannur district of Kerala as part of Lok Sabha election campaign on April 18, Mr. Gandhi recounted his own experiences of facing backlash for opposing the BJP, including “being subjected to media abuse, losing his Lok Sabha membership, enduring 55 hours of interrogation by the ED, and being evicted from his official residence.”

Mr. Gandhi asked why Mr. Vijayan has not faced similar consequences despite corruption allegations and other issues. He highlighted the “imprisonment of two Chief Ministers” from other States, contrasting it with Mr. Vijayan’s apparent immunity.

Three-term Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule and her sister-in-law Sunetra Pawar on April 18 filed their nominations for the Baramati Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra’s Pune district on the NCP (SP) and NCP tickets, respectively.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, husband of Sunetra Pawar, also filed a set nomination papers for the seat, which an NCP functionary described as a back-up plan in case Sunetra Pawar’s nomination does not stand scrutiny or any discrepancy is found in it. 

Polling in Baramati, the pocket borough of Pawars, will be held on May 7. 

- PTI

BJP candidates Eatala Rajender and D. K. Aruna filed their nominations on Thursday for the Lok Sabha elections in Telangana, which goes to the polls on May 13.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Telangana BJP president G. Kishan Reddy, who is also a union minister, attended a rally before Mr. Rajender submitted his nomination as the party candidate from Malkajgiri constituency. - PTI

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday filed nomination papers from the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency in Jammu and Kashmir which is going to polls in the third phase of elections on May 7.

Talking to reporters later, the former chief minister appealed to people not to boycott the polls as “this election is about the assault launched on dignity, identity and resources” of Jammu and Kashmir. - PTI

All eyes will be on the Cooch Behar constituency which goes to polls on April 19 along with two other seats in north Bengal in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal.

Union Minister of State for Home Nisith Pramanik is taking on TMC’s Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia in Cooch Behar (SC) seat, which saw the death of four persons in firing allegedly by Central forces at Sitalkuchi during the 2021 Assembly elections, that has been made an issue by the TMC in the current poll campaign also. - PTI

Sikkim Chief Minister and SKM supremo Prem Singh Tamang, former CM and SDF chief Pawan Kumar Chamling are among the 146 candidates in fray for 32 Assembly seats which will go to the polls on April 19 amid elaborate security arrangements in the Himalayan State.

Mr. Tamang, who is spearheading the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM)‘s bid to retain power, is contesting from two Assembly seats, Rhenock in Gangtok district and Soreng-Chakung in his native Soreng district. - PTI

Tamil Nadu is all set to vote on April 19 for the Lok Sabha polls, that was marked by fierce campaigns and acrimonious debates. Elections to 39 Lok Sabha seats in the State will be held on Friday and the fate of 950 candidates will be decided by about 6.23 crore voters who are set to exercise their franchise in nearly 68,000 polling stations.

A government employee engaged in election work died of a cardiac arrest in the Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh on April 18, a senior official said.

Maniram Kanvre, aged about 40, was heading for Bicchiya in Mandla (ST) Lok Sabha constituency after collecting election-related material from a polytechnic college when he suffered a cardiac arrest, he said. 

Kanvre, who was associated with the tribal department, was rushed to the district hospital in Mandla but doctors declared him dead, he said. - PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on April 18 alleged that the BJP instigated violence during Ram Navami celebrations in the State. She claimed that the violence in Murshidabad district was “pre-planned” and accused the saffron party of orchestrating it ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

“Everything was pre-planned. The DIG of Murshidabad was removed a day ahead of Ram Navami so that you (the BJP) can carry out violence,” she said at an election rally in the Raiganj Lok Sabha constituency. 

The chief minister also claimed that goons associated with the BJP roughed up police personnel in the district. - PTI

Uttar Pradesh Congress state co-coordinator Vikas Agrahari on April 18 joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Union Minister and BJP candidate from Amethi Lok Sabha Constituency, Smriti Irani.

BJP’s Amethi district president Ram Prasad Mishra was also present on the occasion. The joining comes even as the Congress is yet to name a candidate for the seat. While the BJP has announced that Ms. Irani will seek re-election from Amethi. - ANI

A day before the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on April 18 told party workers that this is no ordinary election but one to save the Constitution, and exhorted them to tell people that the BJP is “destroying the idea of India”. 

In a video message, Mr. Gandhi told the Congress workers that they have a huge responsibility. 

“You are the backbone of our party. I thought that since it is election time, I should talk to you directly. This is not an ordinary election, this is an election to save the Constitution and democracy in which ‘Babbar Sher’ (lion-hearted) workers like you have a huge responsibility,” Mr. Gandhi said in his message delivered in both Hindi and English.

Polling for the five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand will be held on April 19 with the BJP aiming to retain the seats for a third time and the Congress looking to regain lost ground in the State.

The five seats going to polls on Friday are Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar and the lone reserved seat of Almora. The BJP won all the five seats in Uttarakhand in 2014 and 2019 general elections.

More than 83 lakh voters will decide the fate of 55 candidates in the fray. 

Sitting BJP MPs Ajay Bhatt, Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah and Ajay Tamta have been fielded by the party from Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar, Tehri Garhwal and Almora, respectively.

- PTI

Air India Express has unveiled #VoteAsYouAre initiative, to encourage first time voters to exercise their voting rights in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. The airline is offering 19% off across its domestic and international network for first-time voters, between the ages of 18 and 22, flying home to cast their votes.

Bookings can be made on the airline’s mobile app and website, airindiaexpress.com for travel to the airport nearest to the respective constituency of the voter, between April 18 and June 1 2024.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has continued his tirade against the Congress alleging that the party had “drastically deviated from its secular legacy.”

Addressing the media in Malappuram district on April 18 (Thursday), Mr. Vijayan said the Congress was not interested in taking on the BJP ideologically and politically because it had “degenerated itself into a B-team of the BJP.”

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Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging that after his defeat from Amethi Lok Sabha seat in 2019, he does not have the courage to stand from there this time.

Mr. Singh said Mr. Gandhi, following his defeat, migrated to Kerala from Uttar Pradesh.

“However, I have heard that the people of Wayanad have decided not to make him their MP,” he claimed while speaking at an election meeting in the Pathanamathitta Lok Sabha constituency to garner support for BJP candidate Anil K. Antony.

PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah embarked on a roadshow in Sanand town of Gujarat’s Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, from where he is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate.

Mr. Shah, while standing on a specially-designed vehicle, greeted the people and BJP workers who gathered in large numbers on the route - from the APMC Chowk to Nalsarovar Chowk.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making statements which were allegedly violative of the Model Code of Conduct during his Lok Sabha poll campaign in various parts of the country.

Mr. Yechury said that he has given a complaint in this regard to the Election Commission listing out the statements made by Mr. Modi allegedly “aimed at sharpening communal polarisation on the issue of Ram”.

The veteran CPI(M) leader was speaking to the media in this north Kerala district where he also criticised the Congress and the UDF for accusing the Left front of not opposing Mr. Modi and the BJP.

PTI

Ahead of filing nominations from the Baramati seat against her sister-in-law, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidate, Supriya Sule said that this is the battle of ideas, and she is confident that after seeing her work, the public will stand with her. 

“I contest elections to serve the country. I have always worked within the framework of the Constitution. A leader always has to lead from the front, and has very little time for emotions. I don’t watch this as a contest. This is a battle of ideas. After seeing my work, and my merit, I am confident that the public will stand with me. The biggest problem in this constituency is water. So I think the administration needs to pay more attention to this drought today,” she said.

ANI

Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan has noted the INDIA bloc has not emerged as powerful as it was originally conceived since some outfits stayed away from the Opposition grouping but it is putting up a spirited fight against the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls. The former Maharashtra Chief Minister claimed Ram Mandir has failed to click for the BJP as a political issue in the elections because of which the saffron party is floundering.

In an interview to PTI at Karad in his home district of Satara in western Maharashtra, he sought to dispel perception that the Congress got a “raw deal” in seat-sharing with Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies in the State, but admitted negotiations were tough since three parties were involved in talks.

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In its 13th list, BJP announced Union Minister Narayan Rane as the ruling Mahayuti’s candidate for the contentious Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra’s Konkan belt. Both the BJP, particularly the Rane clan, and CM Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena had been staking claim over the seat, which is currently held by Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena UBT faction.

An analysis of economic, social and environmental indicators of Tamil Nadu, which is headed to the national polls this Friday, shows that the State has recorded a holistic development across periods. While on the one side, it features among the top major States in various indicators which measure child-health, women empowerment and educational attainment, the State also features among the top major States in economic performance, strongly supported by its manufacturing sector. The State should concentrate on sustainable development as its better economic performance has come at a cost with it lagging in environment-related indicators.

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The Visakhapatnam district administration is making arrangements to facilitate voting by the employees on election duty, citizens above 85 years of age and persons with disabilities. Arrangements have been made for around 3,000 service personnel from the district, serving in remote and border areas, to exercise their franchise.

Read the story here

A day before the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi told party workers that this is no ordinary election but one to save the Constitution, and exhorted them to tell people that the BJP is “destroying the idea of India”.

In a video message, Mr. Gandhi told the Congress workers that they have a huge responsibility.

“You are the backbone of our party. I thought that since it is election time, I should talk to you directly. This is not an ordinary election, this is an election to save the Constitution and democracy in which ‘Babbar Sher’ (lion-hearted) workers like you have a huge responsibility,” Mr. Gandhi said in his message delivered in both Hindi and English.

PTI

It’s a high octane contest in Udhampur-Doda, one of the five Lok Sabha constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir. Udhampur-Doda votes in first phase on April 19. For the first time, the reach and appeal of the BJP’s Hindutva agenda will be tested here after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. That is set against “hurt Dogra pride”, represented by the chequered personality of Chaudhary Lal Singh.

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The outcome of the April 19 election to the Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency will be more than a battle of ballots for the two top contenders — BJP candidate Biplab Kumar Deb and Congress nominee Asish Kumar Saha.

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Actress-turned-politician Hema Malini, contesting the Lok Sabha election from Mathura as a BJP candidate for the third time, said that she considers herself as a “gopi” of Lord Krishna.

“I joined politics neither for name nor for fame. I also did not join politics for any materialistic gain,” the Mathura MP told reporters.

Calling herself “Gopi of Krishna”, Hema Malini said since Lord Krishna loves the “Brijwasis”, she thought that he will shower his blessings on her only if she serves them sincerely.

PTI

The Trinamool Congress released its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha election promising to abolish the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and non-implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

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Alleging that the BJP has hatred towards minorities, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the saffron party even refused to mention the word “minorities” in its manifesto, instead saying it as “marginalised”.

Mr. Owaisi said AIMIM’s alliance in Uttar Pradesh with Anupriya Patel’s Apna Dal (K) will continue even in the Assembly polls and the party will support Prakash Ambedkar in Akola and Anand Ambedkar in Amaravati in Maharashtra.

PTI

Union Home Minister and BJP candidate from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat Amit Shah will hold three roadshows and address a rally in the constituency on April 18 before filing his nomination the next day, the saffron party said on Wednesday.

“Home Minister Shah will hold his first roadshow in Sanand town of Ahmedabad district and the second one in Kalol town of Gandhinagar district. His third roadshow will be in Ahmedabad city covering areas like Ghatlodia, Naranpura and Vejalpur,” state BJP spokesperson Yagnesh Dave said.

The senior BJP leader, seeking re-election from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency for a second term, will file his nomination papers on Friday, he said.

PTI

The Congress Lok Sabha candidates visited temples in their respective constituencies on Wednesday to join Ram Navami festivities in the city. J.P. Agarwal, who is fighting from Chandni Chowk, offered prayers in old Delhi’s Gauri Shankar temple, while Udit Raj, the party nominee from North West Delhi, visited Sheetla Mata Mandir and Kali Mata Mandir in Nangloi.

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Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said that in the future Congress leader Rahul Gandhi might have to contest an election from someplace across the oceans, as he would not find a safe seat in the country.

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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s conspicuous absence from two election campaign meetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bihar on April 16 in Gaya and Purnea has triggered talk among political circles that Mr. Kumar was told by BJP leaders not to share the dais with the PM after his recent gaffes in a previous public rally.

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The nomination process for the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections to be held on May 13 began on April 18. A notification to this effect was issued by the Election Commission on behalf of the President on Thursday.

As many as 96 constituencies across nine States and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will go to polls in the fourth phase. All constituencies of Andhra Pradesh (25) and Telangana (17) will go to polls in this phase. Polling will also be held in various constituencies of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir. In Andhra Pradesh, Assembly polls will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections on May 13.

PTI

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has said though the Aam Aadmi Party’s popularity is not captured in pre-poll surveys, its actual performance helps the outfit directly form government and asserted the Lok Sabha polls will deliver surprising results.

Mr. Mann, a senior leader of the AAP, an INDIA bloc constituent, on Wednesday also dismissed as a ‘jumla’ (rhetoric) the BJP’s poll slogan of ‘Abki Baar 400 Paar’ (saffron party-led NDA’s claim of winning more than 400 Lok Sabha seats).

He said putting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is also the AAP convener, in jail in connection with the excise policy case ahead of the Lok Sabha elections reflected autocracy as well as conspiracy by the ruling party.

PTI

In an exercise to sanitise the electoral rolls, the Hyderabad district’s election authorities have effected a large number of deletions from the lists.

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There will no separate manifesto or special assurances for Telangana from the BJP side during this Parliament election and the party expects the just released national manifesto or ‘Sankalp Patra’ to have a resonance with respective State units and asked to propagate it day in and day out till the polling day.

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It has been quite a few years now since the political parties recognised the role of media campaigning and they have been using it to their advantage. In Karnataka, there is hardly a year’s gap between the State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Counting their successes and failures, major political parties in the State recalibrated their media strategies immediately after the results of the State polls. 

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With one day to go for polling, residents in many areas have complained that they are yet to receive their booth slips.

Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Commissioner and District Election Officer J. Radhakrishnan said 86% of registered voters in the city had received their booth slips, and the rest would receive them soon.

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Acting tough, the Election Commission of India (EC) on Wednesday advised a halt to the proposed tour of West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose to Cooch Behar on April 18-19 saying it would violate the Model Code of Conduct.

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Lok Sabha Elections since Independence (1952-2024): Relive all the previous 17 Lok Sabha elections and how India voted: A retrospective. | The Hindu

Previous 17 Lok Sabha election history (1952 to 2024): The story of how India voted, from 1952 to 2019, and a glimpse into how The Hindu reported and documented these historical events in the pages of the newspaper.

Concluding his campaign for the Lok Sabha election on Wednesday, BJP State president and candidate for the Coimbatore constituency, K. Annamalai, said that the people would speak about “Coimbatore formula” on June 4 (when results will be declared) for they would have “voted for change” despite distribution of money by some parties.

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Mahayuti alliance candidate Sunetra Pawar and her sister-in-law and NCP (SP) candidate Supriya Sule would file their nominations for the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency in the district on Thursday with a show of strength.

Along with Ms. Sule, her party’s Shirur candidate Dr. Amol Kolhe and the Congress’ Pune Lok Sabha constituency candidate Ravindra Dhangekar will also file their papers.

PTI

Former Chief Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) candidate for Mandya Lok Sabha constituency H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday lashed out at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar for appealing for his defeat in the elections.

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It’s a high octane contest in Udhampur-Doda, one of the five Lok Sabha constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir. Udhampur-Doda votes in first phase on April 19. For the first time, the reach and appeal of the BJP’s Hindutva agenda will be tested here after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. That is set against “hurt Dogra pride”, represented by the chequered personality of Chaudhary Lal Singh.

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The Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), headed by Ghulam Nabi Azad, on Wednesday decided against contesting from south Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat. However, no reasons were cited for the decision.

DPAP provincial president Mohammad Amin Bhat said his party had decided to field Advocate Mohammad Saleem Parray for the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat.

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