Lok Sabha elections updates | Rahul Gandhi files his nomination papers from Wayanad Lok Sabha seat

A total of 13 candidates belonging to the BJP, Congress and AIUDF filed their nomination papers on Wednesday for five constituencies in Assam that are going to polls in the second phase on April 26, an election official said. 

Altogether 27 candidates have so far submitted their papers till the penultimate day of filing of nominations for the second phase of polls to the five constituencies of Karimganj, Silchar, Nagaon, Diphu and Darrang-Udalguri. - PTI

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma lashed out at the Congress, terming the party “mother of corruption”. 

Addressing the nomination rally of Lok Sabha Speaker and BJP candidate Om Birla from the Kota-Bundi constituency, Mr. Sharma said, “In the Modi government, the Pulwama attack was retaliated. The present government has worked for securing and guarding the borders of the country, and the welfare of the poor.” 

Mr. Birla also addressed the nomination rally and sought the blessings of the people for the third time as a member of Parliament. 

Counting his achievements as a member of Parliament and as the Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr. Birla claimed the largest volume of work was done and the maximum number of bills, including those pending for years, were passed in the history of Parliament in the last five years. - PTI

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said his party workers will reach out to at least two crore ‘PDA’ families in the state and discuss with them issues related to social justice and reservation. 

PDA is an acronym for Pichde (backward classes), Dalit and Alpasankhyak (minorities) that was coined by Mr. Yadav. 

Matters related to economic and social inequality and its ill effects will also be taken up during the discussions, the Samajwadi Party (SP) president was quoted as saying in a party release. - PTI

More than ₹51 lakh in cash and liquor worth nearly ₹40 lakh were seized in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, taking the total seizures to ₹1.20 crore since the enforcement of the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha elections, officials said.

Enforcement teams intercepted some vehicles and seized ₹51.54 lakh in cash along with liquor valued at ₹39.63 lakh, they said. - PTI

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Rupkumari Choudhary and Congress nominee Biresh Thakur filed their nominations from Mahasamund and Kanker Lok Sabha seats, respectively, in Chhattisgarh. 

April 3 was the fourth day of filing nominations for the second phase of elections covering three seats and so far a total of 35 candidates have submitted their papers. 

So far, 13 candidates each have filed nominations from Rajnandgaon, Mahasamund and nine from Kanker. 

Former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel is the Congress candidate from Rajnandgaon. - PTI

Former MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, who recently joined the Congress, seemed adamant about throwing his hat in the ring for Bihar’s Purnea Lok Sabha seat, where ally RJD’s candidate Bima Bharti filed her nomination papers. 

Ms. Bharti, who joined RJD less than a month ago, was accompanied by Tejashwi Yadav, former deputy chief minister and heir apparent of Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad. 

Tejashwi Yadav also addressed a rally at Purnea, urging people to vote for Ms. Bharti, a former minister and sitting MLA who recently quit the JD(U) headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. 

Pappu Yadav has been asserting that he will contest the seat he had won thrice in the 1990s, with the claim of “assurances” from Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. - PTI

The Congress said it has initiated disciplinary action against former MP Sanjay Nirupam for his remarks against the party leadership amid seat-sharing talks with ally Shiv Sena (UBT), and a decision about him will be taken in a day or two. The Congress has dropped Mr. Nirupam’s name from the list of star campaigners. 

Mr. Nirupam, however, remained defiant, and said he would declare his stand on April 3. 

Taking a dig, he asked Congress not to waste “stationery” as it is facing a financial crisis. 

“It should utilise the stationery and energy to save itself, as the party is experiencing a serious financial crisis. The time frame I had given to the party ends today. I will spell out my next course of action tomorrow,” he tweeted. - PTI

Biju Janata Dal president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the second list of candidates for the Odisha Assembly elections and the third list for the Lok Sabha polls. 

Mr. Patnaik announced the names of 27 candidates for the assembly elections and five for Lok Sabha polls. With this, the BJD has fielded 20 candidates for the state’s 21 Lok Sabha seats. 

The BJD has so far declared nominees for 99 assembly seats out of the 147 Assembly seats. 

Mr. Patnaik has denied party tickets to seven sitting MLAs. The party has dropped two sitting MPs from Berhampur and Keonjhar from the list. They have been replaced by new candidates, The 27-member list released for the assembly elections included seven women candidates. - PTI

The Bahujan Samaj Party released its third list of 12 Lok Sabha poll candidates for Uttar Pradesh, fielding Nandkishore Pundir from Ghaziabad and Sarvar Malik from Lucknow. 

With this, the Mayawati-led party has declared its candidates for 37 seats out of total 80 parliamentary seats in the state. 

According to the latest list released by the BSP office here, the party declared its candidates for Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Mainpuri, Lucknow and Mirzapur seats, among others. - PTI

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the criminals are now scared even to enter the state’s jails. He referred again to his government’s claim that the criminals were earlier getting their bail cancelled so that they could stay safe in jails. “Now they are saying don’t even send us to jail. We are afraid to go there too,” he said, according to a statement issued in Lucknow. - PTI

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said no Muslim living in India will lose his or her citizenship and accused the opposition parties of creating confusion in the community about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. 

“Now the opposition people try to create this illusion among our Muslim brothers that now you will be thrown out of the country. I want to tell my Muslim brothers that rest assured we believe in the concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, i.e, the whole world is our family. No matter what caste or creed one is born in or a follower of any religion or sect, we consider everyone as a member of our family,” Mr. Singh said.

Senior Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi accused the BJP of politicising Lord Ram, saying he belongs to all and seeking votes in his name is a “disgusting act”. 

Talking about the issue of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens, Mr. Gogoi said the people of Assam view the two separately. 

“At present, people are very restless about the CAA and want to protest against it democratically. However, Assam’s BJP government has even snatched the right to protest. If a student wants to protest, he or she is sent to jail, if a press person asks a question then that person’s job is lost. If people cannot even protest peacefully, then where is democracy?,” Mr. Gogoi said, hitting out at the BJP. - PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Samajwadi Party and the Congress were not in favour of the Ram temple being constructed in Ayodhya. 

Addressing a public meeting in Muzaffarnagar to seek votes for BJP candidate Sanjeev Baliyan ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Shah said, “The aim of the opposition is to make people from their family chief ministers and prime ministers. The aim of Modi ji is to make the poor, farmers, helpless, Dalits and tribals strong and stand on their feet.” - PTI

Union minister Smriti Irani has become a voter of Amethi. Ms. Irani applied for becoming a voter after getting a house for herself in Medan Mawai village of Gauriganj, Amethi. 

Ms. Irani, who is the Union women and child development and minority welfare minister, entered her newly-constructed house in Maidan Mawai village on February 22, 2024. - PTI

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asked AAP leaders to take “positive agenda” to people and seek votes for the Lok Sabha polls on the basis of work done by his government in the past two years. 

Mr. Mann discussed a poll strategy with AAP candidate from Sangrur parliamentary seat Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and party MLAs from assembly segments which are part of the Lok Sabha constituency. 

The chief minister, who is also AAP’s Punjab unit president, is the MLA from Dhuri seat which is part of the Sangrur parliamentary constituency. - PTI

Union Minister Santanu Thakur, who is seeking re-election from Bongaon Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal, urged members of the Matua community, who migrated to India before 2014, to apply for citizenship under the CAA, even if they already possess voting rights. 

“Applying for fresh citizenship under CAA will enable you to avail all benefits, including permanent residency proof which is necessary for passport and visa. Although I was born here and my grandfather had proof of residency after coming, I will still apply,” Mr. Thakur said. - PTI

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal announced the formation of a 15-member manifesto committee for the Lok Sabha polls. It will be led by Balwinder Singh Bhundar. 

The committee has 15 members and, in addition, six members have been added as special invitees. - PTI

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi facilitated the return of 22,500 stranded Indian students from Ukraine after speaking with the leaders of Russia, Ukraine and the United States, which no other world leader could do.

Launching his Lok Sabha poll campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Ghaziabad in western Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Singh also lauded Mr. Modi for transforming India’s reputation on the global stage since becoming prime minister in 2014. - PTI

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini attacked the Congress, saying when it was in power its leaders used to give mere slogans and make hollow promises. Whereas the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the state have delivered on its promises, he said. - PTI

Senior Congress leader Charan Das Mahant, the Leader of the Opposition in the Chhattisgarh state assembly, called for support for Mr. Baghel’s victory in the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat, hailing him as a champion of women and farmers. 

“We need a protector who can stand up against Narendra Modi, and your MP (referring to Baghel) is that person. We want someone who can hold a stick and confront Narendra Modi”, he said at a rally. 

These remarks stirred controversy, drawing a swift response from the ruling BJP, which condemned Mr. Mahant’s statements. - PTI

Businessman-turned-politician Krishna Kalyani, who has been nominated by the Trinamool Congress from the Raiganj Lok Sabha seat, has no criminal cases pending against him, according to an affidavit filed by him. 

Mr. Kalyani, a businessman by profession, has movable assets worth ₹7.42 crore and immovable assets of ₹82.96 lakh, it said.

He has two flats in Kolkata’s Ballygunge area, one house and a flat in Raiganj along with a residence in Varanasi. 

Mr. Kalyani, who had won on a BJP ticket in the 2021 assembly elections from Raiganj, joined the TMC in 2022. He has also given a list of non-agricultural land, it said, adding that he is the director of at least eight companies. - PTI

The Left party claimed that the ruling party in West Bengal has stated in its advertisements that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will credit the first instalment for building houses to the bank accounts of beneficiaries within six months by December 31. 

Claiming that the advertisement is violative of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for the Lok Sabha elections, the CPI (M) sought appropriate action against the TMC immediately. 

It said that the Election Commission guidelines state that “no inducement, financial or otherwise, shall be offered to the voter.” - PTI

DPAP founder Ghulam Nabi Azad said he has decided to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls to carry on his fight for the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir and for the protection of land and job rights of its residents. 

Mr. Azad, the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, will contest the Lok Sabha polls from Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) announced. - PTI

Burying the hatchet with his party rival Ashok Gehlot, Congress leader Sachin Pilot has said he will campaign for his senior colleague’s son Vaibhav who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Jalore.

Asked how he has been able to shake off his past differences with Mr. Gehlot and the former Rajasthan chief minister’s ‘ nikamma-nakara’ jibe at him in 2020, Mr. Pilot said, “I saw no advantage in replying in the same coin, I refused to be provoked, chose dignity and grace over name-calling and, more importantly, decided to show a large heart and move on.” This, he said, was better for the party, better for his State and certainly better for him.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will conduct four road shows and one public meeting during his two-day visit to Tamil Nadu starting from Thursday.

As the Lok Sabha is just round the corner, Shah’s impending two-day excursion to Tamil Nadu emerges as a strategic move in the political landscape of the state.

Commencing from Thursday, Shah’s itinerary, that comprises four road shows and one public meeting, underscores the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) concerted efforts to bolster its presence and sway in Tamil Nadu. Shah will kickstart his campaign with a road show in Tamil Nadu’s Theni town on Thursday afternoon, followed by a pivotal public meeting in Madurai later in the evening. His agenda also includes a significant stop at the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, symbolizing an attempt to resonate with the religious sentiments of the electorate.

- ANI

The Election Commission of India has called a crucial meeting with all the top officials of the States, union territories and central agencies to review the law and order situation on borders ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

“The ECI has called a crucial meeting today with all States, UTs top officials and central agencies guarding borders to review the law and order situation and vigilance on borders, in the ensuing General Elections to Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies 2024. State officials to join virtually,” said sources.

According to an official press note from the ECI, “The conduct of elections involves elaborate security management, which includes not just the security of polling personnel, polling stations and polling materials, but also the overall security of the election process.”

“Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are deployed to supplement the local police force in ensuring a peaceful and conducive atmosphere for the smooth conduct of elections in a free, fair and credible manner,” it said.

- ANI

Vijender Singh, India’s first Olympic medallist in boxing and a Congress leader, joined the BJP.

Singh had fought the 2019 Lok Sabha election unsuccessfully from the South Delhi constituency as a Congress candidate. His name was doings the rounds for the last few days as the party’s nominee from Mathura, from where actor and incumbent MP Hema Malini is contesting again.

- PTI

After the Congress candidate from the Damoh Lok Sabha seat, Tarvar Lodhi, teared up and wept inconsolably while campaigning, the BJP took a dig at him terming his act a ‘political stunt.’

Standing alongside Congress state president Jitu Patwari while he was addressing a public meeting in Damon in the former’s favour, Lodhi was pictured breaking down and wiping tears from his eyes.

As soon as Patwari finished his address, Lodhi burst out weeping before Patwari reached over, hugging and hushing him.

Asked about being overcome with emotion, Lodhi told reporters, “Being in a family and made to feel loved can make you emotional.” However, scoffing at the emotional moment of the Congress candidate, the BJP’s pick from Damoh, Rahul Lodhi said it was, perhaps, a political stunt aimed at playing up emotions for votes.

- ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said opposition leaders develop cold feet seeing the enthusiasm of BJP workers, and asked them to work with a resolve to break all old poll records.

Addressing a digital rally of Uttar Pradesh BJP workers at 22,648 booths in 10 Lok Sabha seats through the NaMo App, Modi said new records are being made in polls due to the hard work of BJP workers. Modi said the “soul of victory in elections lies in the victory of the polling booth” and stressed that they “will have to work with a resolve to break all old records of the polling booths”.

“Be it Lok Sabha elections or assembly polls, new records are being made due to your hard work. I am happy to see your enthusiasm but seeing your enthusiasm, other party leaders develop cold feet,” he said.

- PTI

Mehbooba Mufti said INDIA bloc partner National Conference has left the PDP with no other option other than to contest the election on the three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir.

The NC recently announced it would field its candidates on all three seats. The NC left two seats in Jammu for the Congress as part of the INDIA bloc’s seat-sharing agreement.

“They (NC) have left no option for us other than to field candidates and contest the elections,” Mufti, the chief of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), told reporters here.

The party’s Parliamentary Board would take a final call on the candidates, she added.

- PTI

The Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed a petition which had sought directions to set aside the Election Commission’s March 16 notification announcing the bypoll for the Karnal assembly seat.

On Tuesday, a division bench comprising Justices Sudhir Singh and Harsh Bunger had reserved its verdict on a plea seeking directions to set aside the notification.

The BJP has fielded Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who is also an MP from Kurukshetra in the outgoing Lok Sabha, for the bypoll for the Karnal assembly seat, vacated by his predecessor Manohar Lal Khattar.

The bypoll is scheduled to be held on May 25 along with the polling for the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana.

- PTI

The Shiv Sena (UBT) declared four more candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, fielding Vaishali Darekar-Rane from the high-profile Kalyan constituency, currently represented by state Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s son Shrikant Shinde.

With this, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party has so far declared nominees for 21 seats in Maharashtra, which will vote in five phases starting April 19.

Addressing a news conference, Thackeray also declared the candidature of Satyajit Patil, Bharti Kamdi and Karan Pawar from Hatkanangale, Palghar, and Jalgaon constituencies, respectively.

- PTI

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar held meetings here to discuss his party’s preparations and candidates for the Beed and Satara Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra.

Shiv Sangram party leader Jyoti Mete, who is interested in contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha poll from Beed constituency, met Pawar at his residence ‘Silver Oak’ in Mumbai.

Bajrang Sonawane, who had joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and recently returned to the opposition NCP (SP), is also keen on getting a ticket from Beed.

The NCP(SP) will be pitted in Beed against BJP leader and former state minister Pankaja Munde.

Shashikant Shinde, the MLC from the Sharad Pawar group, also met the latter for a discussion over the Satara seat.

- PTI

Unmesh Patil, the BJP MP from Jalgaon in north Maharashtra who failed to get the saffron party ticket for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, joined the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT).

Mr. Patil joined the Sena (UBT) at ‘Matoshree’, the residence of party head and former state chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in suburban Mumbai, along with his followers.

The party, however, fielded Karan Pawar from the Jalgaon Lok Sabha seat as it announced his name along with those of the candidates for three other constituencies. With this, the party, which is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), has fielded candidates for 21 parliamentary constituencies so far.

- PTI

National Conference president and sitting MP from Srinagar Farooq Abdullah would not contest the Lok Sabha polls owing to his heath, the party said.

The announcement was made by his son and NC vice president Omar Abdullah at a party function in Rawalpora on the outskirts of the city here.

“He (Farooq Abdullah) has taken permission from (party’s general secretary) (Ali Mohammad) Sagar and other party members to not contest the polls this time because of his health,” Omar Abdullah said.

He said it is now the party’s responsibility to field the best candidate from the constituency. He hoped that the voters would help the NC candidate succeed so that he/she becomes a voice of the people of Srinagar in Delhi.

- PTI

Incumbent Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambareesh, who won as an independent in 2019 elections, announced her decision to join the BJP and not contest the 2024 elections. 

This has brought an end to the suspense over her next move which kept both the BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular) on tenterhooks as the two have entered into a pre-poll alliance with the BJP supporting the JD(S) candidate H.D. Kumaraswamy who is contesting from Mandya. 

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge launched the party’s ‘Ghar Ghar Guarantee’ initiative under which it aims to reach out to crores of households across the country and make them aware of its “guarantees”.

Mr. Kharge launched the initiative from Usmanpur, Kaithwada, in the North East Delhi Parliamentary Constituency and distributed pamphlets on the party’s ‘Paanch Nyay Pachees Guarantee’.

“We are distributing this guarantee card to take our Panch Nyay Pachees Guarantee to people. All Congress leaders and workers will take this card to households across the counts and will tell people what our alliance government will do when it assumes power,” he said while launching the initiative.

“We give a guarantee that our government has always worked for people and will always do so. PM Modi talks about Modi ki Guarantee but his guarantee never reaches the people,” he said, adding that the prime minister talked about 2 crore jobs a year but people never got them.

- PTI

After leading a public rally, incumbent MP Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination for the Lok Sabha election from the Wayanad seat in Kerala. 

Thousands of people, including UDF leaders and workers, turned up at Kalpetta here to welcome Rahul. Accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul held a roadshow from Kalpetta to Civil Station.

Rahul will be contesting against BJP state president K Surendran and CPI leader Annie Raja from the Wayanad LS constituency. He had won from the same seat in 2019 with a massive margin of over four lakh votes.

- PTI

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party to furnish details of newspaper advertisements issued in compliance of its order which instructed the faction to run all publicity with disclaimer that allocation of ‘clock’ symbol to it is sub judice.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan asked senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the faction led by the Maharashtra deputy chief minister, to furnish the details of advertisements issued after Sharad Pawar alleged that they are not complying with the court’s March 19 order.

The bench said, “Mr Rohatgi you have your instructions on how many advertisements were issued after this order. We might be required to take a view if he (Ajit Pawar) is behaving like this. Nobody has a right to deliberately misconstrue our order.” Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Sharad Pawar, said that on March 19, this court passed a reasoned order in which they (Ajit Pawar group) was asked to issue advertisements that the allocation of ‘clock’ symbol is sub judice before this court and they were permitted to use the same subject to final outcome of these proceedings. - PTI

Thousands of people, including UDF leaders and workers, turned up on Wednesday at Kalpetta in Kerala’s Wayanad, to welcome the incumbent MP Rahul Gandhi who arrived here to file his nomination papers for the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul landed at around 10.45 am on a helicopter from Kannur. They were greeted by hundreds of party workers and supporters at the helipad at Muppainad, a village here. Read more

Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate from Wayanad, Annie Raja filed her nomination against Congress’ sitting MP and candidate Rahul Gandhi on April 3. Ms. Raja also held a roadshow in the constituency ahead of filing her nomination.

“You can see the LDF workers and cadres, and the general public. We are all happy that today is a very important day of the election — filing of nomination,” Ms. Raja said speaking to ANI while participating in the road show. Read more

The Election Commission will to meet officials from states, UTs and central agencies guarding borders to assess security along borders ahead of LS polls, sources said. - PTI

An FIR has been registered against a local Samajwadi Party leader for violating the model code of conduct for elections by making objectionable comments against incumbent BJP MP Subrat Pathak, police said on Wednesday.

Manoj Dixit, a local SP leader, allegedly made the comment in the presence of party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday against the BJP MP who is seeking reelection from the Kannauj seat.

According to the police, the FIR was registered based on a complaint by a video surveillance team of the Election Commission. - PTI

The Election Commission, while announcing the Lok Sabha polls schedule, unveiled the ‘Vote From Home’ scheme, designed to facilitate the participation of citizens aged 85 and above and individuals with more than 40 per cent disabilities in the elections.

While commending the decision, Shivadasani finds himself at a crossroads.

“It’s a commendable decision but I still prefer casting my vote at the polling booth,” Shivadasani said, echoing the sentiment of many in his age group.

“At home, there is a possibility of my children influencing my decision. At the booth, however, I am confident of making my choice,” he added.

Shabnam Begum, a wheelchair user in Aligarh, said, “Voting is a deeply personal choice and I value the experience of physically casting my ballot. There is also a fear of undue influence (through such schemes).” While activists acknowledged that most individuals with disabilities and the elderly would prefer to vote in person, they argued that some require this facility due to the severity of their condition. - PTI

Former minister and BJP leader K.S. Eshwarappa, who raised a banner of revolt against the BJP in Karnataka, received a call from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on April 3. The former minister has been asked to travel to Delhi for consultations.

Mr. Eshwarappa informed mediapersons at his residence in Shivamogga on April 3 that he had received a call in the morning from Mr. Shah who expressed surprise over his decision to contest as an independent candidate for the Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat. “I have clearly explained to him the reasons that forced me to take this decision. He asked me to come to Delhi. When seniors invite me, I respect them. I will go and meet him on April 3,” he said. Read more

Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan has said that he has started feeling at home in Pithapuram during a brief interaction with women of the Assembly constituency.

Mr. Pawan Kalyan postponed a scheduled meeting with the women, citing that district authorities did not grant him permission for the meeting. He is expected to meet the women at an exclusive meeting within a week. Read more

Alleging that the Congress and the BJP were “poisonous plants”, Naam Tamilar Katchi chief coordinator Seeman on Tuesday said that the two parties should not be allowed to emerge victorious in the elections. 

The two national parties were not only enemies of Tamil race but also enemies of Tamil nationalism, Mr. Seeman alleged while campaigning for the party’s candidate for the Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency ‘Jallikattu’ Rajesh at Thiruvanaikoil here. The two national parties would make out all-out efforts to eliminate small parties and those that were emerging, he alleged.. Read more

The Congress party in Kerala appears to be in a predicament over the decision of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political arm of the proscribed Islamist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), to support the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the Lok Sabha polls in Kerala.

BJP State president and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate for the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency K. Surendran has urged the UDF candidate and sitting MP Rahul Gandhi to clarify his stance on the support announced by the SDPI for the UDF. Read more

With the Lok Sabha elections being held during peak summer, the searing heat poses a challenge to candidates who are literally sweating it out as they criss-cross their constituencies in the central region.

The mercury came close to 40 degrees Celsius in Tiruchi and crossed the mark at K. Paramathi (40.2 degrees Celsius) in Karur on Monday. Thanjavur was relatively better at 38.5 degrees Celsius. According to the weather report of the Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, the maximum temperature in Tiruchi was 1.6 degrees Celsius above normal and 3.1 degrees Celsius above normal in Karur. Read more

Among the 80 candidates in the fray for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, just seven or 8.75 per cent are women, according to official data.

The figure is lower than the first phase of the 2019 general elections when 12 of the 91 contenders or 13.18 per cent were women. However, none of those female candidates were victorious.

Of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, eight -- Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit -- will go to polls in the first phase on April 19.

Kairana, Moradabad and Saharanpur have two female candidates each and Muzaffarnagar has one. Bijnor, Pilibhit, Rampur and Nagina do not have any female contenders, the Election Commission website showed.

In Kairana, the Samajwadi Party has fielded Iqra Choudhary while Priti Kashyap is representing the Rashtriya Mazdoor Ekta Party. Ruchi Vira is the Samajwadi Party nominee and Sadhna Singh is an Independent candidate in Moradabad.

In Saharanpur, Tasmeem Bano and Shabnam are fighting it out as Independents while Kavita, the lone woman candidate in Muzaffarnagar, is representing Rashtrawadi Janlok Party (Satya). - PTI

Opposition leaders are coming to the BJP fold as the leadership of their parties is changing “colours like a chameleon” and has no regard for core ideology, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya has said.

The BJP leader also dismissed as “far from the truth” the allegations of opposition parties that the Narendra Modi government is misusing central probe agencies to intimidate and poach their leaders and that those facing corruption charges come out clean from the “BJP’s washing machine” after they join the party.

The leaders of opposition parties that have formed a “ghamandia gathbandhan” are levelling such allegations against the BJP-led government at the Centre as part of their strategy to prepare a “script” in defence of their imminent defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, Mr. Maurya said. -PTI

Coming down heavily on the Centre over the alleged misuse of central agencies such as the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), CBI and the Income Tax Department against the Opposition leaders and parties, former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said democracy was in ‘danger’.

Speaking to reporters after attending an event in support of Sangeeta Beniwal, the Congress’s Lok Sabha candidate from Rajasthan’s Pali, Gehlot said, “Our democracy is in danger, the Constitution is being throttled and people are distressed. The ED, CBI, Income Tax are being misused (against tghe Opposition). The prevailing situation is grave. People need to understand what we are going through and be the agents of change.” -ANI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused the Congress of taking support from the Social Democratic Party of India, the political arm of the banned Popular Front of India, “even as blasts are taking place in Bengaluru”.

The senior BJP leader was apparently referring to the recent blast at popular eatery Rameshwaram Cafe, which is under investigation.

Read the full story here.