Lok Sabha elections updates | PM Modi held roadshow in Ghaziabad

“After PM Modi came to power, crores of people became poor in India,” said Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad rally. 

Lashing out at NDA govt, Mr. Gandhi claimed 30 farmers commit suicide daily. 

“PM Modi waived ₹16 lakh crore worth loans of India’s richest people. Not even one rupee of farmers’ loan was waived,” Mr. Gandhi alleged.

“PM Modi kept his people in election commission. Electoral bonds is world’s biggest scam.” - PTI

The Congress manifesto carries the imprint of the Muslim League with “every page reeking of breaking India”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, virtually equating the Congress to the party which is blamed for the Partition. 

Mr. Modi, who addressed BJP’s election rallies in Saharanpur in western Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan’s Ajmer, also criticised the Congress for staying away from the consecration ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya and for remarks against ‘Shakti’. 

“Opposing the visit to the consecration of Ram temple? Is it appropriate? Not only this, if someone visited, he was expelled from the Congress party for six years. Can this happen in this country, can you imagine the country without Lord Ram?” “Lord Ram has got a permanent abode. Ram Navami is coming and people are going to celebrate. Let’s see how much you will oppose it,” Mr. Modi said. - PTI

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said PM Narendra Modi has set the target of winning more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls as he is confident of the strength of the BJP’s dedicated cadre.

Mr. Dhami was speaking at a programme organised at the BJP’s state office Dehradun on the occasion of the party’s foundation day. 

“The target of winning more than 400 seats has been set by the prime minister as he is confident about your strength,” he said. 

“Your hard work and dedication have made the BJP the world’s largest political party,” Mr. Dhami added. - PTI

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asked AAP volunteers to shun any grouse, if they have, and ensure victory of the party in all the 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state. 

Mr. Mann further said responsibilities will be given to the volunteers in the organisation and the government. He also slammed the BJP-led Centre over the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, saying it was the BJP’s “misconception” that it can finish AAP. - PTI

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole accused Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of targeting and defaming opponents using government machinery. 

Mr. Patole cited former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya’s interview to ‘Mumbai Tak’ digital channel and said it had exposed such “deceitful” politics, which was tarnishing the legacy of Maharashtra. 

In the interview, Mr. Somaiya said Mr. Fadnavis in 2017 had asked him to aggressively target (undivided) Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, who was an ally of the BJP at the time. 

Due to this, Mr. Thackeray prevailed on the BJP to not give him a Lok Sabha ticket in2019, Mr. Somaiya claimed in the interview. 

“Devendra Fadnavis is the villain who is spoiling the great political legacy of Maharashtra. The BJP has touched a new low in these 10 years. It has worked to eliminate the opposition through vendetta politics and deceit. Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP leaders were blackmailed using government machinery,” Mr. Patole alleged. - PTI

Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly R. Ashoka indicated that BJP will decide on rebel leader K.S. Esharappa, who has decided to contest as an independent in Shimoga Lok Sabha segment, once he files his nomination against the party’s official candidate.

Accusing Mr. Eshwarappa of making “unauthorised use” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pictures during his campaign, he said, only BJP has the right to use it for its political activities like seeking votes, and that the party’s legal cell will look into it. 

“It is wrong, Eshwarappa doesn’t have the right to use (Modi’s pictures). Modi’s photo can be used for a government event as he is the prime minister of the country. When it is a matter that is political or related to votes or election, only BJP has the right to use Modi’s pictures,” Mr. Ashoka said. - PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a roadshow in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad in support of BJP candidate Atul Garg. 

In his first roadshow in the state since the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls last month, the prime minister was joined by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Garg in an open jeep as Modi waved at the enthusiastic lot of supporters. 

The roadshow started from the Maliwad Chowk and will culminate at Chaudhary Mod. - PTI

Himachal Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Maneesh Garg, chaired a meeting of Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation, focusing on collaboration done by the Election Commission of India (ECI) with partner departments and corporations. 

He said that the election department has taken many innovative steps under the guidance of ECI to encourage the voters to come out in greater numbers in the state, according to an official release. - ANI

Amid imposition of the model code of conduct for Lok Sabha polls, ₹3.80 lakh cash was seized from a man during a checking campaign in Greater Noida, as total such seizures reached ₹31.15 lakh in the constituency ahead of polls, officials said.

The seizure was made around 1 am and the man from whom the cash was recovered is a resident of Muzaffarnagar district, the police said. - PTI

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJP’s star campaigner campaigned across Jorhat constituency. He ended his meetings by dancing to the BJP’s theme song ‘Akou ebar Modi sorkar’ (Modi’s government, once more), inviting enthusiastic participation from the audience. 

Be it at the end of the rally in Sivsagar or in Mariani, the CM sang and danced, while urging the public to join, who readily obliged and joined their leader from the stands. 

In his speeches, Mr. Sarma outlined the various welfare measures of the BJP-led governments both at the Centre and the state, and exhorted the public to vote for Mr. Modi for a third successive term. - PTI

In the name of Ram, the ruling BJP is spreading the communal agenda of Nathuram, Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar has said, and asserted that vyaktivaad” (individualism) is more “dangerous” than “parivarvaad” (dynastic politics).

In an interaction with PTI editors at the news agency’s headquarters in New Delhi, he also said there was an effort to belittle the contribution of the Gandhi-Nehru family.

Mr. Kumar claimed that the BJP was making an attempt to reduce the greatness of the Hindu religion, asserting that in Ram’s concept there is no scope of hatred towards anyone. - PTI

The Lok Sabha polls are “not fair” with opposition parties being targeted but despite that, the INDIA bloc will get a clear majority in the elections due to the public response to its “five nyay, 25 guarantees”, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said.

He also said the people of the country will “decisively reject” all attempts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make the elections “unfree and unfair”. There is a strong undercurrent of “enough of das saal anyay kaal” (10 years of injustice), the Congress general secretary said.

Mr. Ramesh also hit out at Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over their recent remarks about the country being a “new India”, which strikes inside enemy territory, saying these are “diversionary tactics” aimed at taking the focus away from the Congress’ “real narrative” of “paanch nyay, pachees guarantees” and the manifesto. - PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given us the “vision of a developed India in the Amrit Kaal”, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said.

“A new debate has started in the country. Every vote of the public can prove to be helpful in changing the destiny and picture of the country. The foundation of this is the continuous change that has occurred in the country since 2014,” Mr. Adityanath said.

“We should vote not based on caste, religion, appeasement or any other agenda, but for the vision of a developed India and a bright future for the next generation,” he added addressing a public meeting in Saharanpur for BJP candidates Raghav Lakhanpal (Saharanpur) and Pradeep Chaudhary (Kairana). - PTI

The ruling CPI(M) in Kerala said the party was maintaining transparency when it came to its bank accounts and funds and the transaction details have already been submitted before the Election Commission and the Income Tax Department.

If the party has to submit details of any accounts, it is ready to furnish all the necessary information before any agency, CPI (M) state secretary M.V. Govindan said.

He was replying to a question regarding media reports about the freezing of the bank account in the name of the party’s Thrissur District Committee by the Income Tax Department. - PTI

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asked people to ensure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi steps down after the Lok Sabha polls and make Congress leader Rahul Gandhi the PM of the country.

Claiming that Congress always walks the talk and fulfills the promises made to the people, unlike the BJP, he said the party will fulfill the guarantees announced in its manifesto after coming to power, like it did in Karnataka under his leadership.

“Congress has yesterday announced guarantees, we will fulfill them too. Congress party always walks the talk, unlike the BJP....you should understand that and try to bring Congress to power at the centre by removing the BJP government. I humbly request you to make Narendra Modi step down and make Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.

- PTI

The Communist Party of India General Secretary D. Raja along with party colleagues released a manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha election and promised that the CPI aims to bring central investigative agencies like the ED and CBI under the purview of Parliament to ensure impartiality in their probe and to avoid interference and abuse by the Executive.

Speaking at the press conference after releasing the party manifesto, D Raja said that the CPI will fight to promote the ideals of liberty, equality, fraternity, justice, secularism, socialism and federalism among the people.

“CPI will introduce measures to address growing inequality and expand the resource base of our country with taxation measures like Wealth tax, Inheritance tax and increased corporate tax to keep the nature of our economy more equal, just and egalitarian” the party promised in Manifesto.

The party also promised in its manifesto that party will continue to fight politically and legally to remove the arbitrary cap of 50 per cent on reservations.

- ANI

BSP Lok Sabha candidate from Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh Kankar Munjare on Saturday said he had left home, which he shares with his Congress MLA wife Anubha Munjare, since two persons following different ideologies must not stay under one roof during polls.

Kankar Munjare, a former MLA and MP, said he would return home after polling day on April 19.

His wife Anubha Munjare had defeated BJP heavyweight Gaurishanker Bisen in the November 2023 Assembly polls.

- PTI

Puthalapattu MLA M S Babu quit the ruling YSRCP on Saturday to join Congress in the presence of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Y S Sharmila.

Babu, who won the 2019 election on a YSRCP ticket was denied the same for the 2024 polls, which went to M Sunil Kumar for the SC-reserved constituency.

“Big shock for ruling YSRCP in the run-up to polls. Puthalapattu MLA M S Babu moved over from YSRCP to Congress. Sharmila invited Babu into the party by putting a scarf around him,” said a press release from Congress.

- PTI

The district election officer A Kulothungan on Saturday appealed to voters in Puducherry to walk to their polling stations to cast their vote on April 19 to elect their Lok Sabha candidate.

Kulothungan asked voters to avoid cars or two-wheelers to further the goal of ‘carbon neutrality’ and ‘green election’.

He said that single use plastics would be avoided in the UT. Election-related campaign banners that use flex or synthetic, which are high carbon footprint materials, would not be allowed, he added.

- PTI

Bihar BJP president and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary on Saturday said the party has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against the alleged misuse of security personnel of former Chief Minister, Rabri Devi, in the campaign of her daughter Rohini Acharya.

“A complaint in this regard has already been filed by our party leaders with the Election Commission (EC). The EC should take cognizance of the complaint and…the EC should also take appropriate action. What else do you expect from RJD supremo Lalu Prasad’s family? They (Lalu’s family) believe in breaking the law, promoting ‘goondaraj’, indulging in corrupt practices etc...”, Chaudhary told reporters.

Echoing a similar view, senior BJP leader and another Deputy CM, Vijay Kumar Sinha, told reporters, “Lalu Prasad and his family are known for such acts. The matter must be probed by the EC”.

- PTI

Lurinjyoti Gogoi, the candidate backed by the United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA) for Assam’s Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituency, visited the family of his BJP rival Sarbananda Sonowal at their residence in Muluk Gaon.

Gogoi paid his respects to the Union minister’s elder brother Dipak Sonowal and other family members, including the widow of his eldest sibling Girish Sonowal.

He sought their blessings and conveyed his regards, emphasising that his visit was not for seeking votes.

‘’I have not come here to seek votes but the blessings of the elders whom I have known since long’‘, Gogoi said.

- PTI

At a Jaipur rally, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra referred to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s arrest by federal agencies to claim that the opposition was under attack under the BJP rule at the Centre.

“Unemployment and inflation at peak and paper leaks are happening in every state. There no one to listen to the poor and the farmers,” she said.

Priyanka Gandhi also said, “We have named our manifesto ‘Nyay Patra’. This manifesto is not just a list of announcements that we will forget after the elections. This is the voice of the nation that wants justice.”

- PTI

The country’s democracy in danger, and a conspiracy is being hatched to change Constitution, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi said in a rally in Jaipur.

Modi ji is destroying country, democracy; various tactics are being used to intimidate opposition leaders, and force them to join BJP, she added.

Sitting BJP MP from Jorhat Lok Sabha seat, Topon Kumar Gogoi, exuded confidence in retaining the constituency by trouncing his rival Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress by a margin of over two lakh votes.

“My campaigning is going on very well. Political meetings are being held in every panchayat of all the legislative assembly constituencies of Jorhat, and I am getting spontaneous reactions from people irrespective of religion, caste and creed,” the BJP MP said.

While addressing an election rally in Saharanpur, PM Modi said, “During its rule, the Congress’ focus was on earning commissions. The INDI alliance too aims to earn commission after coming to power, but the NDA and Modi sarkar is on a mission.” 

He said that the Opposition alliance was fighting the Lok Sabha elections to stop the BJP from winning more than 370 seats. “The Samajwadi Party is changing candidates every hour while the Congress can’t even find candidates to field,” he said. “The Congress does not have the courage to field candidates even in those seats which are considered its stronghold,” he added.

Posters of political parties, mega rallies and visible movement of leaders -- the traditional elements of campaigning -- are conspicuously missing in violence-hit Manipur where polling for Lok Sabha elections is due in less than two weeks.

Amid the muted election fervour, major party figures have refrained from visiting the conflict-ridden state to canvass for votes or make electoral pledges.

Though the Election Commission of Manipur maintained that there are no official restrictions on campaigning activities, party representatives emphasised the need for subdued campaigning to avoid aggravating the delicate situation in the State.

- PTI

For us grand temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya not a poll issue, but mission, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur.

This Ram Navami, Lord Ram will be in temple not in tent, Mr. Modi added.

- PTI

Opposition fighting just to stop BJP from winning over 370 seats, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Sahranpur.

The Samajwadi Party is changing candidates every hour and Congress can’t find candidates, Mr. Modi added.

- PTI

INDI alliance aims to earn commission but NDA-Modi govt is on a mission: PM Modi in Saharanpur.

- PTI

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has questioned the “reprehensible silence” of the Congress on the issue of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking to mediapersons at Cherthala in Alappuzha on April 6 (Saturday), Mr. Vijayan said that unlike the Congress, the manifesto of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI (M)] had pledged to scrap “draconian laws” such as the CAA, Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, among others.

“Today, it is an auspicious occasion. Today is BJP’s foundation day. BJP has won people’s trust, it has won people’s hearts. What is the reason behind it? The biggest reason is that BJP works on ‘Rashtraniti’ and not ‘Rajniti’,” said PM Modi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Sahranpur saud that we worship ‘Shakti’, but INDIA bloc says their fight is against ‘Shakti’.

- PTI

The Bharatiya Janata Party was not established to make anyone the prime minister or the chief minister and hence never faced an internal division, said Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The senior BJP leader claimed that theirs is the only national party in the country’s history that has not experienced a split.

Addressing his party workers during an event here to mark the 44th foundation day of the BJP, Mr. Fadnavis asked the cadres to work as the soldiers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make India a developed country.

- PTI

Congress releases a fresh list of 6 names across Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Dadra&Nagar Haveli. 

Ramakant Khalsa has been fielded from South Goa.

- Sandeep Phukan

Sitting BJP MP from Jorhat Lok Sabha seat, Topon Kumar Gogoi, exuded confidence of retaining the constituency by trouncing his rival Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress by a margin of over two lakh votes.

In an interview to PTI, the BJP leader asserted that people of his constituency and the entire country want Narendra Modi elected as prime minister for the third consecutive term so that the “development journey continues”.

He also claimed that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, which the Opposition is “trying to make an election issue”, is not at all a concern among voters.

- PTI

The nomination forms of 93 candidates were found to be valid, while 16 were rejected during the scrutiny of papers for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, poll officials said.

These 16 rejected nominations include that of the opposition INDIA bloc nominee and Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Khajuraho candidate Meera Yadav.

- PTI

Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani took a jibe at the Congress over its situation in Kerala, where, despite being partners in the opposition INDIA bloc, the Communist Party of India has fielded Annie Raja against Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad.

Ms. Irani said that on one side, the Left parties are asking Rahul Gandhi to go to Uttar Pradesh and contest, while on the other side, the same Left members hugged the Congress leader during the meeting of the INDI Alliance.

- ANI

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress claimed that the double-engine government in Uttar Pradesh is running “dangerously low” on fuel and that the PM must answer key issues of the state before the engine comes to a “sputtering halt on June 4”.

Ahead of the prime minister’s rally in Saharanpur, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed three questions to the PM including one on Saharanpur’s wood-carving industry.

- PTI

On the 44th foundation day of the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 6 said it has become India’s preferred party and expressed confidence that people will elect it for another term at the Centre, allowing it to build on the “ground covered in the last decade”.

He said the youth of India see the BJP as the party which can fulfil their aspirations and provide leadership to the nation in the 21st century.

- PTI

Union Minister and Matua leader Shantanu Thakur believes that the CAA will safeguard those belonging to the community by granting them “legal citizenship”, thus preventing them from being labelled as foreigners in the event of “a potential NRC exercise in the next 100 years”.

In an interview with PTI, Mr. Thakur sought to alleviate confusion among the Matuas regarding the submission of applications for citizenship under the CAA and asserted that “no documents proving previous residential addresses in Bangladesh are mandatory, with certificates from community organisations being sufficient”.

Mr. Thakur, who is seeking re-nomination on a BJP ticket from the Matua-majority Bongaon Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, emphasised that without the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act, none of the opposition leaders, including Mamata Banerjee, would be capable of safeguarding the Matuas in the event of an NRC exercise in a century from now.

- PTI

The Odisha government has appointed two IAS officers as district magistrates of Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur after the Election Commission of India approved their posting, an official said.

Arindam Dakua, a 2011-batch IAS officer was appointed as the new District Magistrate of Cuttack replacing Vineet Bharadwaj, while Anupam Saha, a 2012-batch IAS officer, replaced Parul Patwari as Jagatsingpur District Magistrate, the official said.

On April 2, the Election Commission of India had ordered the Odisha government to transfer Mr. Bharadwaj and Mr. Patwari, along with six other IPS officers, to non-election-related posts with immediate effect.

- PTI

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has filed a complaint with the Election Commission against the Congress candidate from the Chamarajanagara Lok Sabha constituency, Sunil Bose, accusing him of concealing information in his affidavit during nomination.

The BJP delegation, led by former district BJP president Narayana Prasad, submitted a complaint against Mr. Bose, who is the son of H.C. Mahadevappa and a close aide of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, to the district election officer.

The BJP delegation demanded the rejection of Mr. Bose’s nomination, alleging that he submitted a false affidavit without disclosing important information about his married life and children. Mr. Bose also allegedly failed to declare property details belonging to his wife, children, and parents, they claimed. 

- ANI

Sita Soren, who is contesting from the Dumka Parliamentary constituency in the Lok Sabha elections for Jharkhand as a BJP candidate, claimed that the people of the state were standing with her and that the future is dark for the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

Sita Soren is the wife of former Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s late elder brother, Durga Soren, who died in 2009.

Ms. Soren told ANI, “The people of Jharkhand were already standing behind me with the dreams of Durga Soren. Even now, I have assurance that the people where we are standing are also with us.

“Many workers are also calling me, saying that they are with me because they too do not see any hope in JMM; the future there is dark for the party, “ she said.

- ANI

Suresh Gopi, who has lost twice in elections from this central Kerala constituency and is hoping that his third attempt from here would bring him luck, has declared assets, including both movable and immovable, of over ₹12 crore in his nomination papers.

Mr. Gopi had lost from Thrissur in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and then in the 2021 state assembly polls.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the actor is facing off against Congress’ K Muraleedharan, who won from Vatakara in the 2019 general elections, and CPI’s V S Sunilkumar.

- PTI

The nomination papers of three out of 65 candidates have been rejected during scrutiny for the second phase of polls to five parliamentary constituencies of Assam on April 26, an election official said.

The nominations of two candidates were rejected in Nagaon and one in Karimganj. However, in Silchar (SC), Darrang-Udalguri and Diphu (ST), all the papers submitted were found valid.

Altogether 65 candidates had filed their nominations for the second phase on the last day on April 4.

In Nagaon, the nominations of independent candidate Biswajit Bordoloi and Hamar Raj Party’s Horen Bhumij were rejected, while those of the remaining 13 were found valid, the official said.

- PTI

Also Read: Lok Sabha constituencies and States going to polls in Phase 2

Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be addressing a Congress rally on Saturday at Tukkuguda near here, party sources said.

Tukkuguda on the outskirts of Hyderabad is where the party had earlier announced its six poll ‘guarantees’ for the Assembly elections held in November last year.

The Congress is expected to show its strength by mobilising huge crowds from surrounding areas to the ‘Jana Jatara’ meeting, the sources said. - PTI

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former president Sonia Gandhi and other leaders of the party will hold a rally in Jaipur to publicly launch its election manifesto.

“Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge will hold a big public meeting tomorrow in Jaipur and will tell the people about the manifesto. There is a great enthusiasm among the workers for tomorrow’s meeting,” Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra told reporters.

The meeting will be held at Jaipur’s Vidhyadhar Nagar stadium.

- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in a road show in Ghaziabad, a senior BJP leader said.

Around 4 p.m., the prime minister will participate in a road show organised from the Maliwada Chowk via Ambedkar Road to Chaudhary Road in Ghaziabad in support of the party’s candidate Atul Garg.

- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address an election rally in Saharanpur, a senior BJP leader said.

Prime Minister Modi will address an election rally at the old Radha Swami Satsang Bhawan near the Rainbow Public School, Delhi Road, around 9.30 a.m. in support of BJP candidate from Saharanpur Raghav Lakhanpal and the party’s Kairana candidate Pradeep Choudhary, state general secretary and Member of the Legislative Council Govind Narayan Shukla told PTI.

Participants take part in a rally to create awareness on the need for 100% voters turnout in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls in Erode in Tamil Nadu.