Lok Sabha elections updates | Congress announces six Lok Sabha candidates for Andhra Pradesh

Congress announces six Lok Sabha candidates for Andhra Pradesh and 12 candidates for the Assembly elections

Former IAS officer and close aide of Rahul Gandhi, K. Raju, has been fielded from Nellore Lok Sabha seat.

- Sandeep Phukan

After an overnight stay in Chennai, PM Modi will address election rallies in Vellore, near here and Mettupalayam in Coimbatore district on Wednesday in support of NDA candidates, including Annamalai, union minister L Murugan and Soumya Anbumani of ally PMK.

- PTI

AAP on April 9 began a door-to-door drive in Delhi’s Shahdara as part of its “Jail ka Jawab Vote se” campaign to seek support for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is currently lodged in Tihar jail, and the party in the Lok Sabha elections. 

Under the campaign, AAP leaders will visit every house in the four Lok Sabha constituencies where the party has fielded its candidates. 

Gopal Rai, the AAP’s Delhi convenor, kicked off the campaign from Vishwas Nagar in Shahdara. He was accompanied by the party’s East Delhi candidate Kuldeep Kumar. 

Claiming that Delhi’s elected chief minister has been “tyrannically incarcerated”, Mr. Rai said, “Today the Delhi Chief Minister can’t campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. Therefore, from Tuesday, AAP workers are conducting a door-to-door campaign, delivering messages on behalf of Kejriwal and highlighting his achievements for the people of Delhi.” Mr. Kejriwal has worked for the people of Delhi and that is why they voted for him, he said. -- PTI

As PM Modi took out his roadshow in Chennai today, supporters of all ages came out to support the BJP leader. 

Reporting from the venue, The Hindu’s R. Aishwaryaa brings you a snippet from one such supporter. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 9 took out a roadshow in Chennai’s T Nagar locality, ahead of the April 19 Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu.

The Prime Minister was joined by BJP State president K. Annamalai and the saffron party’s candidates for South Chennai, Central Chennai and North Chennai.

Tamilisai Soundararajan has been fielded from South Chennai while Vinoj P Selvam and RC Paul Kanagaraj are the party’s picks from Central Chennai and North Chennai, respectively.

Standing atop a decorated car, the PM waved at his supporters who lined up on either side of the road and he also carried a small cutout of the BJP’s symbol, the Lotus.

Eager supporters showered flower petals on Modi even as the people raised chants hailing him. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the target of 370 Lok Sabha seats for the BJP to “pay respect” to the decision to abrogate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, Tripura CM Manik Saha said on April 9. 

Addressing an election rally in South Tripura’s Hrishyamukh, he asked party workers to work hard to achieve the target. 

“At the BJP’s national executive meeting in Delhi, PM Modi set the target for the BJP to win 370 seats to pay respect to the abrogation of Article 370. He also emphasised the need to work hard to achieve the target,” Mr. Saha said. 

He said that in accordance with the direction of the PM, BJP workers will visit every house in the state and seek “blessings” for him. 

“We are aiming to visit every house to seek blessings for the PM. Wherever we are going, we are witnessing people’s faith and love for PM Modi,” he said. 

Hailing the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme, Mr. Saha claimed that world leaders were surprised to see how a prime minister could reach out to the people and solve their problems. 

Criticising the Opposition, he said they have formed a platform — INDIA, aiming to oust the PM who “made the country a global leader”. 

“They have failed to bring together the anti-BJP forces in West Bengal and Kerala. They will not be able to stall a third consecutive term for Modi,” he said. -- PTI

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on April 9 issued Congress leader Randeep Surjewala a show-cause notice for his alleged undignified remarks against actor-turned-politician and BJP MP Hema Malini.

The poll body also sought a response from Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on the steps taken to ensure strict compliance with its advisories on upholding the honour and dignity of women during public discourse by its leaders.

Both have been asked to submit their respective responses to the Election Commission. While MR. Surjewala has been asked to respond by April 11 evening, Mr. Kharge has been given time till the following evening.

Mr. Surjewala has said the undated video was edited and distorted and he never intended to insult or hurt the BJP MP.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) will contest from the constituencies of Jalgaon, Parbhani, Nashik, Palghar, Kalyan, Thane, Raigad, Maval, Osmanabad, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Buldhana, Hathkanangkale, Aurangabad, Shirdi, Sangli, Hingoli, Yavatmal-Washim, Mumbai-South, Mumbai-South-Central, Mumbai North-West and Mumbai North-East. 

The Congress has got Nandurbar, Dhule, Akola, Amravati, Nagpur, Bhandara-Gondia, Gadchiroli-Chimur, Chandrapur, Nanded, Jalna, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai-North, Pune, Latur, Solapur, Kolhapur and Ramtek seats. 

The NCP (SP) will contest from Baramati, Shirur, Satara,Bhiwandi, Dindori, Madha, Raver, Wardhan, Ahmednagar South and Beed seats.

The Supreme Court said on April 9 it will hear on April 16 a batch of pleas seeking cross-verification of the votes cast with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). 

The VVPAT is an independent vote verification system which enables an elector to see whether his vote was cast correctly. It generates a paper slip which can be viewed by the voter. It is kept in a sealed cover and can be opened in case of a dispute. 

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, which could not take up the petitions related to Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), said it will consider all pleas in the matter for hearing on next Tuesday. 

The seven-phase Lok Sabha polls will begin on April 19. 

The top court had said on April 3 it would hear next week the plea filed by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) along with other matters, after advocate Prashant Bhushan sought an urgent hearing. 

On April 1, the top court had sought responses from the Election Commission and the Centre on a plea by activist Arun Kumar Agrawal seeking a complete count of VVPAT slips in polls as opposed to the current practice of tallying slips from only five randomly selected EVMs from each assembly segment comprising a parliamentary constituency. 

Both the pleas will now be taken up for hearing on April 16. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public meeting at Karauli-Dholpur on April 11 and at Barmer in Rajasthan on April 12 in support of the respective BJP candidates. 

Prime Minister Modi will reach Jaipur airport at 12.30 pm on April 11. From here he will leave for Karauli and address the Vijay Shankhnad Sabha in Karauli at 1.15 pm, state BJP spokesperson Pramod Vashishth said in a release. 

Mr. Modi will address the Vijay Shankhnad public meeting on April 12 at 11.40 am at the Adarsh Stadium in Barmer. A road show will be held subsequently from Somnath Square to Gupteshwar Darwaja in Dausa at 3 pm. 

As part of the campaign in this Lok Sabha election, Mr. Modi has addressed party meetings in Kotputli, Churu and Pushkar. 

The Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan will be held in two phases. In the first phase, voting will be held on April 19 in 12 seats — Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa and Nagaur. 

In the second phase, voting will be held on April 26 in 13 seats — Tonk, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar. -- PTI

JJP chief Ajay Chautala has said he could rejoin the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) if its chief OP Chautala takes the initiative but his brother and INLD senior leader Abhay Chautala ruled out the reunion, saying there is no place for “traitors” in the party.

Replying to a question from reporters in Charkhi Dadri on Monday if the JJP and the INLD could once again come on one platform, Ajay Chautala said, “It depends on (INLD chief OP) Chautala sahab. It is the job of elders to take the initiative.” “Many people are trying in this regard but the initiative has to be taken by Chautala sahab,” Ajay Chautala, the father of former Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala, said. -PTI

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Madhya Pradesh’s Naxal-affected Balaghat on Tuesday, State cabinet minister Prahlad Singh Patel said that his visit would create history.

Speaking to ANI, Prahlad Singh Patel said, “We are all fortunate and excited, not only the workers but also the public. Narendra Modi is coming here for the first time as Prime Minister. Today is a historic day and it is the first day of Navratri.” -ANI

The BJP on Tuesday dubbed the dharna by TMC leaders outside the Election Commission’s office in New Delhi as a “drama” and an attempt to divert attention from the “misdeeds” of its leaders ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

The Trinamool Congress leaders, who were detained by the Delhi Police while staging the dharna, continued their protest at the Mandir Marg police station on Tuesday morning.

“The TMC leaders are creating a scene outside the office of the Election Commission of India to run away from the real issues. If they have any grievance, they can move the court. What are they doing outside the ECI’s office?” BJP leader Rahul Sinha said. - PTI

The BJP has used the Kashmiri Pandit community’s pain and suffering as a “weapon” to garner votes across the country, People’s Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti alleged.

“The BJP has not only used the Kashmiri Pandits as a vote bank but as a weapon as well. It has used the pain of the Kashmiri Pandits as a weapon and then used that weapon to garner the votes of others,” she alleged.

PTI

Asserting that China couldn’t encroach a “single inch” of land under the Narendra Modi government, Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that people will never forget how former PM Jawaharlal Nehru said “bye-bye” to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh during the 1962 Chinese aggression.

Addressing an election rally in Lakhimpur, he said the BJP-led government at the Centre secured the country’s border with Bangladesh and stopped infiltration.

PTI

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the Congress for allegedly being silent about the Citizenship Amendment Act in their election manifesto and alleged that it reflects their fear to speak about the contentious act.

Addressing a press conference in Kollam, he said the grand old party, in the manifesto for upcoming Lok Sabha polls, has promised to repeal many other laws which violated the Constutional norms, including the GST, if they come back to power.

PTI

Veteran tribal leader Chhotu Vasava announced that his younger son Dilip Vasava will contest the Lok Sabha election from Bharuch seat in Gujarat as the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) candidate.

The BAP was formed in 2023 in Rajasthan where it won three Assembly seats. The party also won an Assembly seat in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections last year. Chhotu Vasava (78) joined the party last month.

PTI

The Left front has fielded Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Annie Raja, a seasoned politician and general secretary of the National Federation of Indian Women, for the 2024 Parliament elections in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala in a bid to wrest the seat currently held by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Annie Raja interview | ‘Fascism has reached its extreme in the country’

Annie Raja, CPI leader, discusses LDF's election prospects in Kerala against Rahul Gandhi in 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Wayanad constituency

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh mocked the ‘400 paar’ slogan by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the Lok Sabha elections, saying that the results for the ruling party have been proven to be the “exact opposite” what it set in the past polls.

Speaking to ANI, the Congress leader took a jibe at the BJP which aims to win more than 400 seats (out of total 543) in the Lok Sabha elections by the NDA, a feat achieved only once in India’s history — by the Congress under Rajiv Gandhi in 1984 and said that it is easy to set a goal and give a slogan.

The Union Government has provided Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar with a Z-category VIP security cover of armed commandos in view of potential threats, official sources said on April 9.

Read here

The Union Government has provided Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar with a Z-category VIP security cover of armed commandos in view of potential threats, official sources said on April 9. 

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has entrusted the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) with providing a contingent of about 40-45 personnel for the task, the sources said. -PTI

Read the story here.

Sikkim Chief Minister and SKM supremo Prem Singh Tamang is contesting from two Assembly seats — Soreng-Chakung and Rhenock — instead of Poklok-Kamrang constituency which he won in 2019. Elections to the 32-member Sikkim Assembly and the lone Lok Sabha seat in the Himalayan State will be held on April 19.

Mr. Tamang is banking on welfare measures of his government like free LPG cylinder to all households every quarter, ₹40,000 annual cash transfer to the women head of family under ‘Aamaa Yojana’, extra increment to indigenous people in state government service for raising an additional child, an assistant to take care of infants for one year and regularisation of service of 27,000 temporary government employees among others to win the elections.

PTI

Samajwadi Party leader S.T. Hasan claimed he could not file his nomination from Moradabad Lok Sabha seat as some leaders “conspired” to ensure that the party letter authorising him as its candidate did not reach him in time.

Speaking to PTI, Mr. Hasan said he has already announced that he would not campaign in Moradabad but he is open to campaigning for Opposition INDIA bloc candidates in other constituencies. On March 24, the SP renominated Mr. Hasan as its candidate from Moradabad Lok Sabha constituency.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav claimed that the BJP-led NDA was “jittery” in Bihar, a reason why Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign in the State was being intensified.

Mr. Yadav made the remark when journalists drew his attention to the fact that while Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s rally in Aurangabad was scheduled on Wednesday, Mr. Modi was likely to address an election meeting in Gaya on April 16.

The Lok Sabha polls in Bihar have been staggered across all the seven phases, and Mr. Modi has already held two rallies at Jamui and Nawada.

PTI

The Election Commission directed the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to verify any mismatch in affidavit details submitted by Union Minister and BJP candidate from Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat Rajeev Chandrasekhar, sources said.

The Congress had moved the poll panel claiming a mismatch in actual and declared assets in the affidavit filed by Mr. Chandrasekhar, who is in the fray against former U.N. diplomat Shashi Tharoor. According to procedure, the EC has directed the CBDT to verify any mismatch in affidavit details submitted by Mr. Chandrasekhar, the sources said.

PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 9 accused the Congress of making several attempts to stall the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and for insulting Lord Ram by rejecting the invitation for the ‘ pran pratistha’ ceremony.

Addressing an election rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit, Mr. Modi also said that the Congress is immersed in the swamp of appeasement and can never come out of it.

PTI

Former Union Minister Birender Singh along with his ex-MLA wife Prem Lata on April 9 joined the Congress in Delhi. Union Steel Minister in the previous Modi Government, Mr. Singh, and his wife resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on April 8.

Read here

Congress veteran A.K. Antony said on Tuesday that his son, Anil K. Antony, who is contesting as BJP candidate in Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, should not win the election.

Addressing a press conference, Mr. Antony said that his son’s party should lose, and his rival, the Congress candidate in the south Kerala constituency, Anto Antony, should win. 

He also termed the act of children of Congress leaders joining the BJP as “wrong.” “The Congress is my religion”, Mr. Antony said, reacting to repeated queries about his son’s politics.

PTI

The Maharashtra Opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Tuesday announced its seat-sharing deal at a joint press conference. 

The three parties: Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) have finalised seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha elections 2024; the maximum number of seats goes to Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) which will contest election 21 seats in Maharashtra. 

Amid the various difficulties being faced by the world now, India is showing that there is nothing impossible for it to achieve, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday.

He said this has been possible due to every single vote of the people.

“No matter how difficult the goal is, if India is determined to achieve it, it will definitely achieve. Today, with this inspiration and energy, we are working towards the resolution of a developed India,” he said at a poll rally here.

“Amidst the difficulties of the entire world, India is showing that there is nothing impossible for it,” he said. The Prime Minister noted there was a time when the Congress government used to ask for help from the world, but during the Covid pandemic, medicines were made available to the whole world from India. 

PTI

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on April 9, tore into the Congress, saying that while the Bharatiya Janata Party- (BJP-) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) wants the country to be a developed nation by 2047, its principal Opposition party’s manifesto seems to take India backwards.

“The vision of the NDA Government is to make India a developed nation by 2047. I believe it won’t be an exaggeration to say that the Congress’ manifesto will take India backwards,” Mr. Singh said in an exclusive conversation with ANI in Madurai.

Speaking about India’s strength in the field of Defence, the Union Minister said, “India has emerged as a strong player in the field of defence. All weapons, missiles, tanks, and ammunition that we used to import are now being exported. In 2014, we used to export ₹600 crore worth of defence items, today we are exporting more than ₹31,000 crore. In a few months, people will get to know how much we plan to export in the coming times.” 

Women constitute the majority of voters in the Lakshadweep Lok Sabha constituency, yet they are concerned over the lack of interest shown by political parties in discussing their basic issues, such as the absence of proper sanitary napkin disposal facilities and gynecologists’ in hospitals during the ongoing election campaign.

The parties pay scant attention to our demands, women who spoke to by PTI at Agatti island, said.

“We do not even have a mechanism on the islands to collect and dispose of used sanitary napkins. Many either bury them in their compounds or burn them,” lamented Salmath, leader of the disabled persons’ wing of Dweepsree, a women’s self-help group.

Plastic burning and dumping could pose serious environmental issues in the highly ecologically sensitive islands, she said. 

No women have ascended to leadership positions in any political parties in Lakshadweep, and there is also a lack of local governance system since the Panchayat administration system was dissolved some years ago.

The women voters want their concerns to be incorporated into the broader political discourse, and solutions should be devised accordingly. 

PTI

As many as 1,210 candidates are in fray for phase two of Lok Sabha polls to be held on April 26, the Election Commission said on Tuesday.

In phase two, Kerala has a maximum of 500 nominations from 20 parliamentary constituencies, followed by 491 nominations from 14 seats in Karnataka.

The least number of 14 nominations were received from one constituency in Tripura, while Nanded seat in Maharashtra received a maximum of 92 nominations, the poll authority said.

A total of 2,633 nominations were filed for 88 constituencies across 12 states and UTs going for polls in phase two.

After the scrutiny of 2,633 nominations filed, 1,428 were found to be valid.

But after some candidates withdrew nominations, 1,210 remain in race.

Monday was the last day to withdraw from the electoral race. 

PTI

Terming polygamy, child marriage and other subjects related to ‘Miya’ community as non-issues in Lok Sabha elections, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that he was raising these problems as he wants social transformation of the minorities and not their votes.

In an interview with PTI at Titabor in Jorhat, Mr. Sarma also said that there will be a “contest” in three out of 14 Lok Sabha seats where the BJP-led NDA is fighting in Assam, while it will be a clean sweep for the saffron party in the remaining 11 seats of the State.

“I always say that getting votes is a different thing. We want to see real development for the minority community. Now, whether they give me votes or I ask for their votes -- that is immaterial,” he said when asked if he has revisited his earlier stand of not seeking ‘Miya’ votes for BJP. 

PTI

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission has suspended three Tripura government employees, including security personnel for violating the model code of conduct (MCC). 

They were suspended for allegedly taking part in election campaigns and political events. The suspended government officials are Partha Pratim Debroy, a government teacher; Rasu Chowdhury, an Education Department staff member; and a Tripura State Rifles (TSR) jawan named Kishan Debbarma. 

ANI

Pradip Bhattacharya, the 79-year-old Congress leader who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls again after two decades, asserted that age is not a factor in politics but a clean image is. 

In an interview with PTI, Mr. Bhattacharya, a contestant in the Kolkata Uttar constituency, claimed that Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, though “quite unpredictable”, will definitely be a factor in the upcoming elections”. 

“It’s true that I am quite an aged person. At this age, it is difficult to move and go to various places. But politically I am very clean, I have no black spot. I have never been to jail for any reason, never arrested by CBI or ED,” the former State Congress president said.

PTI

Over 6,000 senior citizens above the age of 85 years and persons with disabilities (PwDs) have exercised their franchise through postal ballots from their homes in Perambalur and Karur Lok Sabha constituencies. The exercise has been carried out ahead of the forthcoming general election in the State on April 19.

Teams of officials formed in both constituencies visited the residences of senior citizens and PwDs, who had opted to cast their vote through postal ballot. This exercise was carried out on April 4, 5 and 6 in Karur Lok Sabha constituency consisting of six Assembly segments of Karur, Krishnarayapuram, Aravakurichi, Viralimalai, Manapparai and Vedasandur. 

A total number of 3,040 persons exercised their franchise through postal ballot in Karur Lok Sabha constituency during those three days. As many as 56 teams of officials were constituted in the constituency to carry the postal ballot and other items with protection to the residences of senior citizens and PwDs. 

The BJP on Monday alleged that an organisation linked to Congress leaders was misusing RSS’ name to push propaganda against the ruling party in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls and urged the Election Commission to take “strict action” against them.

A delegation of BJP leaders including its national organisation secretary Arun Singh, Sanjay Mayukh and Om Pathak approached the poll panel and submitted a complaint in this connection, demanding that an FIR be lodged against the “fake” organisation and a notice be issued to the Congress.

There was no immediate reaction from the Congress on the allegation. 

PTI

The Kerala police on Tuesday said a total of 12 cases have been registered throughout the state for disseminating false propaganda alleging that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) to be used for the Lok Sabha polls are fake.

Among these cases, two have been reported in Malappuram district, and two each in Ernakulam and Thrissur cities.

Additionally, one case each has been registered in Thiruvananthapuram Rural, Kollam City, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Palakkad, and Idukki districts, the police said in a Facebook post. 

PTI

The Election Commission has decided to install a GPS location tracking system in all vehicles that will be used for polling purposes in West Bengal, an official said on Monday.

A communication in this regard has been sent to the poll workers, he said.

“The GPS tracking system will be used to monitor the movement of EVMs and other polling materials from the distribution/dispersion centre and receipt centre (DCRC) to the polling station on the day before the elections, and to ensure that no tampering occurs while bringing them to the strong room after polling,” the official said. 

PTI

All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) declared its support for Anandraj Ambedkar, the grandson of B.R. Ambedkar, in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. 

Anandraj Ambedkar is contesting from the Amravati constituency in Maharashtra. 

The Amravati contest has become multi-cornered with the BJP fielding sitting MP Navneet Rana, who is challenged by Congress’ Balwant Wankhede, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi’s Prajakta Pillewan and Prahar Janshakti Party leader Dinesh Bub. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address a public meeting in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit at 11 a.m. today. He will also campaign for BJP in Madhya Pradesh’s Naxal-affected Balaghat today. 

Notably, this will be PM Modi’s second visit to Madhya Pradesh in the last three days.

The Prime Minister will be in Tamil Nadu for two days. He will be attending two public meetings in the State on Wednesday. 

ANI

The stage is set for the big fight between two heavyweights in the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency with no one withdrawing from the fray on the last day of withdrawal of nomination papers on Monday.

Having fielded four-time MLC and Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Kota Srinivas Poojary to retain its seat, the Bharatiya Janata Party faces a formidable challenge from Congress candidate K. Jayaprakash Hegde, former Minister, three time-MLA, and former chairperson of the Karnataka State Permanent Backward Classes Commission.

Other than Mr. Poojary and Mr. Hegde, K.T. Radhakrishna from the Bahujan Samaj Party, Supreeth Kumar Poojary of the Janahitha Party, R. Shabareesh of Karunada Sevaka Party, L. Ranganatha Gowda of the Karnataka Rashtra Samithi, M.K. Dayananda of the Proutist Sarva Samaj Party, B.K. Sachin of the Uttama Prajakiya Party, and Independent candidates Sudhir Kanchan and Vijay Kumar have remained in the fray. 

Read the whole story here.

The number of ‘crorepati candidates’ in the fray for the Lok Sabha election from Kerala has been on the rise since 2009. That year, only nine candidates had total assets worth over ₹1 crore each. It shot up to 39 in the election held in 2014. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the total number of crorepati candidates increased to 45, according to an analysis of the self-sworn affidavits of the candidates carried out by the poll rights body Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

The candidates of the Congress party had topped the list of crorepati candidates in 2009. Of the total nine on the list, four were Congress candidates. There were two Independent candidates and one member each representing the Communist Party of India (Marxist); Nationalist Congress Party; and Bahujan Samaj Party in the crorepati club. Shashi Tharoor of the Congress had the highest total assets of about ₹21.2 crore in among the candidates from the State in 2009. 

Union Steel Minister in the previous Modi government, Chaudhary Birender Singh, and his wife Premlata Singh, who resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on April 8 will join the Congress party at Delhi on April 9. 

Mr. Singh told The Hindu that he and his wife, a former MLA, will join the Congress along with many supporters. 

He said that he had been very vocal on issues, including the farmers’ agitation against the three farms laws, the wrestlers’ protest, and the Agniveer Scheme, and these too were among the reasons for his decision to quit the BJP. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will attend a mega rally in Assam’s Lakhimpur and a roadshow in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, on Tuesday. 

Taking to social media on X, Amit Shah said on Monday, “Tomorrow, will be in Assam to attend a mega rally in Lakhimpur Lok Sabha and a roadshow in Tinsukia (Dibrugarh Lok Sabha). Assam is set to secure Modi Ji’s goal of ‘400 paar’. ”Eager to meet the state’s vibrant people,” the tweet added.