Lok Sabha polls 2024 updates: April 30, 2024

Thirteen more candidates, including BJP’s Bansuri Swaraj from New Delhi constituency and AAP’s Sahi Ram from South Delhi seat, on Tuesday filed their papers on the second day of Lok Sabha poll nominations for seven seats in the national capital.

The nomination papers were filed by 13 candidates on the first day of the process on Monday. The last date for filing nominations is May 6.

As per Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) office, a total of 26 candidates have so far filed nomination papers on the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi.

Six candidates have filed the nomination papers from Chandni Chowk seat so far, while just one candidate filed his papers from the South Delhi constituency.

- PTI

The BJP on Tuesday took aim at at the opposition parties over Samajwadi Party leader Maria Alam’s appeal for her “vote jehad” remarks and alleged that they are contesting the Lok Sabha polls with support of the “jehadis”.

The Election Commission (ECI) should take suo-motu cognisance of the SP leader’s remarks and take action in the matter, the ruling party demanded.

The BJP’s reaction came after Alam, while seeking votes for the opposition’s INDIA bloc candidate from Farrukhabad Lok Sabha seat, made an appeal for “vote jehad”, terming it as necessary in the current situation for the minority community to dislodge the BJP from power.

“From saving the jehadis, they have now shifted to vote jehad. The Congress, Samajwadi Party and entire INDI alliance used to stand for the jehadis. Now they are seeing jehad in the elections as well,” BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla told a press conference at the party headquarters.

“We consider the elections as a festival of democracy and they consider it a jehad. We are with the people and they are with the jehadis. It’s there in her statement. Elections are being fought with a jehadi mindset,” Mr. Poonawalla charged.

- PTI

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) party chief Mehbooba Mufti has alleged that BJP will try to end reservation for weaker sections if it comes back to power and that it is giving benefits to few industrialists.

She said the PDP is in the hearts of the people because it has done work which no other party did in Jammu and Kashmir. 

The PDP leader backed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claims that BJP would seek to rewrite the constitution if returned to power. “Rahul Gandhi is very much right that the BJP will try to abolish OBC, ST and SC Quota in the near future. BJP is trying to provide benefits to a few people...,” Mehbooba Mufti said during roadshow in Anantnag

- ANI

The Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde on Tuesday nominated Ravindra Waikar, a former aide of Uddhav Thackeray, and Yamini Jadhav as its candidates from Mumbai North West and Mumbai South Lok Sabha seats, respectively, who will face their ex-colleagues from Sena (UBT).

Notably, Mr. Waikar was facing the Enforcement Directorate investigation in a case registered against him by the Mumbai Police. The Income Tax department had conducted searches at the premises of Ms. Jadhav’s husband and Shiv Sena corporator Yashwant Jadhav on charges of tax evasion. Mr. Waikar, an MLA from Jogeshwari, will face Amol Kiritkar, son of Mumbai North West MP Gajanan Kirtikar, who is given the ticket by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena. Ms. Jadhav, incumbent MLA from Byculla, will take on Mumbai South sitting MP and Mr. Thackeray loyalist Arvind Sawant, a former Union Minister.

By fielding Mr. Waikar and Ms. Jadhav, the Shiv Sena has managed to ward off the BJP’s demand to contest a fourth seat in Mumbai. The Shinde-led Sena has already fielded sitting MP Rahul Shewale from Mumbai South Central seat.

- PTI

Former Punjab MLA Dalvir Singh Goldy quit the Congress on Tuesday, days after expressing “displeasure” over being denied the party’s ticket from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat.

In his resignation letter to the Congress’ Punjab chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Mr. Goldy said he was “upset” by the state leadership and resigning from the party’s primary membership.

Mr. Goldy shared his resignation letter in a Facebook post.

A former MLA from the Dhuri seat, Mr. Goldy was an aspirant for the Sangrur constituency in the Lok Sabha elections. However, the Congress named three-time MLA Sukhpal Khaira from the seat.

- PTI

Congress workers in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi on Tuesday held a sit-in, demanding that the party name a member of the Gandhi family as its candidate from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat.

The constituency goes to polls on May 20 in the fifth round of the seven-phase general elections.

Only three days are left for the filing of nomination papers but the Congress is yet to declare a candidate for the seat, the party’s district spokesperson, Anil Singh, said.

Leaders and workers, including Congress district president Pradeep Singhal and former district president Yogendra Mishra, were gathered at the party office here with posters reading “Amethi maange Rahul Gandhi. Amethi Maange Priyanka Gandhi (Amethi wants Rahul Gandhi or (his sister) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra)“.

“People of the constituency and Congress workers want a member of the Gandhi family as their candidate. We want Rahul Gandhi to contest from Amethi to bring back its lost honour,” Mr. Singh said.

The demonstrators demanded that the Congress immediately declare a candidate in Amethi and that its nominee be from the Gandhi family.

- PTI

BJP president J.P. Nadda on Tuesday said Congress means corruption and commission, while the INDIA bloc is an alliance to save dynasts and corrupt.

He questioned whether the INDIA bloc has any prime ministerial candidate.

“Congress means corruption, Congress means commission, What is INDI Alliance? (We say) our leader Modi ji will become the Prime Minister (if BJP comes to power) and INDI Alliance says they will have five prime ministers in five years (if they come to power),” Mr. Nadda said.

Addressing a gathering at the end of a roadshow at Byadagi here, in support of BJP’s Haveri Lok Sabha candidate and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, he asked: “Who is their (INDIA bloc) prime ministerial candidate? Do they have any leader like Narendra Modi, who can tackle situations like COVID?” 

“INDI Alliance is just for power, they don’t have anything to do with you. The INDI Alliance is for two reasons — ‘ Pariwarwad bachao’ (save dynasts) and ‘ Brashtachariyonko bachao’ (save the corrupt), — they don’t have any other work,” he added.

- PTI

Villagers in Punjab will be mobilised for opposing BJP candidates who come to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections, Samyukta Kisan Morcha leader Harinder Singh Lakhowal said on Tuesday.

Farmers will continue to ask questions to BJP leaders and show them black flags for not agreeing to their demands, Mr. Lakhowal said.

BJP candidates and leaders have faced protests from farmers at several places during their poll campaign.

Its Faridkot candidate Hans Raj Hans, Amritsar nominee Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Dinesh Babbu in Gurdaspur and Preneet Kaur in Patiala have faced farmers’ protests.

Farmers under the Samyukta Kisan Morcha banner have said that they will oppose the BJP and ask people to “punish” the saffron party in the elections.

Mr. Lakhowal told reporters in Chandigarh that a lakh posters of a questionnaire will be put up in Punjab’s villages. The SKM has already prepared an 11-point questionnaire for farmers to pose questions to BJP leaders. The questionnaire includes queries such as why farmers were not allowed to march to Delhi and why “force” was used against them.

- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the Congress and problems were like “twin brothers”, and alleged that except poverty, the grand old party did not give anything to the country while it was in power.

Addressing election rallies at Latur and Dharashiv districts in Marathwada region of Maharashtra for the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Lok Sabha candidates, he also accused the Congress of betraying the people and farmers, and crushing their dreams in the country.

Speaking in Latur, he said, “Congress and problems are like twin brothers. They never tried to end people’s problems. Latur has been facing a water crisis, but did they try to address the issue? Congress kept the water schemes hanging and hurdles were created in the water grid scheme.” Congress could not give anything except poverty to the country. It could not even provide basic amenities like toilets, Mr. Modi alleged.

“Our youth have always been talented, but Congress has crushed the dreams of people of the country for 60 years. Congress thought of just one family, but I think of the entire country. We are ending some of the old laws and making some of them easier,” he said.

Targeting Rahul Gandhi and the opposition INDIA bloc, he said, “When I talk about ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’, the prince of Congress gets a fever. Those who have seen the country in pieces now want to divide the post of prime minister.” The BJP’s start campaigner said the INDIA bloc wanted to share the prime minister’s post in rotation if it comes to power.

- PTI

A voter turnout of 81.16% was recorded at six polling stations in Outer Manipur Lok Sabha seat, where repolling was held on Tuesday, election officials said.

No untoward incident was reported and voting, which commenced at 7 am, was held peacefully under tight security arrangements, they said.

A voter turnout of 81.16% was recorded till the end of polling at 4 p.m., the officials said.

Repolling was necessitated as unidentified persons had damaged EVMs and VVPATs before the completion of voting at four of these six polling stations on April 26, while EVM malfunctioning was reported at one polling station, and voting could not be completed at another due to “threat and intimidation by unknown miscreants”, they said.

- PTI

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the “ bhatakti aatma” jibe, saying his soul is “ asvastha” for the cause of farmers and the common man, and ready to be restless “100 times” to highlight their plight.

“There is a ‘ bhatakti atma’ (wandering soul) in Maharashtra. If it does not manage success it spoils others’ good work. Maharashtra has been a victim of it,” Mr. Modi had said at a rally on Monday, hitting out at Sharad Pawar without taking his name.

Addressing an election meeting on Tuesday, Mr. Pawar recalled PM Modi’s 2016 statement about having come into politics holding the former’s finger, and said “Modi is angry with me of late”.

“Some years ago, PM Modi had delivered a speech in Pune stating that he (Mr. Modi) had come into politics by holding the finger of Pawar saheb. Yesterday, he said a ‘restless’ soul in Maharashtra has been causing restlessness across the State for the last 45 years.

“Modi had also said this soul was creating obstacles for the government. He also spoke about the need to safeguard against this soul,” Mr. Pawar said while addressing an election meeting in Junnar tehsil for NCP (SP)‘s Shirur Lok Sabha candidate Amol Kolhe.

Mr. Pawar further said he has read Modi’s speech and the (‘ bhatakti aatma’) statement.

“It is correct that the soul is ‘asvastha’ (restless) but not for the self but to highlight the hardships faced by farmers. I am restless to put forward the plight of the common man suffering from inflation. I am ready to be restless 100 times to highlight the woes of the people,” the veteran politician said.

- PTI

BJP’s Bidyut Baran Mahato filed nomination papers for the Jamshedpur Lok Sabha seat in Jharkhand on Tuesday, while Congress candidate K.N. Tripathi submitted his nomination for the Chatra seat.

BJP’s Dhanbad candidate Dulu Mahato also submitted his nomination papers.

In Jamshedpur, Union ministers Arjun Munda and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat accompanied Bidyut Baran Mahato when he went to the district collectorate to submit his nomination papers.

In Chatra, Mr. Tripathi filed his nomination as the Congress candidate, backed by JMM and RJD. State minister Satyanand Bhokta of the RJD joined him during the filing of nomination.

A public rally was also organised where Chief Minister Champai Soren and senior Congress leaders sought votes for him. Chatra will go to the polls on May 20.

- PTI

Senior Congress leader and sitting Madhya Pradesh MLA Ramniwas Rawat on Tuesday joined the BJP, in a fresh blow to the opposition party a day after its Indore Lok Sabha seat candidate withdrew his nomination.

Rawat (64) joined the saffron outfit in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav at a rally in Sheopur district, the day when Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was in neighbouring Bhind to address an election gathering.

Besides Rawat, Morena mayor Sharda Solanki also joined the BJP. Sheopur is part of the Morena Lok Sabha seat where polling will be held in the third-phase on May 7.

- PTI

While addressing a public in Madhya Pradesh, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the Congress is a “sinking ship” with a hole in the bottom, and no power in the world can stop it from sinking. 

In a veiled dig at the Gandhi family, he said, “After independence, Mahatma Gandhi said as democracy has been established in the country, it is the time to dissolve Congress, but the leaders of Congress ignored Mahatma Gandhi’s request.”

“I think the people of this country have made up their mind to fulfil what Mahatma Gandhi said about Congress, and they (people) will definitely wipe out Congress from the country,” he said. He also praised the BJP government for bringing 25 crore people out of poverty in the last 10 years. ”Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and Manmohan Singh, all of them committed to ending poverty, but all of them failed. But the Modi government was able to bring 25 crore people out of poverty,” he added.

On the allegations levelled by Opposition of ‘Democracy under threat’, Mr. Singh pointed out that the Congress candidate was elected unopposed 20 times in the past.-ANI

BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik filed his nomination papers for the Odisha assembly elections from Hinjili seat in Ganjam district. Accompanied by ministers and party leaders including his close aide V.K. Pandian, the Chief Minister reached the sub-collector’s office at Chhatrapur and submitted his papers for the sixth time seeking re-election from the Hinjili assembly segment.

Mr. Patnaik won from the Hinjili assembly segment five times in a row since 2000. Hinjili comes under the Aska Lok Sabha seat and will go to polls on May 20. Along with Hinjili, Mr. Patnaik will also contest from the Kantabanji assembly segment in Bolangir district. - PTI

Union minister Piyush Goyal has filed his nomination papers from the Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat. He was accompanied by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

This is the first time that Mr. Goyal is contesting the Lok Sabha poll. He is currently the Leader of House in the Rajya Sabha. - PTI

The Congress has appointed former MLA Devender Yadav as interim president of its Delhi unit, two days after Arvinder Singh Lovely resigned from the post. 

Mr. Yadav, who won from the Badli Assembly constituency in Delhi in 2008 and 2013 and lost to AAP’s Ajesh Yadav in 2015, is currently the All India Congress Committee’s (AICC) Punjab in-charge. 

“My heartfelt thanks to Sh Kharge ji, Smt Sonia Gandhi ji, Rahul Gandhi ji, KC Venugopal ji and Smt Priyanka Gandhi ji and all senior leaders of the Congress, for the faith they have bestowed in me yet again!” he said in a post on X. ”Will try my best to tread the coveted and ideological vision party has laid for me and give my 100 per cent!” he said.Mr. Yadav will continue in his role as AICC in-charge for Punjab. - PTI

The NDA has promised to offer ₹1,500 monthly pension to eligible women in its joint manifesto for the upcoming polls in Andhra Pradesh. The Telugu Desam Party, Jana Sena and BJP combine also promised to offer ₹3,000 monthly financial assistance to unemployed youth.

Releasing the manifesto, Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan said the manifesto is an amalgamation of TDP’s “super six” and his party’s “Shanmukha Vyuham”. 

The TDP had earlier announced “super six” which promised to offer free bus travel to women, three free cooking gas cylinders to every household per year and ₹15,000 to every school-going child per annum, among others. Elections for the 175-member Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled on May 13. - PTI

Y.S. Sharmila, Andhra Pradesh Congress chief and party’s candidate from Kadapa, hit out at Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party chief Jagan Mohan Reddy over his “remote-control” remarks against the Congress. 

The APCC chief condemned the remarks and alleged that it was CM Reddy who is “remote-controlled” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Jagan Mohan Reddy commented yesterday that the Congress party is remote-controlled by Chandrababu Naidu. Congress party condemns this strongly and that it is Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is being remote-controlled by PM Modi,” she said while speaking to ANI on April 30.

“PM Modi requested for the Gangavaram Port to be given to Adani and Jagan Mohan Reddy obliged -- not only one but many such projects. Jagan Mohan Reddy obliged and gave the Reliance [RIL group president Parimal Nathwanithe] a Rajya Sabha seat,” she said, adding that he supported the BJP even after the ethnic violence against Christians in Manipur.

Andhra Pradesh has 175 Assembly seats, and 25 Lok Sabha seats. In the 2019 Assembly elections, the YSRCP won with a thumping majority of 151 seats, while the TDP was confined to 23 seats. In the Lok Sabha polls, the YSRCP won 22 seats, while the TDP could only win three seats. -ANI

Jannayak Janta Party’s national secretary Ashok Sherwal, JJP state general secretaries Kusum Sherwal and Harpal Kamboj joined the ruling BJP in Haryana today. 

They joined the party in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.

Earlier on Monday, JJP’s Haryana unit chief Nishan Singh, who quit the party recently, had joined the Congress. Polling for 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana will be held in the sixth phase of voting on May 25. - PTI

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi has claimed that if the BJP returns to power at the Centre, it will “tear apart” and “throw away” the Constitution which granted rights to the poor, Dalits, STs and the OBCs.

Addressing a rally in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district, Mr. Gandhi, while holding a copy of the Constitution, said the ongoing Lok Sabha poll is not a normal election, but a fight between two ideologies. 

“The poor, STs, OBCs got several rights because of the Constitution which also gave the people MGNREGA, land rights, reservation, and other things. If the BJP comes to power, it will throw away and tear apart this Constitution,” he claimed.

“The prime minister [Narendra Modi], Amit Shah [Union Home Minister] and their MPs have made up their mind that if they get elected, they will tear apart and throw this [Constitution] book. The BJP wants this book to be thrown away and 20-25 billionaires should run the country,” he said. If the ruling dispensation is not against reservation, then why it is privatising PSUs, the Railways and other sectors, he asked. 

“If Prime Minister Narendra Modi can turn 22-25 industrialists into billionaires, then the Congress will turn crores of women into lakhpatis,” Mr. Gandhi said. 

The Congress has fielded MLA Phool Singh Baraiya from the Bhind Lok Sabha (SC-reserved) seat against BJP’s sitting MP Sandhya Rai. - PTI

The Shiv Sena has nominated Ravindra Waikar as its candidate from Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency. An MLA from Jogeshwari in Mumbai, Mr. Waikar was a close aide of Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray before joining the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Read more.

The claim that the BJP will put an end to reservation and tinker with the Constitution, if re-elected to power, has been a persistent line of attack of the Opposition against the ruling party at the Centre. 

Against this backdrop, several clips, purportedly showing BJP leaders and supporters advocating an end to reservation and changes to the Constitution, are doing the rounds on social media. However, The Hindu has found them to be misleading.

Fact-check | Misleading clips stir controversy over BJP’s stand on reservations and Constitution

Lok Sabha election | The Hindu debunks misleading videos claiming the BJP will end reservation and change Constitution if re-elected.

RJD president Lalu Prasad’s daughter Rohini Acharya, who is contesting the elections from Saran Lok Sabha seat as a Mahagathbandhan nominee, has movable and immovable assets worth ₹15.82 crore, he affidavit shows. Her husband has movable and immovable assets worth ₹19.86 crore.​Read more​.

Former Maharashtra minister Suresh Navale has resigned from the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, claiming the CM has succumbed to the pressure from the BJP. He said he will not join any party, but he extended his support to NCP (SP) Beed Lok Sabha seat nominee Bajrang Sonawane. Talking to a news channel on April 29, Mr. Navale said he resigned from the Shiv Sena on April 25.”My allegation is that the chief minister has succumbed to the pressure from the BJP. He came out earlier (after a revolt in the Sena) and formed government, but did not oppose pressure from the BJP with the same spirit when it was expected that we (Shiv Sena) will contest our 18 seats,” he said.

“The BJP has cheated the Shiv Sena, so my supporters have told me to support Bajrang Sonawane and I have declared it accordingly,” he said. - PTI

The electoral battle in the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal is likely to be a nip and tuck affair where the TMC faces an uphill task of trumping the BJP nominee’s ‘bahubali factor’ to wrest the seat from the saffron camp.

It’s a deja vu at Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas district where Arjun Singh entered the fray on a BJP ticket after being denied nomination by TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, mirroring events from five years ago when he switched to the BJP from Trinamool to win the 2019 polls only to jump back to the TMC three years later. 

Mr. Singh said he felt “betrayed” by the TMC supremo before crossing over to the BJP again in March this year and securing nomination from the saffron party.

- PTI

A day after terming Sharad Pawar as a wandering soul, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 30 continued his attack on the NCP leader, saying he did not do much for farmers while being the Union agriculture minister.

“When a big Maharashtra leader was Union agriculture minister, farmers used to make rounds of sugarcane commission for their arrears,” PM Modi said at a rally in Malshiras of Solapur district in Maharashtra. 

“There is a ‘bhatakti atma’ (wandering soul) in Maharashtra. If it does not manage success it spoils others’ good work. Maharashtra has been a victim of it,” he had said at a rally on Monday, hitting out at Sharad Pawar without taking his name.

- PTI

A voter turnout of 16.68% was recorded till 9 a.m. at six polling stations in the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha seat, where repolling is underway on April 30, election officials said.

No untoward incident was reported so far and voting, which commenced at 7 a.m., is underway under tight security arrangements, they said.

Today, the citizens of the country and Maharashtra can see the difference between the Modi government’s 10 years and Congress’s 60 years of governance. When there is a strong government in the country, its focus is on the present as well as future,” said PM Narendra Modi while addressing a rally in Maharashtra’s Malshiras.

Addressing a poll rally in Maharashtra on April 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “People are seeing the difference between 10 years of Modi government and 60 years of Congress rule. Congress leaders only talked about poverty removal, but in last 10 years, I have lifted 25 crore people out of poverty.”

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena announced Ravindra Wairkar as its candidate from Mumbai North West Lok Sabha seat on April 30.

Mr. Waikar, who had been under scrutiny from Central agencies, recently switched from ShivSena (UBT) to Shiv Sena. He will be contesting against Amol Kirtikar of the Sena (UBT).

- Abhinay Deshpande

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on April 30 alleged the Congress was spreading lies that the BJP intends to change the Constitution and end reservations if it returns to power for a third term. He also said the BJP is heading towards its goal of 400-plus Lok Sabha seats with the blessings and support of people. 

“The Congress is spreading lies about the saffron party changing the Constitution and ending reservations... We do not see voters as minority or majority; the BJP will win 12 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam,” he told a press conference in Guwahati.

Bansuri Swaraj, BJP Candidate for Lok Sabha, on her way to file her nomination with a road show in New Delhi on April 30, 2024. Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

“BJP does not believe in reservations on basis of religion, we do not see voters as minority or majority,” said Amit Shah in Guwahati on April 30. He further said that the ruling party is in favour of implementing Uniform Civil Code across India.

“BJP will win 12 of 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam,” he added.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to address public meeting in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh on April 30.

Earlier on Monday, Mr. Gandhi said that the Lok Sabha election has become an election to save democracy, reservation, Constitution, and the rights of the poor.

“Look, earlier [Prime Minister] Narendra Modi said char sau paar [cross 400 seats]. Is he now saying char sau paar? Now he isn’t talking about crossing 150. Statements are coming that we are not against the Constitution, we are not against reservation, we are not against democracy. Why? Because they have come to know that the people of the country have understood the real thing... the people of the country have caught the pulse that these people want to uproot the Constitution and the rights of the poor,” he said at a rally in Bilaspur in support of the Congress candidate Devendra Yadav.

Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader (Ajit Pawar faction) Chhagan Bhujbal said that while the BJP and the Mahayuthi (National Democratic Alliance or NDA) will not find Maharashtra a cakewalk as it had in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would still have an advantage in forming the government at the Centre. 

Speaking exclusively to The Hindu, Mr. Bhujbal said while it was true that this time around, with the split in the NCP and the Shiv Sena, and with six parties ranged against each other in two alliances, it was difficult to gauge what the people may be thinking, a national election would still gave Mr. Modi the advantage.

The Osmanabad Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra will witness a contest between former allies Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The Sena (UBT) has fielded sitting MP Omprakash Rajenimbalkar against Archana Patil, who is making her poll debut with the NCP. 

Home to the famous Tulja Bhavani temple that attracts lakhs of devotees from all over the state, Osmanabad -- now called Dharashiv -- is the seventh-largest city in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra.

- PTI

Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge will hold a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan, Raipur at 12 p.m. on April 30. He will then address a public meeting in Janjgir Champa at 2 p.m.

The forthcoming elections to 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana scheduled on May 13 are likely to witness multi-cornered contests in at least some constituencies. 

Around 100 candidates withdrew their nominations on April 29, the last day for withdrawal of nominations, leaving 525 candidates in the fray. This means there will be 30 contestants in the fray, a majority of them independents, from each constituency.

According to information, the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat reported the highest number of withdrawals at 15 leaving 22 candidates in the fray followed by the Bhongir constituency where 12 candidates withdrew their papers leaving 39 in the contest. Following the withdrawals, Secunderabad now has the highest number of contestants at 45 closely followed by Medak (44), Chevella (43) and Peddapalli and Warangal constituencies reserved for scheduled castes having 42 contestants each.

Congress’ Indore Lok Sabha candidate Akshay Bam was “threatened and tortured” following which he withdraw his nomination, the Opposition party’s Madhya Pradesh chief Jitu Patwari has claimed while targeting the BJP.

Mr. Bam withdrew his nomination on Monday, which was the last day for the process.

“Three days ago, IPC section 307 (attempt to murder) was added to an old case against Bam. He was threatened. He was tortured in different ways for the whole night. And today he has withdrawn his nomination,” Mr. Patwari alleged at a rally in Shivpuri on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address public rallies in Maharashtra on April 30 before flying over to Telangana, where he will address rallies in Zaheerabad and Alladurg, both of which are in Sangareddy district.

Thirty-seven candidates are in the fray for the elections to four Lok Sabha seats in Odisha for which voting will be held on May 13, EC officials said on Monday.

The nomination process for Nabarangpur, Berhampur, Koraput and Kalahandi Lok Sabha segments started on April 18 and the last date was April 25. 

The papers were scrutinised on April 26, while Monday was the last day for withdrawal of nominations. - PTI

Repolling will be held in six polling stations in the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha constituency on April 30, officials said.

The repolling was necessitated as unidentified persons had damaged EVMs and VVPATs before the completion of voting at four of these six polling stations on April 26, while EVM malfunctioning was reported at one polling station, and voting could not be completed at another due to “threat and intimidation by unknown miscreants”, they said.

Voting at four polling stations in Ukhrul assembly segment, and one each in Chingai assembly seat in Ukhrul and Karong in Senapati was declared null and void and repolling will be conducted on April 30, a notification issued by the office of Manipur’s chief electoral officer said.