Pitroda's remark not an opinion of the party: Congress releases statement | Lok Sabha polls Live Updates

We continue to support the quest for justice for 1984 riot victims. Any opinion remark made by any individual to the contrary including Sam Pitroda is not the opinion of Congress party'

Amit Shah has said that BJP will better its 2014 result of 282 seats in 2019. Shah predicts BJP to get around 55 new seats out of which majority will be in Odisha and West Bengal.

The BJP president also took a dig at the Gandhi family by saying "Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra cannot run away from their past" defending PM Modi's attack on Rajiv Gandhi.

HM Rajnath Singh in Mathurapur, West Bengal: Bangal ki khaadi se BJP ka aisa tufaan utha hai ke hamari Mamata didi ghabra gayi hain. Aur itna zyada ghabra gayi ki, jab yahan pe #Fani tufaan aata hai aur humara PM baar baar unko telephone karte hain tabhi unka telephone nahi uthati hain.

BJP using the hawala route to transfer money for distribution among voters to get votes : Mamata

BSP supremo Mayawati Friday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging "chowkidaari" is making the rich wealthier and his "theatrics and rhetoric" will not yield any result in the Lok Sabha polls. 

Addressing a rally in support of her party candidates in Northeast Delhi, she said no development was carried out for minorities, Dalits and backward castes in the last five years.  Their condition was no different during the Congress' rule, she said. 

"The BJP will go out of power. Their natakbaazi (theatrics) and jumlebaazi (rhetoric) won't work. This chowkidari (guarding) won't work. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised acche din but he hasn't fulfilled even one-fourth of them. "GST and demonetisation was implemented without proper planning and this has increased poverty," she said. 

Former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal Friday cautioned the EC to take necessary steps to ensure free and fair polling in the state on May 19, claiming the Congress would try to "rig" the election with the help of government machinery and the muscle power at its disposal.

"Election results in Punjab would be shocking for the Congress. The Akali-BJP alliance would win hands down in the May 19 polls in the state," Badal claimed. 

"Modi may spread hatred against me, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi. But I will repay with love," Rahul Gandhi says, at Una rally. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is presently addressing an election rally in Haryana's Rohtak  

Haryana's former two-time chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda dubs the Modi government's 10 per cent reservation for poor in the general category "his wine in their bottle" and says though the BJP can take credit for his work, it will not get the votes.

Accusing the BJP of indulging in "political vendetta", the senior Congress leader, who is contesting from Sonipat Lok Sabha seat, alleged that the CBI raids at his Rohtak residence in January were aimed at maligning him ahead of the May 12 election.

"I brought it (reservation for poor in general category) in Haryana first. I ensured that irrespective of caste and economy, everybody gets reservation. They (BJP) opposed it at that time. Now they have repackaged it at the national level and are trying to reap its benefits. It is my wine in their bottle," Hooda said. 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said if the BJP comes back to power then the party president Amit Shah would be the Union home minister. He said in a tweet people should think what will happen to a country who has Shah as the home minister.

"Please think about that before voting," he tweeted.

With his tweet, he also tagged a post of a polling agency tracking Indian electoral trends which claimed Amit Shah is positioning himself for the role of home minister if Modi returns, and said ex Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Virmani and former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan can make a good finance minister.

Delhi goes to polls this Sunday in the sixth phase of parliamentary elections and the results will be declared on May 23.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said he will distribute some of the portfolios held by him to his Cabinet colleagues after the model code of conduct (MCC) is lifted by the month-end.

The MCC is in force in Goa since March 10 for the Lok Sabha elections and also four assembly bypolls.

While voting for the two Lok Sabha seats and three assembly segments got over last month, the bypoll in the Panaji constituency is slated for May 19.

The MCC, among other things, prohibits a government from announcing policy decisions.

PM's accusation that 'mahagathbandhan' is casteist, is absurd. How can those who suffered from casteism be casteist?, asks BSP chief Mayawati. 

"The entire country knows he isn't an OBC by birth, he hasn't suffered from the atrocities of casteism. So he shouldn't say such lies about 'mahagathbandhan'," she said. 

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Manisha Sisodia today reacted to the 'derogatory' remarks' pamphlet against AAP's Atishi. 

"We are being defamed and they (BJP) are saying they will file defamation against us? We are going to send defamation notice to them today," he said. 

The second phase of polling in elections for Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTC) and Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTC)
got underway in Telangana.

The election is being held for 179 ZPTCs, for which 805 candidates, including 162 independents, are in the fray. Officials said in the second phase, polling is being held for 1,850 MPTCs.

A total of 6,146 candidates are in the fray. The elections began at 7 a.m and will go on till 5 p.m while, in Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected areas, it will conclude at 4 p.m, the State Election Commission had said.

The Supreme Court on Friday will conduct the hearing on the issues related to the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case, a notification said.

The court authorities published a notice on the apex court's website detailing on the composition of the bench that will hear the matter, and mentioned that the matter will be taken up at 10.30 a.m.

A five-judge Constitution bench comprising Chief justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justices S.A Bobde, D.Y. Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S. Abdul Nazeer, will hear the matter for the first time since the last hearing on March 8.

Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah will hold two public meetings in Haryana's Hisar and Charkhi Dadri today. 

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is slated to address four public meetings in Uttar Pradesh today. 

Priyanka Gandhi will be in Siddharthnagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar and Bhadohi today.

Campaigning for the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections will come to an end today.

On Sunday, 59 constituencies spread across six states will go to polls.

I condemn what has happened. I am from a family where I have been taught to respect women. I didn't know Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would stoop so low. I have filed a defamation case: BJP East Delhi candidate, Gautam Gambhir, on AAP candidate Atishi. 

Congress President Rahul Gandhi will hold two public meetings Himachal Pradesh's Una and Chandigarh today. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to hold three election rallies today. 

Modi will be in Haryana's Rohtak at 11 am, in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi at 2:20 pm and in Punjab's Hoshiarpur at 4:05 pm.