Lok Sabha Elections 2024 HIGHLIGHTS: EC reviews poll preparedness in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh

The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) led by Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar on Tuesday announced former MNS leader Vasant More as its candidate for the Pune Lok Sabha constituency.

"Today, BJP has released another list of candidates for Lok Sabha elections. In the list, the names of 15 candidates have been declared and the names of the remaining 11 candidates will be announced soon. We are working to win all 26 seats in Gujarat again and make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister of the country...," said Paatil.

"In the meeting today, CM Eknath Shinde said that the discussions are underway on Nashik and 5-7 other Lok Sabha seats. Shiv Sena has always been contesting elections on the Nashik seat. The announcement of 70% of seats has already been done. PM Modi has said that  we have to cross 400 seats in the country and get 45 seats in Maharashtra out of 48 seats," said Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) leader Hemant Godse

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will launch a door-to-door campaign in northeast Delhi on Wednesday to raise awareness on the "guarantees" given by the opposition party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Telangana Civil Supplies and Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday said the Congress government in Telangana would not implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) or the National Register of Citizens (NRC).a

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said discussions were on to seek the support of ten political parties of the INDIA bloc in Karnataka.

Congress has so far declared 231 candidates for Lok Sabha elections.

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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday released another list of two candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections in Punjab — Raj Kumar Chabbewal to contest from Hoshiarpur, Malvinder Singh Kang from Anandpur Sahib.

"I can see clearly that mood of people has changed, it is against PM Modi," said Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction) chief Sharad Pawar.

BJP Budaun MP Sanghmitra Maurya, who has been dropped by the party in the Lok Sabha elections, was on Tuesday caught on camera bursting into tears while sitting on the dais during UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's 'Prabudh Sammelan' here.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) transfers 8 District Magistrate (DM) and 12 Superintendent of Police (SP) in five states, namely Assam, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh.

Former J-K chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to contest Lok Sabha polls from Anantnag-Rajouri constituency

Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party leader Pashupati Kumar Paras met BJP president J P Nadda on Tuesday, days after he announced his support to the ruling party in the Lok Sabha polls despite being not offered any seat in Bihar.

"It will not be difficult, the public knows everything, and the contest will be one-sided," said BJP leader Sita Soren on her candidature from Jharkhand's Dumka seat.

Indu Verma, wife of three-time Himachal Pradesh BJP MLA Rakesh Verma, on Tuesday joined the party along with her supporters in the presence of BJP state chief Rajiv Bindal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on Rahul Gandhi for his remark suggesting that there will be a "conflagration" in the country if he gets a third term and asked the people to wipe out the Congress from everywhere.

Jharkhand's National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Tuesday discussed joint strategy for the Lok Sabha election so that the alliance could win all the 14 seats in the state.

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee chief YS Sharmila is pitted against her cousin and sitting YSR Congress Party MP Y S Avinash Reddy in Kadapa Lok Sabha segment while former Union Ministers MM Pallam Raju and JD Seelam will be fielded from Kakinada and Bapatla respectively in the May 13 polls.

While addressing the Vijay Shankhnad rally in Kotputli, PM Modi says, "BJP considers the entire country as a family. Congress considers their family bigger than the nation. BJP has raised the pride of the country while Congress has been abusing the country when they go to foreign land..."

Unmesh Patil, BJP MP from Jalgaon in north Maharashtra who failed to get a party ticket for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, met Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, sparking speculation about his future political move.

Pitted against Union minister Nitin Gadkari, former Nagpur mayor and Congress candidate Vikas Thakre is banking on his strong local connect with the voters and on the past precedents of political heavyweights biting the dust in polls.

The Supreme Court has granted bail to AAP leader Sanjay Singh in a money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy scam case.

Lok Sabha MP from Muzaffarpur Ajay Nishad has resigned from BJP and joined Congress today ahead of the polls.  On not getting a ticket from the BJP and whether he will get a ticket from Congress, he says, "...I always worked as per the party. They (BJP) said that the survey was not good about me...The party leaders (of Congress Party) will decide this and I am ready (to contest elections)"

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan alleged on Tuesday that the actions of the Congress bore a distinct 'BJP touch,' which became particularly evident in the unfolding details of the electoral bond scam. Addressing an election meeting organised by the CPI(M)-led LDF at Perinthalmanna in this district, Vijayan, a veteran Marxist leader, described the electoral bond allegations as a "mega scam" and alleged that the BJP played a key role in it.

"The Electoral Bond is a mega scam that unfolded under the watch of the BJP government at the Centre. Initiated by the BJP, the party amassed Rs 8,251 crores through such bonds. However, the BJP cannot be solely blamed; Congress is also complicit, having secured Rs 1,951 crore," the CPI(M) leader said, continuing his attack against his party's INDIA bloc partner.

 AAP MLAs on Tuesday met Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal and asserted that the Delhi chief minister should not step down and continue to run the government from jail.
Kejriwal is in judicial custody till April 15 after his arrest last month by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money-laundering case linked to his government's now-scrapped excise policy.
During the meeting on Tuesday, the AAP MLAs told Sunita Kejriwal that two crore people of Delhi stand with the chief minister and he should not resign at any cost, party leaders said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a 'zero electricity bill' poll promise in Uttarakhand.

BJP candidate from Meerut Arun Govil filed his nomination. During his nomination, UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya was present in Meerut office.

While addressing a gathering in Rudrapur, PM Modi said Uttarakhand witnessed unprecedented development in the last 10 years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a BJP rally in Uttarakhand's Rudrapur.

BJP MP from Muzaffarpur Ajay Nishad joined Congress after his party denied him a ticket.

Nitin Gadkari on upcoming Lok Sabha election | "People are welcoming me with enthusiasm. I have never done politics of caste and communalism. I consider Nagpur as my family and the people of Nagpur also consider me as their own."

BJP's Thiruvananthapuram candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Kerala's development | "Thiruvananthapuram and Kerala are being held back and pushed backwards because we have a deadly combination of a CPM government that is neck-deep in financial mismanagement which has now been confirmed by the Supreme Court and the Congress does not say anything about the financial mismanagement. Today the only development happening in Kerala is what PM Narendra Modi is doing." 

CPI (M) leader Subhashini Ali on Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's statement regarding Rahul Gandhi's candidature from Wayanad | "...Congress Party is claiming that they are leading the joint fight against the BJP. Then why is their biggest leader contesting elections from Kerala, where there is no fight with the BJP. He should fight from Uttar Pradesh, where BJP has biggest stronghold. If he defeats the BJP there, it will have a huge impact. So he should think about what message he is giving by fighting election from Wayanad..."

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Rohini Acharya, who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Saran Lok Sabha constituency as an RJD candidate, will start her election campaign today.

"I am going among the public. I have got the blessings of my parents and in-laws...I will do a road show there...," she said.

The Congress has announced Kadiam Kavya, daughter of former Telangana Deputy CM Kadiam Srihari, as its nominee from Warangal in the Lok Sabha polls. The AICC announced the candidature of Kadiam Kavya on Monday night. Kavya and Srihari, who is a sitting BRS MLA, joined the Congress on Sunday in the presence of Chief Minister and state Congress president A Revanth Reddy.

Samajwadi Party issued another list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024.

The party changes its Meerut candidate and fields Atul Pradhan from the constituency.

According to sources, BJP MP from Muzaffarpur Ajay Nishad is likely to join Congress after his party denied him a ticket. He may join the Congress in Delhi, they added.

Mizoram's ruling party Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) commenced its election campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha MP election at Vanapa Hall in Aizawl on Monday. Party leaders, including Chief Minister Lalduhoma, participated in the event. Candidates from various political parties have begun criss-crossing the state, addressing crowds, and outlining their visions and promises for Mizoram's future.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address an election rally in Rajasthan's Kotputli on Tuesday. He will campaign in support of the BJP candidate from Jaipur Rural Lok Sabha seat Rao Rajendra Singh.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has removed 5,20,042 political advertisements from across its 12 zones in view of the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha elections, according to an official document. The advertisements were in the form of hoardings, posters, banners, wall paintings, signages and flags, it stated. The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force on March 16 with the Election Commission (EC) announcing the schedule for the general elections. Delhi will vote on May 25 in the sixth phase of the seven-phase polls. Counting of votes is on June 4.

Pooh-poohing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's attempt at grabbing power, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Monday said he must realise there is "no vacancy" for the top post at least until 2047. The senior BJP leader also took a swipe at Congress for delay in announcing candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareli, saying the party is so scared that it has not been able to name candidates for what they always considered their "ancestral seats" and that this shows they do not have confidence even in the Gandhi family.

The Congress on Monday announced the candidature of Dr Abhay Patil from Akola Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra. He will take on sitting BJP MP Sanjay Dhotre's son Anup Dhotre and Prakash Ambedkar of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, which was in seat sharing talks with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi till some days ago.

Kerala Chief Minister and Marxist veteran Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday stepped up his criticism of the Congress, an ally of the INDIA bloc, asserting that its leaders were defecting to BJP, thus tarnishing its reliability at a critical juncture when secular forces confront the saffron party's dominance in the country. The Marxist leader underscored that the future of the country stood in peril, with secularism and democracy facing significant threats.

The ruling BJD and opposition BJP in Odisha knocked on the doors of the Election Commission on Monday with complaints of model code of conduct violation against each other. The BJD alleged that solar light posts were installed in different places in the Aruhuabrutti panchayat area in Balasore district on the instruction of BJP MP Pratap Sarangi, violating the poll code. "This was done hurriedly to illegally influence voters of the area by MP Pratap Sarangi since he has done no work for the people in the last five years," the BJD alleged in its memorandum to the EC. The BJD urged the EC to probe the incident and take appropriate action.