Lok Sabha polls, April 21: As it Happened

Bharatiya Janata Party releases 23rd list of candidates for Delhi, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and UP; Dr Harsh Vardhan to contest from Delhi's Chandni Chowk, Manoj Tiwari- North East Delhi, Pravesh Verma- West Delhi, Ramesh Bidhuri -South Delhi and Hardeep Puri from Amritsar.

Uttar Pradesh Education Minister Anupama Jaiswal on Sunday equated BSP supremo Mayawati's party with the "shit" of her poll symbol elephant.

"Akhilesh used to say his 'Kaam bolta hai' (work speaks), but the BJP youths say it's not your 'kaam', (but) your 'kaarnaama' (misdeeds) that speaks. Had your work spoken, you did not have to carry elephant's shit with you," Jaiswal is purportedly heard saying in a video gone viral.

"What was the need to carry elephant's shit on your head?" she is heard asking.

The video with Jaiswal's controversial remark has gone viral on various social media platforms.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused the Congress party of betraying the people, saying injustice was done to the country's growth potential and its resources.
"Post-independence people trusted the Congress for five decades, but the party betrayed the people. Injustice was meted out to resources and potential of the country. Congress did vote bank politics and made power a medium to fill its coffers," Modi said, at an election rally in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh constituency. He said smaller nations which got freedom in the same period as when India got its independence had developed far more than India.

Campaigning for the third phase of polling in the Lok Sabha elections came to an end at 5 PM. 116 constituencies, spread over 13 States and two Union Territories, will go to polls in this phase on Tuesday.

The political turmoil in Tripura shows no sign of abating with opposition parties demanding fresh polls in Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency, claiming that the April 11 election in the state was "heavily rigged" by the ruling BJP. Denying the charge, the saffron party said the allegations were "baseless and politically motivated".

The Election Commission has issued another show-cause notice to BJP's Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate and Malegaon blast accused Pragya Singh Thakur for her remark that she was proud of her participation in demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. Thakur made the controversial remark while speaking to a television channel.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi has said she will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi if asked by her brother and party President Rahul Gandhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh, and asked people if they wanted a Majboor or Mazboot government. He said the Congress party only played vote bank politics all through their regime, and deceived the people of the country. 

The Aam Aadmi Party, which is in alliance with the JJP, Sunday announced its candidates for three Lok Sabha seats in Haryana, fielding party's state unit chief Naveen Jaihind from the Faridabad parliamentary constituency. The AAP is contesting on three seats, while the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) is fighting on the remaining seven seats in the state. Besides Jaihind, who is considered a confidant of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP has named Prithvi Raj, a retired DGP, as its candidate from Ambala reserved constituency and Krishan Kumar Agarwal, an advocate, from the Karnal seat.

Supporters of Congress leader Mahabal Mishra are protesting outside All India Congress Committee headquarters in New Delhi, demanding a ticket for him from West Delhi constituency.

Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) Chief Shivpal Singh Yadav has called the SP-BSP 'mahagathbandhan' "a flop show".

"The SP-BSP alliance is a flop show. It has taken shape only for convenience as they knew their existence was threatened. Otherwise they have been sworn enemies for the past 25 years. Now, how come they have come together?" Shivpal said, addressing an election meeting in UP's Firozabad. 

"This is opportunism at it's best. In the last Lok Sabha, the BSP won zero seats. Now if you multiply any numbers with zero, then the result will always be zero. This coalition will fall apart very soon," he said.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman holds a roadshow in Sultan Bathery, Wayanad, Kerala. 

BSP chief Mayawati Sunday said people of Uttar Pradesh who helped Narendra Modi become the prime minister are ready to remove him from the post in the ongoing General Elections.

"Narendra Modi is moving about saying that the 22 crore people of UP made him the prime minister but the people are asking him as to why he betrayed them," Mayawati said in a release issued by the party.

She said the BJP, and Narendra Modi in particular, should realise the common people of UP can also remove him from the post and preparation for the same has begun.

Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah holds roadshow in Gujarat's Ahmedabad.

Tear my son's clothes if he does not deliver, says Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath as he campaigns for his son Nakul who is fighting his first elections from Chhindwara.

Invoking his 40-year-old association with the region, Nath says he has now entrusted the task to serve the people of Chhindwara to his son so that he can work for Madhya Pradesh.

"I am where I am because of the love and strength you gave me," Nath say

There has been a marginal decline in the number of women candidates contesting Lok Sabha elections in Assam, with 14 in the fray as against 16 in the last polls.

The Gauhati parliamentary constituency, which goes to polls in the third and final phase in the state on April 23, has the highest number five candidates -- BJP's Queen Oja, Bobbeeta Sharma of the Congress, Mamoni Sharma of Purvanchal Janata Party (Secular) and independents Junmoni Devi Khaund and Rubi Neog. 

While addressing an election rally in Gujarat's Patan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched an attack on NCP chief Sharad Pawar. 

"Sharad Pawar says I don't know what will Modi do. If he is unaware of what Modi will do tomorrow, how will Imran Khan know?", Modi said during the public meeting. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed an election rally in Gujarat's Patan today and spoke of Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. 

"When Abhinandan was captured by Pakistan, I said (to Pakistan) that If anything happens to our pilot then we will not leave you," the prime minister said. 

Modi further said whether the PM's chair remains or nor, he has decided that either he will be alive or terrorists will remain alive.

The Aam Aadmi Party has declared candidates for 3 seats in Haryana.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party has fielded Naveen Jaihind from Faridabad, Prithviraj from Ambala and Krishan Kumar Agarwal from Karnal. 

Addressing a public meeting in Gujarat's Patan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said it is the duty of people of Gujarat to take care of 'son of soil'.

"Duty of people of my home state to take care of son of soil, give all 26 seats in Gujarat to me," Modi said. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is presently addressing an election rally in Gujarat's Patan. 

Supporters of Senior Delhi Congress leader Raj Kumar Chauhan protest outside Rahul Gandhi's residence alleging that Chauhan is being denied a Lok Sabha ticket. 

The Aam Aadmi Party is set to hold roadshows in parts of Delhi, including Dwarka, Devli, Mehrauli today.

An FIR has been registered against Congress candidate from South Mumbai, Milind Deora.

The FIR has been registered under section 171 of IPC (giving false statements for elections) and section 125 of the presentation of people's act (promoting enmity between classes in connection with elections).

In a push to the election campaigning, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is set to address rallies in parts of the state today. The chief minister will address rallies in Rampur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Hardoi and Kanpur.

Campaigning for the third phase will come to an end on Sunday. 116 constituencies, spread over 13 states and 2 Union Territories, will go to polls on Tuesday.

Voting in will take place for all 26 constituencies in Gujarat, 20 in Kerala, 14 each in Maharashtra and Karnataka, 10 in Uttar Pradesh, seven in Chhattisgarh, six in Odisha, five each in Bihar and West Bengal, four  in Assam, two in Goa, one each in Jammu and Kashmir, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Tripura.

Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah is slated to hold a roadshow in Gujarat's Ahmedabad today. He will also address rallies in different parts of the city as the state marks the end of election campaigning today. 

Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit Saturday said the names of candidates for the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital will be announced in a couple of days. 

She was talking to reporters after inaugurated a control room at the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) office for the Lok Sabha election campaign.

"The party will announce the candidates tomorrow or day after," Dikshit said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address election rallies in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh and Barmer districts on Sunday. Modi will address the public meetings in support of BJP nominees at 2 pm in Chittorgarh and 3.15 pm in Barmer, BJP state tour programme convener Omkar Singh Lakhawat said.

He said the prime minister will also address rallies in Udaipur and Jodhpur on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also address a rally in Patan in north Gujarat on Sunday, the last day of campaigning before the state's 26 Lok Sabha seats go to polls on April 23.