Lok Sabha polls, May 13: As it happened

BJP on Monday said that Yogi Adityanath's Kolkata rally on May 15 has been denied.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Monday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying his five-year tenure saw only "campaigning" and no work.

Referring to Modi's reported "tapasya" (hardwork) remark, the Congress general secretary said "tapasya" destroys arrogance, but the "arrogance" of the Modi government had grown "too big".

Gandhi Vadra alleged Modi did not find even five minutes in his tenure to solve problems faced by the poor in his constituency, Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh.

In an interview to a leading English daily, Modi had recently said that his image was not created by the "Khan Market gang" (located in Delhi), but his 45-year tapasya (hard work).

The Bharatiya Janata Party wrote to Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer against Congress leader DK Shivakumar alleging that he camped at Kundagola and had been distributing cash to the voters and leaders.

"They ask for votes in the name of their ancestors, but when questioned on their (ancestors) misdeeds, they say 'hua to hua'," PM Modi said, earlier today.

Mamata didi, I am chanting Jai Shri Ram here and leaving for Kolkata, arrest me if you have guts: BJP President Amit Shah in Joynagar.

The BJP on Monday hit out at the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal, alleging the chief minister has replaced democracy with her "dictatorship" after the state administration denied permission to a rally by its president Amit Shah.

Shah was scheduled to hold a rally in Jadhavpur Monday but the state administration denied permission for it last night and also withdrew its nod to the landing of Shah's chopper in the constituency, BJP leader and Union minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters.

He urged the Election Commission to take cognizance of the development, saying the state government wants to to reduce the poll panel to a mute spectator.

"This is murder of democracy. The EC should take cognizance of the matter. If important leaders are not allowed to hold rallies then what is the meaning of elections," Javadekar said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday stepped up his attack on the Congress over its leader Sam Pitroda's hua to hua (It happened, so what?) remark on the anti-Sikh riots in 1984.

The remark reflects the arrogance of the opposition party, Modi said, addressing a rally at Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh.

Modi said 'hua to hua' are not just three words but reflect arrogance of the Congress.

While they (Congress leaders) were saying "hua to hua", the people of the country were saying "enough is enough", Modi said.

These 'mahamilavati' people are saying 'hua toh hua', but the country is now saying 'mahamilavati logon ab bohot hua' (enough is enough), he said.

The Supreme Court Monday dismissed a plea seeking a direction to the Election Commission (EC) to advance poll timings to 5:30 am from 7 am for the seventh phase of Lok Sabha polls in view of searing heat and the month of Ramzan.

A vacation bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and Sanjiv Khanna rejected the plea, saying the notified timing of voting are from 7 am to 6 pm and voters can cast vote in the morning also.

"The timings are from 7 am to 6 pm. People can come in the morning to cast their votes. They (EC) will face logistical problem (if timings are advanced)," the bench told advocate Mohammad Nizamuddin Pasha who had filed the petition.

On May 2, the top court had asked the poll panel to pass "necessary orders" on a representation seeking advancing of voting timing for the remaining phase of Lok Sabha polls, which the EC had rejected on May 5.

The poll panel had turned down his representation as being "administratively not feasible".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is presently addressing a rally in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam

Supreme Court agrees to hear tomorrow, the plea filed by Priyanka Sharma, BJP youth wing worker who was arrested for sharing a morphed picture of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. 

Congress leaders must stop their mischievous attitude. They must stop trying to sabotage the coalition government. They can do all this politics in 2022, this isn't the time. We had brought Siddaramaiah to Congress, we created a situation that made him the chief minister: Karnataka JDS leader H Vishwanath.

BJP President Amit Shah denied permission to hold rally in West Bengal's Jadavpur, also denied permission to land chopper: Party sources 

Telangana Rashtra Samiti leader and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao to meet Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President MK Stalin, in Chennai, today.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi to address two public rallies in Punjab's Fatehgarh Sahib and Hoshiarpur today. 

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

Modi will be in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam, Himachal Pradesh's Solan and Punjab's Bathinda on Monday.