Lok Sabha polls, April 20: As it Happened

TMC writes to Election Commission of India against Ajay V Nayak, special observer for Bengal in Lok Sabha Elections, for his reported comments, 'present condition of Bengal is like it used to be in Bihar 10 years ago' & that 'everything is not well with democracy in Bengal'

The Election Commission has issued a showcause notice to Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu for his remarks wherein he asked Muslims to vote en bloc to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The poll panel said prima facie Sidhu violated the model code of conduct in place for the Lok Sabha polls, and also a Supreme Court direction barring use of religious references for political propaganda.

Addressing the rally, the cricketer-turned-politician had urged Muslim voters of a Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar, with a sizeable population of the minority community, to vote together and defeat Modi. 

Congress announces candidates for two Lok Sabha seats in Punjab; Sher Singh Gubhaya from Firozpur, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring from Bhatinda. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a people's favourite on Google. If Google search trends are any indication, the country is way more interested in Narendra Modi than his opponent for the PM chair Congress president Rahul Gandhi. According to Google Trends, the search ratio between Pm Modi and Rahul is 62:9 in the past 90 days, which means Rahul Gandhi was searched for only 14.52 per cent of total Narendra Modi searches. 

Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh on being asked 'if he thinks there will be polarisation in elections on the issue of Hindutva' : Aaplog Hindutva shabd ka upyog kyo karte hain? Hindutva shabd meri dictionary mein hai hi nahi.

He later tweeted that, he believes in Hindu religion which has been showing the world the path to life for over a thousand years, but he said that he will never let his religion be overtaken by Hindutva. He said that Hindutva was nothing but a consipracy by Sangh to grab power. 

PM Narendra Modi in Bareilly: Ab ye mere pichdepan ka certificate bhi baantne lage hain, vo mere pichde hone ka mazak uda rahe hain. Har chunaav mein in logon ko jab parajay samne dikhne lagti hai to ye khel shuru ho jata hai. Meri jaati, is par aa jate hain.

Koi neech bolta hai, koi kuch gaali deta hai. Vaise bhi hum gareebon ko pichdo ko sadiyon se ye naamdaron ki gaaliyan khane ki adat hogai hai, mujhe bhi hogai hai. Lekin main inse poochna chahta hun aapne apne parivaar ka pichdapan door karne ke alawa aur kuch kiya hai kya?

West Bengal: Ahead of Lok Sabha polls in Malda district, Election Commission of India has removed Arnab Ghosh from the post of Malda Superintendent of Police. Baruipur SP Ajay Prashad will take charge as Malda SP

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Areekode, Kerala: Not many people know Indira Ji, my grandmother used to watch World Cup Soccer. In 1982 we were watching the final, I asked her, 'Who're you cheering for?'. She said, 'India isn't playing so I'll cheer for Italy,today.' My son and Rahul Ji are great soccer fans.

Gujarat Minister Ganpat Vasava: When PM Modi stands, it looks like the lion of Gujarat is standing. When Rahul Gandhi stands, it looks like puppy of a dog is there wagging its tail, if Pakistan offers it a 'roti', it'll go there & if China offers it 'roti', it'll go there as well

PM Modi in Etah: Ek dosti UP Vidhan Sabha ke chunaav ke samay bhi hui thi, chunav khatm hua, dosti bhi khatm hogai, dushmani mein badal gai. Ab ek dosti phir hui hai, lekin iske tootne ki tarikh bhi tay hai. Aapko tootne ki tarikh bataun? 23 May ko ye farzi dosti Phir se toot jaegi

S Krishna Kumar, former Congress MP on joining BJP: My motive for rest of my life is to strengthen hands of PM Modi who I think the people of India should give a mandate not only for 5 years, but for another 10 years. By this time, he'll modernise the nation & take it to the forefront

Unemployment at 45-year-high due to demonetisation and  "Gabbar Singh Tax": Rahul Gandhi. 

Nyay scheme will add "petrol" to India's economy: Rahul Gandhi at rally in Bilaspur

BJP's Badaun candidate Sanghmitra Maurya was caught on camera encouraging her supporters to indulge in 'fake' voting. In a video which has gone viral on social media, Maurya is seen addressing party workers at an election meeting and asking them to cast votes of those not present on the polling day. 

"Not a single vote should go in vain and if some are absent, then it is common everywhere that fake vote is cast... if you get a chance, do take advantage of it... do not do it, but if you get a chance... try to take the real voters to cast their votes but in case... then something can be done in a hidden manner," she says amidst peals of laughter.

District Magistrate Dinesh Kumar Singh, when contacted, said he was not aware of the matter but would look into the claims. 

Election Commission to Eros Now: It was brought to our notice that a web series "Modi-Journey of a Common Man, having 5 episodes is available on your platform. You're directed to stop forthwith the online streaming & remove all connected content of the series till further orders

Bhopal: A notice has been issued to Pragya Singh Thakur by District Election Officer and Collector under model code of conduct seeking an explanation from her for her comment on Late Hemant Karkare within a day. 

Congress' Jyotiraditya Scindia files nomination from Guna constituency in Madhya Pradesh.

Karnataka minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan: Shivakumar Udasi is a two time BJP MP. He's going around saying 'don't vote look at my face, look at Modi's face and cast your vote'. You must talk about your achievements but instead if you say look at Modi's face and vote, is it possible? He (Modi) had one wife and she left him because his face was not good. Should people vote for this face?

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has questioned Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's nationality and educational qualification.

BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao said, "Was he a British citizen ever? In 2004 affidavit, he had said that he invested in a UK-based company. In 2005, Rahul was shown as a British citizen in this company’s papers (BackOps Ltd). Was he a British citizen then? It is against the Indian Citizenship Act. If anyone takes up citizenship of another country, then he loses the citizenship of India."

"In 2004, he gave a senior secondary school certificate and after that, he gave an MPhil from Cambridge. In 2009, he introduced a new degree. A BA from Rollings College, Florida. Then a degree on Development Economics (MPhil). This became Development Studies (MPhil) in 2014. In 2019, Rahul Gandhi said he got a BA degree in 1994 and then MPhil in 1995. Which University gives an MPhil degree right after Bachelors in a year?"

"PM Narendra Modi is seeking votes in West Bengal by dividing people on communal lines," West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says at
Nadia rally. 

She adds, "Narendra Modi suffering from 'haratanka' [phobia of losing
the elections]."

"Lies are being spread in Bihar that quotas for economically backward among general category will end reservations altogether. The opposition's politics of appeasement may snatch away the rights of dalits, tribals and OBCs," PM Modi adds.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday charged the Congress with having placed vote bank politics above national interest while it was in power at the Centre.

Addressing an election rally here, Modi also said that the opposition party and its allies were rattled by the trends that have emerged from the first two phases of the Lok Sabha polls.

"... The trends of the first two phases of elections have left them rattled. They no more have the temerity to demand proofs of the valiant cross-border operations conducted by our armed forces," the prime minister said.

He said that "lies" were being spread about his government that its introduction of five per cent quota for the unreserved categories was a step in the direction of doing away with reservations.

"Beware of such lies," he said.

"Poore desh mein Bihar ke yuva jaa kar banks, sarkari offices ke saamne chowkidar ka kaam karte hain. Magar jo Bihar se chowkidar ban kar jaata hai woh imaandar hota hai. Agar koi Bihar ka chowkidar bank ke saamne khada mile us bank mein chori nahin ho sakti. Magar ye jo vyakti [PM Modi] hai, desh ka chowkidar kehta hai; magar asal mein Anil Ambani ka chowkidar hai. Bihar ke yuva poore desh mein desh ki raksha karte hain, imaandari se, dhoop, aandhi, toofan mein, aadhi roti kha kar, unn sab ko ek chowkidar ne badnaam kiya hai," Congress president Rahul Gandhi says.

Samajwadi Party fields Rajendra Singh Patel from Allahabad Lok Sabha constituency

"I stand here on behalf of a man [Congress chief Rahul Gandhi] who I've known from the day I was born. He'll be your candidate in this election. He, over last 10 years, has faced massive personal attack from his opponents. They've sought to portray a character of his which is very far from truth," Priyanka says.

"Congress ne inn 70 saalon mein kabhi koi sapna dekhne ki himmat nahin ki. Maine dekha hai, aur mera sapna, sapna nahin sankalp hota hai," PM Modi adds.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Araria rally, targets Mahagathbandhan. He says, "Eik taraf vote-bhakti ki raajneeti hai; eik taraf deshbhakti hai."

"Aatankiyon ke marne par bade bade netaaon ki aankhon mein aansu aa gaye thhay," he adds.

"Five years ago, a government came into power that was voted in with a big majority. In all their wisdom, people of our country placed their faith and hopes in the BJP government. That goverment, since the moment it came to power, began to betray that faith," Priyanka Gandhi says, while addressing a rally in Kerala's Wayanad.

"They began to believe that power belonged to them and not people. The first indication of this gross misunderstanding came when their own chief declared shortly after the election that promise of Rs 15 lakh in every bank account was just for the sake of elections, what he called a 'jumla'," she adds.

It is election season!

Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia during a press conference lashed out at the Congress for 'wasting AAP's time.

Bed Prakash Agarwalla, BJD leader and party's candidate from Patkura assembly constituency, passes away at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar

Samajwadi Party fields Pandhari Yadav from Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency.

"Kya kabhi Hindustan mein aisa huya hai ki duniya ke kisi desh ke log aa karke Bharat mein chunaav prachar karein? Apne vote bank ke liye, tushtikaran ke liye, Didi kisi bhi hadd tak jaane ke liye tayaar hai," he says.

"Mamata Banerjee has only fooled people in the name of 'maa,
mati and manush'. 'Speedbreaker didi' has lost her sleep after the first two phases of Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal," he adds.

"In Purulia, a BJP worker was murdered. I want to assure each West Bengal BJP worker and the people of the state that justice will be done. Strict action will be taken against those responsible," PM Modi adds.

"Bullying of TMC won't prevent a massive defeat for that party. Bengal is with BJP," Prime Minister Narendra Modi says.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that fielding of Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon blast case, as the BJP candidate from Bhopal was a symbolic answer to all those who falsely labelled the rich Hindu civilisation as "terrorist" and asserted that "this symbol will prove costly for the Congress".

"Samjhauta Express verdict came. What came out? Without any evidence, a rich civilization as old as 5000 years, which gave the message of 'the whole world is one'... You called such a civilisation terrorist? To give a befitting reply to all such people, this (fielding of Pragya Thakur) is a symbol and this symbol will cost the Congress dearly," the prime minister added.

Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan has alleged that the administration is cracking down heavily on his acquaintances and supporters.

"I am being treated as if I am an anti-national or a traitor. They are treating me as if I am the biggest terrorist in this world. Had it been within the limits of their power, the administration would have openly killed me by firing a shot at me," Azam Khan said, while addressing a public rally at Rampur on Friday.

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has said his father HD Deve Gowda's ten-month long tenure as the prime minister of India was much better than Prime Minister Narendra's stint till now.

Kumaraswamy, in an interview to ANI, said that during Deve Gowda's tenure, the country was peaceful as there was not even a single terror attack.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the BJP would win the Lok Sabha elections with full majority, and with more votes and seats than in 2014.

"BJP will win with full majority and with more votes and seats than we won earlier. Even our alliance partners will get greater number of seats and our vote share will increase in different states The country has decided to elect a strong government with full majority. The country has decided to elect BJP again," he said in an interview with a news channel, on Friday.

PM Modi referred to an old brainstorming meeting of the Congress and said unlike the opposition party which had said they do not need allies, the BJP is not arrogant. 

Congress president Rahul Gandhi will address two election rallies in Chhattisgarh on Saturday.

The rallies will be held at Bilaspur district and at Bhilai town in Durg district.

This will be Rahul Gandhi's first poll campaign tour in the state after the announcement of Lok Sabha election schedule. He did not campaign for the first and second phases of poll in the state.

Congress has fielded Atal Shrivastav, state Congress general secretary from Bilaspur Lok Sabha constituency and its former MLA Pratima Chandrakar from Durg Lok Sabha seat.

Election to the 11 Lok Sabha seats in the state is being held in three phases.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public rally in Buniyadpur town of northern West Bengal's South Dinajpur district on Saturday, in a bid to give a further fillip to the BJP's Lok Sabha polls prospects in the state.

For PM Modi, who is seemingly laying stress on electioneering in eastern India, it would be his fifth visit to the state this year, and the seventh public meeting in Bengal in around two and a half months.

PM Modi would also be possibly the first prime minister to visit the municipal town, about 400 kilometres north of Kolkata, and part of the Balurghat Lok Sabha constituency.

The pubic meeting at Narayanpur ground has been organised in support of BJP candidate Sukanta Majumdar, a reputed botanist of Gour Banga University who is taking on sitting Trinamool Congress MP and noted theatre activist Arpita Ghosh. 

The Prime Minister in his speech is expected to touch on the Citizenship Bill, as also tribal issues, and the welfare projects initiated by his government.

Stringent security has been put in place for the meeting, with the Special Protection Group already taking over the venue.