Lok Sabha polls 2024: 'PM Modi will free Telangana from corruption', says Amit Shah

The Congress on Thursday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi lied about its manifesto and is spreading propaganda because he can smell his defeat. All India Congress Committee's media department chairman Pawan Kheda in a press conference here asserted that the public has faith in the 25 guarantees the party made in its 'Nyaya Patra'.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has released a fresh list of three candidates from Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli, Ambedkar Nagar and Bahraich. While Thakur Prasad Yadav has been fielded from Rae Bareli, Kamar Hayat Ansari will be contesting from Ambedkar Nagar and Brijesh Kumar Sonker will fight from Bahraich, a Scheduled Caste reserved constituency.

The filing of nomination forms for Nashik and Dindori Lok Sabha constituencies will start from Friday, collector Jalaj Sharma said. Nomination forms can be filed till May 3, scrutiny will take place the next day and candidature can be withdrawn till May 6. Voting will take place on May 20, he said on Thursday. In Dindori Lok Sabha constituency, there 18,51,972 voters, comprising 9,59,658 males, 8,92,297 females and 17 transgender persons. It has 1,922 polling centres. In Nashik, there 20,24,085 voters, of which 10,56,006 are males, 9,68,001 females and 78 are transgender persons. There are 1,910 polling centres in the constituency.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday released his party manifesto, a day before voting in the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls, focusing on stopping the "loot" of Maharashtra, job creation and farm loan waiver. Thackeray said the Sena (UBT), in association with the INDI Alliance government, will work to “bring back the glory of Maharashtra”. Referring to the GIFT City in Gandhinagar, he said a financial centre, which he claimed was moved to Gujarat, will be built in Maharashtra, enabling employment opportunities in the state. He said jobs will be created at the district level so that youth from the state won't have to migrate.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday launched its Lok Sabha campaign song titled 'jail ke jawab mein hum vote denge', aiming to generate sympathy in view of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest. The over two-minute long song, penned and sung in rap style by AAP MLA and party's chief whip in Delhi Assembly Dilip Pandey, was launched by the party leaders at the AAP headquarters. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said the public will not support the AAP and they will suffer a crushing defeat. "No matter how many pamphlets the Aam Aadmi Party distributes or songs they play, the public will not support them anymore and they will suffer a severe defeat in the Lok Sabha elections," he added.

Uddhav Thackeray released poll manifesto of Shiv Sena (UBT), focussing on farm loan waiver, jobs and stopping ‘loot’ of Maharashtra

Former Jharkhand Congress president Sukhdev Bhagat on Thursday filed his nomination for the Lohardaga Lok Sabha seat and claimed that he would win the elections by a margin of 1 lakh votes. The Congress is fighting the Lohardaga as per its seat-sharing agreement with the JMM. However, JMM's Bishnupur MLA Chamra Linda filed nomination papers as an Independent candidate for the seat on Wednesday.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Thursday announced two more candidates for Punjab for the Lok Sabha polls. The party fielded Kulwant Singh Mehto from Fatehgarh Sahib parliamentary constituency and Lakhveer Singh Nika from the Bathinda seat. Punjab BSP chief Jasvir Singh Garhi said Nika, who is the party's district head from Bathinda, will contest from the Bathinda constituency. Mehto, currently serving as the secretary of the state unit, will fight from the Fatehgarh Sahib seat. Garhi said the BSP has so far declared the names of nine candidates. Polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats will be held in the last phase on June 1.

Law enforcement agencies have seized drugs, unaccounted cash, liquor and valuables worth Rs 321.51 crore in Punjab since the model code of conduct came into force last month for the Lok Sabha polls. Amritsar district topped the list with seizures worth Rs 60.3 crore. Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sibin C said drugs worth Rs 287.23 crore, unaccounted cash worth Rs 6.89 crore, liquor (22.8 lakh litres) valued at Rs 14.93 crore, precious metals and other items amounting to Rs 12.46 crore were seized.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday attacked the INDIA bloc parties, saying they are seeking votes for changing the Constitution to provide religion-based reservation. Addressing a rally at Aonla in Bareilly district, he claimed the Congress not only wanted to conduct an economic survey but also survey institutions and offices. "If two people in a backward or Dalit family work, they will take away the job of one and give it to those whom they say have the first right on the country's resources," Modi said. He was referring to former PM Manmohan Singh's 2006 remark that minorities, particularly Muslims, have the "first claim" on the country's resources.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance in Uttar Pradesh was based on a “policy of appeasement”, and its leaders wanted to snatch the rights of the OBC through the back door. Addressing an election rally in Agra, the prime minister repeated charges against the Congress on “redistribution” of wealth and even depriving people of their inheritance. “They have their eyes on the savings of mothers and sisters. But I am standing as your watchman to make the mothers and sisters maintain their claim on their property,” Modi said, invoking the term “chowkidar” he has used for himself in the past.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought time from him to explain in person the party's 'Nyay Patra'. In his two-page letter, he told the prime minister that he is being misinformed by his advisers about things that are not even written in the Congress' manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections.

BJP candidate & sitting MP from Kannauj Subrat Pathak slammed his opposition and Samajwadi party candidate from the seat Akhilesh Yadav. He said, "Ram Gopal Yadav and his party has come out from the school of casteism, communalism and nepotism. They practice the politics of destruction. They support loot, terrorism and corruption... This is a fight between insiders and outsiders. I am from Kannauj, and Akhilesh Yadav is an outsider. It is his 'Garh' but it is my 'Ghar'. This is a fight between 'Ghar' and 'Garh'."

Manish Kashyap, a prominent YouTube personality from Bihar, officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today in the presence of BJP leaders Manoj Tiwari and Anil Baluni, around 11 AM. Manish Kashyap, a renowned YouTuber from Bihar, arrived in Delhi along with BJP leader Manoj Tiwari.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday took cognizance of alleged MCC violations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The poll panel sought their replies by 11 am April 29.

 Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav filed his nomination from the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat today. Significantly, the political update marks the Samajwadi Party's complete reversal of its earlier decision to file former Mainpuri MP Tej Pratap Singh Yadav as its candidate. 

PM Modi, while addressing the Vijay Sankalp Rally in Morena, Madhya Pradesh, attacked Congress saying nothing is greater than the country for the BJP, but for Congress, it is family first.

Nothing is greater than the country for BJP. But for Congress, it is family first. Congress' policy is to keep the one who makes the maximum contribution, hard work and dedication for the country at the back. Therefore, for so many years, Congress did not allow the demands of army personnel like One Rank-One Pension to be fulfilled. We implemented One Rank-One Pension as soon as the government was formed."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, while addressing BJP's rally in Morena, Madhya Pradesh, said the Congress gave reservation to Muslims through backdoors'.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia's son, Mahanaryaman Scindia met young cricketers of Guna and heard their grievances.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi left for Delhi on Thursday morning after an overnight halt in Maharashtra's Latur city, a party functionary said. Gandhi on Wednesday made an unscheduled halt in the central Maharashtra city as there is no night-landing facility at the local airport, as per the party sources. He arrived at the Latur airport around 3 pm on Wednesday from Amravati and flew to Solapur in a helicopter for a campaign rally. He returned to Latur at around 6 pm but could not fly back to Delhi as per his schedule as planes cannot land at the local airport at night, sources said.

Bhartiya Janta Party candidate from Pune Lok Sabha seat Murlidhar Mohol is scheduled to file his nomination today. Significantly, Congress has fielded Ravindra Dhangekar as the MVA candidate from the Pune seat.

Bhartiya Janta Party's candidate from Karimnagar Lok Sabha seat Bandi Sanjay to file his nomination papers today. The elections for the Karimnagar Lok Sabha/Parliamentary Constituency in Telangana will be conducted on 13 May ( Phase 4 ).

The campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections in Noida and Greater Noida in Gautam Buddh Nagar constituency ended at 6 pm on Wednesday, officials said. BJP candidate Mahesh Sharma incurred the maximum expenditure of Rs 47. 68 lakh during the campaign closely followed by Samajwadi Party candidate Mahendra Singh Nagar at Rs 46. 42 lakh while BSP's Rajendra Singh Solanki spent Rs 34. 06 lakh, according to official data. The maximum expenditure limit permitted by the Election Commission to a Lok Sabha candidate is Rs 95 lakh.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claim that the Congress had “transferred” the reservation quota from backward classes to Muslims is a “blatant lie”. He also defended 4 per cent reservation for Muslims under the backward classes category in Karnataka.