Lok Sabha Elections 2024: EC seeks to increase voter turnout in 11 states, meeting on April 5

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday asked the BJP workers to avoid overconfidence while simultaneously working hard for the victory of the Narendra Modi government for the third consecutive term in the Lok Sabha polls. Emphasising alertness among the party cadres up to the booth level, Adityanath said there is a tremendous atmosphere in favour of the BJP in the entire country and the result of the coming Lok Sabha elections will also be in accordance with this. What is needed is activism, promptness and alertness up to the booth level, Adityanath said, giving the mantra for winning elections. In an important meeting with the BJP's election steering committee for Gorakhpur, Bansgaon and Sant Kabir Nagar Lok Sabha seats, the chief minister exuded confidence that the Modi government will return to power for the third consecutive term, but stressed that elections and wars should never be taken lightly.

The Election Commission on Thursday issued a notice to Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu for 'derogatory' remarks against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. According to the poll panel's notice, Naidu violated the Model Code of Conduct during his campaign speeches in Andhra Pradesh on March 31. The notice was issued following a complaint filed by Lella Appi Reddy, State General Secretary of the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), and another person.

Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora on Thursday emphasised the need for proper coordination between the city police and CAPFs to ensure smooth conduct of the coming general assembly elections. Arora was addressing officers during a conference organised by the Delhi Police to deliberate strategies to strengthen the security arrangements for the polls, according to a statement. The event was presided by Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and held at the Security Headquarters in Chanakyapuri. "Senior officers from the Delhi police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) participated in the conference," a senior officer said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will address election rallies in Udhampur and Kathua districts of Jammu and Kashmir on April 12 and April 10, respectively, BJP leaders said on Thursday. They will be campaigning for BJP candidate and Union minister Jitendra Singh, who is seeking reelection from Udhampur-Kathua Lok Sabha constituency. "Modi Ji is coming to Udhampur on April 12. Yogi Ji will come to Kathua on April 10. They will address mega rallies," Jammu and Kashmir BJP general secretary Ashok Koul told reporters in Udhampur. Koul, who was campaigning for Jitendra Singh, said that PM Modi will address a big rally in Udhampur, in which people from Reasi, Nagrota, and Billawar will take part. Preparations are going on in full swing for the two rallies, he said.

Stepping up efforts to increase voter turnout in the Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission will on Friday (April 5) brainstorm with municipal commissioners and district election officers of 11 states that have registered a low polling percentage in the past. Both rural and urban parliamentary constituencies with low voter turnouts have been identified for targeted outreach. In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the commission will discuss with municipal commissioners and selected district election officers from 11 states that had the lowest voter turnouts. The meeting, the poll authority said, will discuss ways to step up turnout in the seven-phase polls that begin on April 19. It will deliberate and prepare "targeted and specific action plans" to address the issue of low voter turnouts in certain urban and rural areas. The conference will be chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.

Three of the eight Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra's Marathwada region will witness polling on April 26, with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) contesting from Parbhani and Hingoli and ally Congress from Nanded. In Parbhani, the fight is between Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate and sitting MP Sanjay Jadhav and Mahadev Jankar of the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, which is part of the ruling alliance. In Hingoli, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has fielded Nagesh Patil Ashtikar against the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's Baburao Kadam Kohlikar, who replaced sitting MP Hemant Patil. In Nanded, BJP's sitting MP Pratap Chikhlikar will take on Congress' Vasantrao Chavan. In the 2019 polls, Chikhlikar had defeated Congress heavyweight and former chief minister Ashok Chavan, who is now a BJP Rajya Sabha MP. In Parbhani and Nanded, 72 candidates each have filed nominations.

As many as 352 candidates, including those from major parties like the BJP and the Congress, have filed their nominations for the eight Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra that will vote in the second phase on April 26, said an official in the state electoral office on Thursday. These contestants have submitted a total of 477 nominations (meaning some of them have filed more than one set of papers), he said.

In the light of the political meeting held in Gour Banga University under the leadership and presence of Bratya Basu, Minister of Education of West Bengal with other Ministers, MPs, MLAs and political leaders on 30th March, the Chancellor and Governor of West Bengal has directed the state government to take action against the erring Minister who has deliberately violated the election code of conduct, including his removal from the Cabinet: Raj Bhavan, Kolkata

Emphasising the need for a strong and stable government at the Centre, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday slammed opposition bloc INDIA for spreading canards about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), asserting that it is "Modi ki guarantee to provide citizenship to those who have faith in Maa Bharati (Mother India)". Referring to the recent incidents in Sandeshkhali, where allegations of sexual abuse against TMC leaders surfaced, Modi assured that the "culprits of Sandeshkhali will spend the rest of their lives in jail".

As many as 52 candidates, including former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, have filed nominations for the three Lok Sabha seats going to polls in the second phase of the general elections in Chhattisgarh, officials said on Thursday. During the day, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Santosh Pandey filed his nomination from the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat.

The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) on Thursday named Suresh Mhatre as its candidate from the Bhiwandi Lok Sabha constituency, which was claimed by ally Congress in seat-sharing talks for Maharashtra. The Sharad Pawar-led party, which released its second list of two nominees for the Lok Sabha polls, fielded Bajrang Sonawane from Beed in central Maharashtra. Beed will vote in the fourth phase on May 13, while Bhiwandi in adjoining Thane district will go to polls in the fifth round on May 20. With this, the NCP (SP), a constituent of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), has named seven candidates so far. The party had named five candidates in the first list released last week. Besides the NCP (SP) and the Congress, the MVA also consists of the Shiv Sena (UBT). Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh (80), will vote in five phases starting from April 19 and counting will take place on June 4.

The Odisha government on Thursday announced localised public holidays in respective constituencies during the four-phased Lok Sabha and assembly polls.Elections in the state will be held on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1. "The government of Odisha has been pleased to declare holiday for the employees of the state government offices and magisterial courts (executive) on May 13 (Monday), May 20 (Monday), May 25 (Saturday) and June1 (Saturday) for the offices located within the parliamentary constituencies and assembly segments coming within those parliamentary constituencies in order to enable the employees to exercise their franchise," read the notification.

NCP (Sharad Pawar) announced the name of its candidate from Bhiwandi seat. Suresh Mhatre will be the candidate from Bhiwandi. NCP (Sharad Pawar) has released its second list of candidates today. 

Bajrang Sonawane to contest from Beed, BJP has given candidature to Pankaja Munde from here. Suresh Mhatre is contesting from Bhiwandi, Kapil Patil from BJP is in the fray from this seat.

NCP (SP) has declared the names of a total of seven candidates so far. NCP (SP) will contest from 10 seats in MVA.  Candidacy is yet to be declared for these three seats Raver, Satara and Madha.

(With inputs from Dinesh Mourya)

The Maharashtra Congress today accused Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief Prakash Ambedkar of being against democracy and the Constitution and working in favour of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Addressing a press conference, Congress leader Bhalchandra Mungekar said the real question was if Ambedkar ever wanted an alliance with the Maha Vikas Aghadi in the first place. Ambedkar, who was in talks with MVA, comprising Congress, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP) and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT), finally went his own way, fielding candidates on several seats. Ambedkar filed the nomination for Akola seat earlier in the day.

The Congress would announce the names of its candidates for the remaining seats it will contest in Jharkhand after the commencement of the nomination process for Lok Sabha elections in the state on April 18, a senior party leader said. The party has so far announced the names of candidates for three seats -- Khunti, Lohardaga and Hazaribag. Kalicharan Munda has been fielded from Khunti, Sukhdeo Bhagat from Lohardaga and JP Patel, who joined the Congress from the BJP, has been given the ticket from Hazaribag seat. Addressing a press conference here, state Congress president Rajesh Thakur said, "The party will announce the names of the candidates for the remaining seats after the commencement of the nomination process in Jharkhand. Voting for the Lok Sabha polls will start in the state from the fourth phase. We have already announced the names of candidates on two seats for the fourth phase and one for the fifth phase."

JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, his brother-in-law and noted cardiologist C N Manjunath, Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya were among prominent candidates, who filed their papers on Thursday, the last day for filing nominations for the first of two-phase Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, on April 26. Kumaraswamy, a former Chief Minister is contesting from the Mandya Lok Sabha seat. He was accompanied by BJP veteran BS Yediyurappa, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and party candidate from neighbouring Mysuru and scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar. JD(S) headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda joined the BJP-led NDA in September last year.

The CPI(M) on Thursday released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections, promising to scrap all "draconian" laws such as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The CPI(M) appealed to voters to defeat the BJP, strengthen the Left, and ensure the formation of an alternative secular government at the Centre.

The induction of former chief minister Ashok Chavan has given a "booster dose" to the BJP in Nanded, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday.
Fadnavis was addressing a BJP rally in Nanded, some 270 kilometres from here, after party colleague and sitting MP Pratap Patil Chikhlikar filed his nomination papers. Chikhlikar had defeated Chavan, who was with the Congress at the time, by more than 40,000 votes in the 2019 polls. "Chikhlikar had got 43 percent votes when Chavan was contesting against him. Now, Chavan is with us and Chikhlikar's vote percentage will go above 50. Chavan joining BJP has given a booster dose to the BJP in Nanded," Fadnavis said.

JMM announced two Lok Sabha candidates-

1. Mathura Mahato from Giridih
2. Nalin Soren from Dumka

BJP manifesto committee meeting is underway in Delhi. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Kiren Rijiju and other key leaders attended the meeting.

Former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa, who is contesting as a rebel candidate against BJP's B Y Raghavendra from Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat, on Thursday claimed Union Home Minister Amit Shah did not meet him as he found it difficult to respond to questions raised by him. Eshwarappa, a senior BJP leader, said he went to Delhi as Shah had summoned him but the meeting could not happen. "I went to Delhi as I was summoned. If I had not gone there then they would have called me arrogant. I could not meet Amit Shah. I think the meeting did not happen because I had asked him certain questions, which he found difficult to answer," the former BJP state president claimed.

Former Congress leader Gourav Vallabh joins BJP, in the presence of BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde

BJP state chief K Surendran and actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi on Thursday filed their nominations from Wayanad and Thrissur Lok Sabha seats, respectively. While Gopi was flanked by local party leaders when he went to submit his nomination, Surendran was accompanied by Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani. The BJP state chief along with Irani held a roadshow in Wayanad prior to reaching the District Collector's office to file his nomination.

Gourav Vallabh, who resigned from Congress reached BJP Headquarters in Delhi. He is likely to join theBJP. 

PM Modi adressed NDA's Jamui rally ahead of Lok Sabha polls in Bihar. He remembered late Ram Vilas Paswan during his speech at the rally.

PM Modi said "...I am satisfied that my younger brother Chirag Paswan is taking forward the ideas of Ram Vilas Paswan with full seriousness...The land of Bihar has been showing direction to the entire country...but unfortunately, after independence, justice was not done to 5-6 generations of people in Bihar..."

Union Minister and BJP candidate from Thiruvananthapuram constituency, Rajeev Chandrashekhar filed his nomination for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, in the presence of EAM Dr S Jaishankar.

BJP MP Hema Malini filed her nomination from Mathura constituency for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge Congratulated party leader Sonia Gandhi after she took oath as a member of Rajya Sabha.

"My best wishes to the Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson, Smt. Sonia Gandhi as she begins her new innings, by taking oath in the Rajya Sabha, today.  Her courageous resilience and dignified grace, in the wake of adversity and upheaval, shall continue to guide our Parliamentary strategy.  She has completed 25 years serving the Lok Sabha, and now my fellow members and I await her presence in the Upper House. I wish her a fruitful tenure ahead," he said.

Congress candidate from Alappuzha constituency KC Venugopal filed his nomination for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Congress leader Pappu Yadav says, "I have definitely been tortured and distressed in the last 14 days but I have won the heart of the country. Winning elections doesn't matter to me but to win the trust of the country and I have won the trust of Bihar. Congress family is with me, I have won their trust and I'll be with this family forever."

On being asked whether he is contesting as an independent candidate, he says, "Only time will tell."

On Congress leader Randeep Surjewala's statements on her, BJP MP Hema Malini says, "... They target only popular people because targeting the unpopular ones won't do them any good... They should learn how to respect women from PM Narendra Modi... I am here to file my nomination and on this happy occasion, I do not want to talk about what anyone else said..."

"Looks like, immediately after the party received my resignation letter last night, they decided to issue my expulsion. Good to see the such promptness. Just sharing this info. I will give detail statement today between 11.30 to 12 PM," said Sanjay Nirupam.

Pappu Yadav to file nomination from Bihar's Purnia Lok Sabha seat today as an independent candidate. He will arrive with his colleagues at 12 noon to file the nomination.

Surendra Singh Bhoi, BJD candidate from Odisha's Bolangir seat on upcoming election | "I thank CM and my party president Naveen Patnaik for showing trust in me. I will fight and do whatever Naveen Patnaik has asked me to do. There is a wave in favour of the 'conch' (symbol of BJD) in Odisha. I will hundred percent win and represent Bolangir in Lok Sabha."

Gourav Vallabh, Congress spokesperson, on Thursday resigned from all party posts saying that he can neither raise anti-sanatana nor abuse country's wealth creators. READ MORE

BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla on Congress leader Randeep Surjewala's statement on Hema Malini | "Narishakti's 'Apmaan' is Congress' only 'Pahchaan'. This has been yet again established by the cruel, crude, obnoxious, disgusting, misogynistic and sexist statement by Randeep Surjewala... He has said 'Janata' as 'Rakshas' in the past. No action has been taken against him... They have always been 'Mahila Virodhi'. Narishakti will definitely punish them in this election for the kind of mindset they have shown."

Gourav Vallabh, Congress spokesperson, on Thursday resigned from all the posts in the party saying he can neither raise anti-sanatana nor abuse country's wealth creators.

The BJP on Wednesday accused Haryana Congress leader Randeep Surjewala of making "vile, sexist" remarks against its MP Hema Malini, alleging it shows that the main opposition party is misogynistic and abhors women.

BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya shared an undated video on X in which the Congress MP is purportedly making some objectionable remarks about the actor-politician while attacking the ruling party.

He said, "Congress MP Randeep Surjewala makes a vile sexist comment, that is demeaning and derogatory, not just for Hema Malini, who is an accomplished individual, but women in general."

AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, who was released from Tihar jail on Wednesday after the Supreme Court granted bail in the Delhi excise case, addressed party workers in a rally saying that BJP wants Kejriwal's resignation to stop free water, electricity.

Anita Singh, wife of AAP leader Sanjay Singh, on his release from jail | "After coming out of jail, he (Sanjay Singh) first went to meet Sunita bhabhi (CM Arvind Kejriwal's wife) as she is our guardian. Then he went to the party office, there's new energy among party workers after seeing and listening to him. We also went to meet Manish Sisodia's wife. Party workers are very happy to have one of their leaders back among them."

Lok Sabha Speaker and BJP candidate from Kota-Bundi constituency Om Birla filed his nomination earlier on Wednesday | WATCH

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on upcoming Lok Sabha elections | "After 4 June, Narendra Modi will be the PM... We also have some magic... Keep watching everyone will vote for us..."