Lok Sabha Elections 2024 HIGHLIGHTS: Congress releases list of candidates for Andhra, Jharkhand

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has cancelled his election campaign in Kerala scheduled to be held on April 22 following indisposition, the party said on Sunday.

The Congress on Sunday announced fielding former union minister Subodh Kant Sahay's daughter Yashashwini from Ranchi and recalled the candidature of legislator Deepika Pandey Singh from Godda. The Central Election Committee of the Party has selected Yashashwini Sahay to contest from Ranchi seat while Pradeep Yadav will replace Deepika Pandey Singh in Godda, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said in a statement. The grand old party on April 16 had announced the candidature of Deepika Pandey Singh, Krishna Nand Tripathi and Anupama Singh from Godda, Chatra and Dhanbad, respectively.

Congress declares Pradeep Yadav as its candidate for Jharkhand's Godda in place of Deepika Singh Pandey.

Former Uttarakhand minister Harak Singh Rawat's daughter-in-law and model Anukriti Gusain joined the BJP on Sunday. Gusain (30) had contested the 2022 Uttarakhand Assembly elections on a Congress ticket. The BJP's Uttarakhand unit chief Mahendra Bhatt handed over the party's primary membership to Gusain at the its headquarters.

The Congress on Sunday released a manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Goa, promising to protect the environment and ensure the resumption of mining in the coastal state. The Congress is contesting the two seats in the state under the banner of the anti-BJP coalition INDIA. It has fielded Ramakant Khalap from North Goa constituency, while Viriato Fernandes has been nominated from South Goa.

The BJP on Sunday took a swipe at the INDIA bloc over a clash during the opposition grouping's rally in Ranchi, calling it a display of 'Jungle Raj', and said workers of the opposition parties clashed because they have no common mission and vision for the country. The BJP's reaction came after a clash took place reportedly between workers of the RJD and the Congress in the midst of the INDIA bloc's rally over the candidature of K N Tripathi from Chatra. The Congress has named Tripathi as its candidate from the Lok Sabha seat.

The BJP will win all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Piyush Goel said at an event in Delhi on Sunday.

The nomination forms of 317 candidates in 11 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, which will go to polls in the third phase on May 7, were found to be valid after scrutiny, while that of 44 contestants were rejected, an official said on Sunday.

The BJP was trying to topple governments in opposition-ruled states but democracy cannot be allowed to fail, said former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren in a message from jail that his wife Kalpana read out at a mega rally in Ranchi on Sunday. She was speaking at the opposition bloc INDIA's 'Ulgulan Nyay' rally, which was attended by leaders of 28 parties.

Altogether nine candidates, including two women, in five constituencies which will go to polls in the second phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, have declared that they are facing criminal cases. AIUDF has two contestants, the BJP and the Gana Suraksha Party have one each while the remaining six are independent candidates. AIUDF's Aminul Islam, BJP's Suresh Bora and independents Sikha Sarma and Abu Eusuf Md Raihan Uddin are in the fray in central Assam's Nagaon constituency which has the highest number of candidates with criminal records.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday accused Amroha MP and former BSP leader Danish Ali of "betraying" people of the constituency and the party. Ali, who won the Lok Sabha seat in 2019 on a BSP ticket, was expelled from the party "for anti-party activities" in January this year. He later joined the Congress, which fielded him from Amroha.

"Today, having a stable government in the country is important...A government that can take the poor, the women, the farmers, the deprived, and the backward classes towards prosperity...A government which understands the aspirations of the youth and makes policies for them," he said.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma also present.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday charged the Congress-led opposition with being soft on terror and indifferent towards the uplift of deprived castes, and alleged that their return to power could cause "riots, atrocities and poverty".

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday alleged that lawlessness was prevailing in West Bengal under the Mamata Banerjee dispensation. He said that despite the state having a woman chief minister, incidents like Sandeshkhali were taking place.

"Modi govt carries everyone along. Only PM Modi can make India developed," Patel said.

BJP candidate from Lucknow, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will file nomination on April 29. A large number of workers including ministers, MLAs, senior party officials will participate. Thery gather at state headquarters Hazratganj at 10 am. 

(With inputs from Ruchi Kumar)

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday could not attend a scheduled election rally in Darjeeling town of West Bengal as his helicopter failed to land due to inclement weather, a party leader said. Shah was scheduled to address the rally in support of BJP candidate for Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat, Raju Bista.

BJP workers carried out a bulldozer rally before the arrival of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Sunday announced its candidates for all four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh. State BSP chief Narayan Azad said his party would expose the "anti-Scheduled Caste stance" of both the BJP and the Congress and would contest the election on the plank of justice to the poor and scheduled castes and tribes. He said that Anil Kumar will contest from the Shimla (Reserve) seat, Hem Raj will be the party candidate from the Hamirpur seat, while Prakash Chand Bhardwaj and Rekha Rani will contest from Mandi and Kangra seats respectively. A party meeting was held at Una recently where the names of the candidates were discussed and sent to the party high command for approval.

The candidature of Congress' Nilesh Kumbhani from Surat Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat was rejected on Sunday after the district returning officer prima facie found discrepancies in the signature of the proposers. The nomination form of Suresh Padsala, the Congress' substitute candidate from Surat, was also invalidated, pushing Gujarat's principal opposition party out of the poll fray in the city.

The nomination papers of Kokrajhar MP Naba Kumar Sarania, who was looking for a third consecutive term, were cancelled on Sunday, officials said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday claimed that if "Modi-Shah sarkar" comes back to power, then the democracy will end in the country.

"When the objective of a leader's life becomes the welfare of his son more than the welfare of Maharashtra, then understand that the tragedy of that son-oriented party is being written," he posted on X.

Tamil Nadu recorded a voter turnout of 69.72 per cent during the April 19 elections to 39 Lok Sabha constituencies, the Election Commission announced on Sunday.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath said, "Congress did not leave any opportunity to loot Chhattisgarh when it was in power in the state."

"What happened during UPA government...They did Corruption, promoted nepotism, enjoyed the cream, had fun and forgot the public," said JP Nadda

"The greatest challenge to India is unemployment; some sections underestimate this problem, but this is the greatest problem. In my experience, we never had such a high rate of unemployment," said Congress leader P Chidambaram

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed those present at the Bharat Mandapam for inauguration of the Mahavir Nirvana Mahotsav to commemorate the 2,550th anniversary of Lord Mahavir's nirvana on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti. 

Congress CEC meeting for the state of Bihar underway at the party headquarters in Delhi. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Mahavir Nirvana Mahotsav on the 2,550th anniversary of Lord Mahavir's nirvana on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti at the Bharat Mandapam in the national capital today. | READ MORE

Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party MP Mehboob Ali Qaiser joins RJD, reported news agency PTI. 

Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge arrives at the party headquarters for the CEC meeting.

"Nowadays the BJP is growing step by step because PM Narendra Modi after 2014 has brought a lot of developments in India and the people of Kasaragod and Kerala they are the beneficiaries," said BJP Kasaragod constituency candidate, Ashwini.

Assam Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said, " In Assam, voting for 5 seats is over and we will win all these 5 seats. Campaigning for 2nd phase is underway...BJP and our alliance party will win 14 out of 14 seats in Assam."