Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Rahul will be forced to take out 'Congress Dhundho Yatra' after June 4, says Shah

With this, the BJP, which is fighting the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party, has named candidates for all the seats it will contest in Maharashtra. Savara is the son of former BJP minister for tribal development Vishnu Savara, who died in 2020. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has fielded Bharati Kamadi from Palghar. Sitting MP Rajendra Gavit, part of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, has been dropped. Gavit, who was with Congress until the death of sitting MP Chintaman Vanaga in 2018, joined the BJP and won the bye-election.

The AAP and the Congress have formed a coordination committee for the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi and announced coordinators for each of the seven parliamentary constituencies here to ensure campaigns are held in a smooth and effective manner. Under a seat-sharing arrangement between the two constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), the Congress has fielded candidates from three of the seven seats. The AAP is contesting the remaining four.

The BJP's Rae Bareli candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh Thursday said the hard work by him and party workers over the past months would bring down the Gandhi bastion. The Member of Legislative Council in Uttar Pradesh spoke to a new agency shortly after being nominated as the party candidate for the seat, represented by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi since 2004. Singh, who joined the BJP in 2018 and contested against Sonia Gandhi in 2019, indicated that he and party workers in Raebareli have prepared for the contest over the last six months.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said her father inherited not wealth but "martyrdom" from his mother, former prime minister late Indira Gandhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had alleged last week that Rajiv Gandhi abolished inheritance tax after coming to power so that the wealth he had inherited from his mother would not be taxed. "My father did not inherit wealth, he inherited martyrdom from his mother," Priyanka Gandhi said at an election rally here.

The BJP on Thursday announced candidates for six more assembly seats in Odisha, including its state unit vice president Dr Purnachandra Mohapatra. Mohapatra, a doctor by profession, has been nominated from the Barabati-Cuttack assembly segment where Kendrapara MP and actor-turned-politician Anubhav Mohanty, who defected from BJD, was also in the race for the BJP ticket, party sources said. Mohapatra's name was also in the discussion for BJP nominee for the Cuttack Lok Sabha seat. With the sixth list of candidates, the party announced its nominees for 146 seats for elections to the 147-member assembly in the state. The party is yet to announce its nominee for Nilagiri in Balasore district.

Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, both are unlikely to contest Lok Sabha elections from Amethi and Rae Bareli constituencies, sources informed on Thursday. The Congress is brainstorming over picking candidates for the two crucial seats as party chief Mallikarjun Kharge met Rahul in Delhi today. The announcement of Grand Old Party's candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareli is expected today.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's son Karan Bhushan Singh from Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat and Dinesh Pratap Singh from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh.

The Election Commission of India directed political parties to cease registering voters for post-election beneficiary-oriented schemes under guise of surveys.

After filing nomination from Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat, BJP's Naveen Jindal said people want Narendra Modi to become the PM for the thrid time.

" There is enthusiasm among the public. We have familial relations with the people here. People want Modi ji to become the Prime Minister for the third time. We are preparing a vision document, we will wait a couple of more days before releasing it. The main issue is employment. I would like to open two vocational training institutes - in Kurukshetra and Kaithal- where 10,000 youth can be trained each year...Anti-incumbency is natural but more than 80% of people are happy with the work done by the Haryana govt and Centre...I want to realize the dream of 'Viksit Bharat," he added.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said the Congress was questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the alleged sex scandal involving JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna as he had campaigned for him in the Lok Sabha elections. He was responding to state JD(S) president H D Kumaraswamy, who asked why Congress was questioning the prime minister.

While addressing a public event in Gujarat's Junagadh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said these elections are not for his personal ambitions but for the future of the country.

"These are not ordinary elections. These are important not just for the country but a stable & strong government in India is important for the world too. For me, these elections are not for my personal ambitions. That ambition was fulfilled by the public in the country in 2014. The 2024 elections are not for Modi's ambitions but for Modi's mission. My mission is for the bright future of the country, my mission is to take the country forward," he added.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah attacked Rahul Gandhi, saying he started his party's campaign with Bharat Jodo Yatra that will end with a 'Congress Dhoondho Yatra,' suggesting that the party will get a severe drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections. Addressing an election rally here, Shah alleged that Rahul, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and SP's Akhilesh Yadav did not attend the Ram Temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya fearing this may alienate their vote bank.

BJP candidate from the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat Naveen Jindal on Thursday filed his nomination papers. The 54-year-old was accompanied by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini when he went to file his nomination papers. Later, he also addressed a public gathering in which his family members and BJP leaders, including the chief minister, were present.

Launching a frontal attack on the RJD, which is an alliance partner of the INDIA bloc in Bihar, BJP national president J P Nadda on Thursday said the party led by Lalu Prasad stands for 'Rishwatkhor Jungleraj Dal'. Addressing a public rally in Araria Lok Sabha seat in support of BJP candidate Pradeep Kumar Singh, Nadda accused the opposition coalition of "protecting" corrupt people, whereas Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "striving hard" to end corruption in the country. Araria will go to polls in the third phase on May 7. "A majority of the leaders of the INDIA bloc, which includes the RJD, are either in jail or on bail. PM Modi wants to end corruption but the INDIA bloc leaders call for protecting the corrupt. RJD, whose leaders are on bail, means corruption. R stands for 'Rishwatkhori' (bribery), J for 'Jungleraj' and D means 'Daldal' (slough of mud)".

The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed a lawyers' organisation to give a representation to the Election Commission of India on its plea on the use of deepfake technologies in the political campaign for 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The court asked the ECI to decide the representation given by petitioners expeditiously, keeping in mind the urgency of the matter. A bench of acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora disposed of the petition, saying it cannot devise a policy in the middle of elections. The court said it trusts the ECI, which is a constitutional body, to act on the matter.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the Modi government of "clandestinely snatching away" reservation from Dalits, tribals and backward classes by "blindly" implementing privatisation, and said his party guarantees strengthening the public sector enterprises and open the doors for employment. In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said the mantra of Narendra Modi's campaign to remove reservation is -- 'na rahega baans, na bajegi bansuri', meaning neither there will be government jobs nor any reservation will be available.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will visit Uttar Pradesh and hold a roadshow in Mainpuri at 11:20 a.m., followed by a public meeting in Etah at 1 p.m. and later another public meeting in Firozabad at 2:25 p.m.

Congress National General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will address a 'Nyay Sankalp Sabha' each in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. She will first address a public meeting in Korba (Chhattisgarh) at 12 pm followed by another public meeting in Morena (Madhya Pradesh) at 3 pm.

BJP may give ticket to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's younger son Karan Bhushan Singh from Kaiserganj seat. 

(With inputs from Devendra Parashar) 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be in Karnataka on Thursday to address two public meetings, the party's state unit said. He is slated to address an election rally at the Freedom Park in the district headquarters town of Shivamogga at 1 pm. He will then fly to another district headquarters town of Raichur for the second event at 4.25 pm.

Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairperson Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday welcomed the Election Commission's decision to postpone polls in the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency and said this has relieved several political parties. Azad emphasised the importance of the assembly elections over parliamentary elections stating it is very important to have a legislative assembly and legislators put in place through polls.

Jailed Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chief Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal will hold a roadshow in Gujarat's Bhavnagar at 12:30 pm and a second roadshow in Bharuch district of Gujarat at 4:30 pm asking people to support her husband and AAP.

BJP National President JP Nadda will address three public meetings in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Nadda will address two public meetings in Bihar- one in Araria at the Dharmaganj Mela Maidan (11:25 a.m.) and another in Muzaffarpur at the Kerma Stadium (1:40 pm). Later, he will address a public meeting in Madhya Pradesh's Vidisha district at the Naya Bus Stand, Sironj (5 pm) and then another public meeting in Gujarat's Mehsana district at the Open Maidan, Godhra Road (at 8:45 p.m.)

A case has been registered against Congress candidate from Rajasthan's Jodhpur Lok Sabha seat, Karan Singh Uchiyarda, on Wednesday for flouting the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by staging a protest in front of a police station on April 28. The case against Uchiyarda was registered at Phalodi police station as the Congress nominee along with his supporters staged a dharna outside the police station against the arrest of three party workers following their altercation with BJP workers.

(With inputs from Vishal Pratap Singh) 

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said the BJP leader who allegedly threatened Pahari Muslims in Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir should be booked under the UAPA and sent to jail. The BJP on Tuesday expelled Poonch district spokesperson Satish Bhargav for “hate speech” and “using unparliamentary language” during an election meeting in Poonch district. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday filed a complaint against the BJP for “intimidation tactics” to force the people to vote for the Apni Party candidate.

As part of his poll campaigning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address public meetings in Gujarat covering around 11 Lok Sabha constituencies. PM Modi will speak at rallies in Deesa, Himmatnagar, Anand, Wadhwan, Junagadh and Jamnagar. His rallies will cover the Lok Sabha constituencies of Patan, Mehsana, Ahmedabad East, Anand, Kheda, Surendranagar, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Porbandar, Amreli and Jamnagar. Prime Minister Modi will address a public meeting in Anand at 11 a.m., followed by another one in Surendranagar at 1 p.m., third one in Junagadh at 3:15 p.m. and later a fourth public meeting in Jamnagar at 5:15 p.m.

Home Minister Amit Shah will address three public meetings in Uttar Pradesh- one in Bareilly at the Ramlila Maidan (12:30 p.m.), another in Badaun at the Islamia Inter College Ground (2:15 p.m.) followed by one in Sitapur at Leherpur (4 p.m.).