Lok Sabha Elections 2024 HIGHLIGHTS: BJP to release its manifesto on April 14, say sources

Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MP Gajanan Kirtikar on Friday said Narendra Modi was certain to become prime minister for a third consecutive time by the virtue of his performance and, therefore, "experiments" with the Enforcement Directorate must halt.

Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party extended support to Chandrashekhar Azad, candidate of Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) from Lok Sabha constituency no. 05, Nagina (Reserved).

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged the Narendra Modi government actually is "Adani government" and expressed confidence the BJP regime at the Centre will be dislodged with I.N.D.I.A bloc's win in the LS polls.

A day after being denied a party ticket, former MLA Kailash Kulesika Friday resigned from the BJD and joined the BJP.

DMK leader Udhyanidhi Stalin held election campaigning for the party's sitting MP and candidate from Thoothukudi seat, Kanimozhi today.

BJP will release its manifesto on April 14, sources said.

(With inputs from Devendra Parashar)

Around Rs 1.75 lakh cash was seized from a man in Greater Noida on Friday amid enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha elections, police said.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said that while the INDIA bloc may not get an absolute majority in the elections, the NDA won’t get enough seats either to form the government at the Centre.

Rahul Gandhi is a determined and courageous leader who is not swayed from his decisions by any adversity that comes his way, veteran Congress leader A K Antony said on Friday.

Former MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls as an independent candidate despite joining the Congress, was on Friday booked for violating the model code of conduct. Yadav, who is trying his luck from the Purnea seat in Bihar, has been named in the FIR lodged at Khajanchi Haat police station of the eponymous district.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a roadshow in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.

The Bahujan Samaj Party on Friday released its fourth list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, fielding former state president of the party Bhim Rajbhar from Azamgarh and ex-MP Balkrishna Chauhan from Ghosi. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has given ticket to Javed Simnani from Gorakhpur --- the stronghold of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Bansuri Swaraj, BJP candidate from the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat, Friday claimed there will be no impact of Chief Minister Kejriwal's arrest on the elections as the "Vastu shastra" of the city is in favour of her party and the lotus will also bloom in the 2025 assembly polls.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday assured a legislation to provide apprenticeship to young people and filling 30 lakh vacant government jobs.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted a roadshow in Dausa, Rajasthan. BJP candidate from Dausa, Kanhaiya Lal Meena and state minister Kirodi Lal Meena were also with him.

"We have decided that we will give guaranteed legal MSP to farmers," he said.

Samajwadi Party declared candidates on Kaushambi and Kushinagar seats. Pushpendra Saroj and Ajay Pratap Singh will be contesting from Kaushambi and Kushinagar respectively.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said the BJP government at the Centre scrapped the three "black" farm laws after realising the strength of farmers.

"The BJP has emerged as the second party to me in the last two elections. In 2009, I took the seat from the Communist, and thereafter the BJP has come second," Tharoor said.

"They (RJD) got the opportunity from 1990 to 2005. How much development they did?," Nitish Kumar said.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will take part in a roadshow in Agartala on April 16, a senior Congress leader said on Friday.

BJP state president K Annamalai on Friday promised a slew of assurances for Coimbatore, from where he is contesting for the April 19 Lok Sabha polls, including striving for the establishment of an IIM and units of NIA and the NCB. The party will work for a "100 assurances in 500 days," he said addressing a press conference after releasing the party's manifesto for the Parliamentary constituency.

"We are very transparent. What's wrong with it? Whichever party willfully they donated it's all in the public eye now, so what is that to hype? Why will it be a setback,." he said.

"Frankly, those messages are not going to work very well here. Maybe they will have to try something different here...You come here and talk about Muslim League and Ram Mandir, but people will say that the government's job is to look after our employment, double farmers' income -all the promises they made, have they delivered?" he said.

PM Modi in Rajasthan's Barmer said, "...In the Congress manifesto, there is the stamp of Muslim League, which was the culprit of partition. Now another party, which is a part of the INDI alliance, in its manifesto has made a dangerous declaration against the country that they will destroy India's nuclear weapons. When two of our neighbours are armed with nuclear weapons, should our nuclear weapons be destroyed? What kind of an alliance is this which wants to make India powerless?"

Addressing a rally in Rajasthan's Barmer, he said, "While Modi is busy making India a powerful nation, people of INDI alliance are trying to make India weak."

LJP Chief Chirag Paswan slammed RJD leader Misa Bharati for her jail remark against PM Modi. In a statement to the media, the LJP chief said, "What kind of language is this? What message do you want to give to the country and the world by using such language? Such language is being used by those who themselves are accused of corruption. Many members of whose family have been accused of corruption. Such language only reflects the feeling of revenge."

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi hits out at Congress on Friday. He said, "...People know that Congress is a bogus party. Congress is a party which gives false promise."

Congress candidate from Kalaburagi  Radhakrishna Doddamani files his nomination papers on Friday, April 12. Doddamani is also a son-in-law of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge

Former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh's son Manvendra Singh Jasol returns to BJP ahead of Lok Sabha Polls. 

National Conference leader and former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to contest from Baramulla seat in Lok Sabha polls.

BJP Member of Parliament (MP) from Mathura parliamentary constituency, Hema Malini who has been busy campaigning for Lok Sabha polls was seen lending a hand to women working in wheat fields.

Ahead of Lok Sabha polls, Karnataka Home Minister and Congress leader Dr G Parameshwara held a scathing attack on the BJP and PM Narendra Modi.  

PM Modi will not have a big impact in Karnataka and all over India. We have done our homework and out of 28 seats (in Karnataka) we will win over 20 seats, he said. 

Karnataka's former Dy CM and rebel BJP leader K S Eshwarappa said he will file his nomination papers as an independent candidate from Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency today.

"I will contest the elections as an independent candidate and will win. The public and workers are with me and after winning I will go to PM Modi," he said.

In a major setback to BJP Maharashtra in Madha Lok Sabha constituency, party leader Dhairyasheel Mohite-Patil resigned.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) declared nine candidates in Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, in Nagaland, two former leaders from BJP and the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) joined the Congress Party. 

The nomination process for the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections began on Friday. Significantly, the third phase of the elections will be held in 94 constituencies across 12 states on May 7.

TMC leader Shantanu Sen levelled a series of allegations on the Election Commission of India. 

"The election commission is partial. For the first time, after independence, the Prime Minister along with his Minister selected the election commissioners... The entire country knows which party breaks law & order and follows the way of hooliganism. In West Bengal, TMC has been in power for three terms because of support from the common people," he said. 

Scuba divers in Chennai enacted the voting process sixty feet underwater near Chennai's Neelankarai in a bid to create voter awareness initiative, tweeted the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Congress leader Karti Chidambaram's wife Srinidhi held an election campaign on behalf of her husband. Chidambaram, who is currently an MP from the same constituency, has been fielded by the party for the second time in Sivaganga.

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in J-K today (April 12) a 'No Fly Zone’ has been declared in Udhampur.