News Highlights: JP Nadda criticizes Congress' approach to poverty, emphasizes BJP's welfare initiatives

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BJP National President JP Nadda at a public meeting in Dharwad says, "Today, the Congress released an advertisement on how much (funds) they used to give (to Karnataka). Today, the Government of India has increased Karnataka's funding by 4 times. How is the Congress able to make allegations against the Central Government? They forgot that they used to give Rs. 80,000 crores to Karnataka. And today, PM Modi gives Rs. 2.93 lakh crores."

BJP MLA and former Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Karnataka S. Suresh Kumar says, "In Karnataka, the ruling Congress has reached a state of frustration. So, they are using all unhealthy ways to gain sympathy. Now, they are coming up with regular advertisements in daily newspapers, condemning the central government in general and PM Modi in particular, in a way that violates the Model Code of Conduct. We have complained to the Election Commission... They (Congress) are issuing notices to all the BJP workers, threatening them... If this harassment continues, we will take proper recourse to get judicial remedy."

BJP candidate from Medak Lok Sabha seat Raghunandan Rao says, "... Rahul (Gandhi) should answer how BJP came into power when the UPA government was ruling in 2014. When there is no basis or when they have no confidence that they will come into power... they are making such type of false allegations. We are confident that we are going to win 400 seats."

BJP's Saran Lok Sabha candidate Rajiv Pratap Rudy on RJD leader Rohini Acharya's statement, says, "The weather is very bad. The temperature is 40-42 degrees. When you are roaming around in such heat and your MLAs are sitting in AC, then it is obvious to get a little disgruntled. On the other hand, the defeat is on its way, in such a situation, such statements are made... I think a tough time has come for her."

Congress candidate from Jalore Lok Sabha seat Vaibhav Gehlot says, "The people have made up their mind to eliminate BJP from this Lok Sabha Elections. They want change. No new train has been started in the last 20 years. The benefits of the central government schemes have not reached the state. I got the opportunity to contest for the Lok Sabha elections after working for 16-17 years in the party. I have worked in the Youth Congress. I got my place in the party after working for 10 years."

PM Modi while addressing a public gathering in Rajasthan's Banswara, said, "This would be the first time since Independence that Congress' 'shahi pariwar' that lives in Delhi won't vote for them (Congress). If the 'shahi pariwar' is not going to vote for Congress, then how can they ask for your votes?"

BJP National President JP Nadda speaking in Dharwad, Karnataka, says, "When Jawaharlal Nehru gave the slogan of 'Gareebi Hatao', there was 50% poverty. When Indira Gandhi said 'Gareebi Hatao', there was 60% poverty. Rajiv Gandhi admitted that only 15 paise reached the poor out of 1 rupee. Now, Rahul Gandhi says that he will finish poverty in one blow, which they could not do in 60 years. This happened because of their 'Drawing room' politics... 'Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Anna Yojana' is the largest scheme in the world for the poor. 80 crore people are getting a free ration every month. Out of 80 crore, 4 crore are from Karnataka... As a result of the scheme 25 crore people who were Below Poverty Line are now Above Poverty Line, according to IMF and NITI Aayog... Now, extreme poverty in India is less than 1%, according to the IMF. This is how India's image has changed in the last 10 years..."

BJP committed towards welfare of poor, works honestly, but Congress sells fear, hunger and corruption in its shop: PM Modi in Banswara

PM Modi addressing a public rally in Rajasthan's Banswara, says, "Congress is trapped in the clutches of the Leftists and urban naxals. What Congress has said in its manifesto is serious and worrying. They have said that if they form a government then a survey of property belonging to every person will be done. It will be checked how much gold our sisters own,how much money government employees have....They also said that gold owned by our sisters would be equally distributed. Does govt have the right to take your property? 'Mangalsutra' sone ki keemat ka mudda nahi hai, unko sapno se juda hua hai..."

BJP govt wants to kill my husband Arvind Kejriwal; he is not getting insulin in jail. Will fight against dictatorship and win; Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren will come out of jail: Sunita Kejriwal.

Former Bihar deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav addressing rally of INDIA bloc in Ranchi, Jharkhand, says "The leaders of the BJP are speaking of finishing the Constitution again and again. It is a Constitution written by Baba Saheb Ambedkar, not by some random Baba. No one has the power to change it. In Bihar also, their ministers and candidates are saying constantly that they will finish the Constitution. The people of the country will finish you."

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann addressing INDIA bloc's Ulgulan Nyay rally in Jharkhand's Ranchi, says, "They (BJP-led NDA) have finished someone's party, snatch someone's symbol, freeze someone's accounts, and buy someone's MPs and MLAs. This is their only job. However, you (people) shouldn't fall for their 'jumle' and vote for INDIA alliance's candidates (in Lok Sabha polls)."

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressing a rally in West Bengal's Malda, says, "The Citizenship (Amendment) Act will not take away anyone's citizenship. Instead, it will provide citizenship to people. However, you (Mamata Banerjee) say that you will repeal CAA. I would like to say that no power in this world would be able to repeal the CAA."

AAP leader Sanjay Singh said at 'Ulgulan Nyay Rally' in Ranchi, Jharkhand, "Narendra Modi speaks against corruption. He put Hemant Soren, Arvind Kejriwal in jail under false accusations. When he speaks on corruption, it looks as if Osama Bin Laden and Gabbar Singh are preaching non-violence. A Modi washing powder has come which cleans all your corruptions. Their slogan is 'Jo jitna bada bhrashtachari, wo utna bada padadhikari."

AAP leader Sanjay Singh speaking at INDIA bloc's 'Ulgulan Nyay Rally' in Ranchi, Jharkhand, said, "Two Viranganas are sitting here - Kalpana Soren and Sunita Kejriwal. When they can come out, we should also come out. The people who congregated here wants to give a message to defeat PM Modi. I was in jail for 6 months, Arvind Kejriwal is in jail, Hemant Soren is in jail. We are not scared. Adivasis threw Britishers out."

Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, at Ulgulan Nyay Rally in Ranchi, Jharkhand, said "They've put Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren in jail. They've put them in jail without them being proven guilty. This is a dictatorship. What is the fault of my husband? Is it providing good education, health facilities? Patriotism is in his blood. He is an IITan, he could've gone abroad, but he prioritises patriotism. As IRS, he took leaves to do public service. He has put his life at stake for people."

People's Conference President Sajad Lone on National Conference leader Omar Abdullah contesting against him from Baramulla Lok Sabha seat, says, "Let him stop humiliating the people of Kashmir. I am 100% sure that for all this humiliation he will get a gift on the result day. If there has been a saffron debut, then it was for Omar Abdullah. He was a minister whose party had passed an autonomy resolution that the Vajpayee govt rejected in the Parliament and he still stayed as a minister for two years."

BJP Lok Saha Candidate from Darjeeling Raju Bista says, "I am grateful to the Home Minister... He wanted to come to Darjeeling and meet the residents but he could not come due to bad weather. Even after a wait of 4 hours, he could not come. Through a video call, he said that the only option to bring peace and harmony to the mountains is to choose the BJP."

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi addressing a public rally in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, said, "Price rise has affected the mothers and sisters the most. Petrol went 100 paar, diesel 90 paar, gold 73,000 paar, two-wheelers 1 lakh paar. Congress helped them. some of them were earning 60,000 to 1 lakh. You need to think carefully before voting."

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi addressing a public rally in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, said, "This is a very special place. You have made it successful with your hardwork. You trusted the government led by Bhupesh Baghel. You would have seen how much work was done. Farm loans were waived. Electricity bills were halved. Tribal people got their land back. You know this."

PM Modi ended politics of nepotism, casteism, appeasement, and worked for development of every section of society: Amit Shah at public rally in Katihar, Bihar.

Home Minister Amit Shah at a public rally in Katihar, Bihar, said, "They want to take Bihar to 'Lalten Yug'. Nitish Kumar has taken electricity to villages and houses. In Modi's regime, 1 university was established every week, two colleges were made everyday in 10 years. Modi has developed not only India but Bihar. 9.23 lakh crore was given by PM Modi to Bihar. 4 lakh crore was given for roads, 1 lakh crore for railways, 2000 cr for airport upliftment. Narayanpur-Purnea road, two bridges, 1 bypass, 22-km long Sahibganj-Manihari bridge was given to Katihar."

Democracy will end in the country if Modi, Shah come back to power: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge at rally in MP's Satna

DPAP chief Ghulam Nabi Azad while addressing a public rally in Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir, says, "Our 2-4 seats make no difference in the formation of any government at the Centre. The question is to strengthen the state and think about the benefit of the people. The people should vote for development and above caste and religious lines.”

“Congress party, which is a symbol of instability, and its alliance can never run the country properly. The Congress party itself is responsible for the condition it is in today. Earlier, Rajasthan sent former PM Manmohan Singh to Rajya Sabha, now you have another leader of Congress to Rajya Sabha. People who knew that they could not win ran away from the race and reached Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. The people are punishing the Congress party for the sins they committed during 60 years of their governance,” says PM Modi addressing a public rally in Rajasthan’s Jalore said.

Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge while addressing a gathering in Satna, Madhya Pradesh, said: “They need 400 seats to change the Constitution. This is what they say. Will you vote for such people? People say we always talk about Modi but PM Modi himself never took his party’s name. He only says ‘ Modi ki guarantee’. If everything’s about Modi then we will have to talk about him.”

“You have given your blessings to BJP every time, this time too, the people of Jalore-Sirohi are saying ‘Phir ek baar Modi sarkaar’. In the first phase of polling for the Lok Sabha elections, half of Rajasthan (12 out of 25 seats that went to poll) has taught a good lesson to the Congress party. The patriotic people of Rajasthan know that Congress couldn't provide a strong government in the Centre. Their government used to run on remote control, says PM Modi while addressing a public rally in Rajasthan’s Jalore.

PM Modi attributes Congress' current state to its failure in providing basic amenities like toilets, electricity, water, and bank accounts to the people.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressing a public rally in Katihar, says, "Katiharwalo, If you go with Lalu Prasad Yadav's lamp (party symbol) and Congress' palm (party symbol), then riot, atrocity, injustice, poverty and starvation will be received; if you come with NDA, with the symbol of lotus and arrow, then PM Modi and Nitish Kumar's double engine government will take forward Bihar and bring happiness."

BSP chief Mayawati while addressing a public gathering in UP's Amroha, said, "Witnessing this huge gathering, I am quite confident that you all will make our candidate win with a good number of votes from Amroha seat, like the last time. Since independence, Congress had the government in various states. However, due to their wrong policies, they had to leave power. The same situation is of BJP and its allied parties.”

- Due to his poor health, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will not be present at the INDIA bloc's massive rally in Ranchi on Sunday, according to party leader Jairam Ramesh. Ramesh wrote on X that Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to speak at a campaign in Satna and join the INDIA bloc rally in Ranchi, but he unexpectedly became unwell.

- A number of prominent figures from the INDIA bloc are anticipated to join the 'Ulgulan (uprising) Nyay' gathering in Ranchi, including Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Yadav.

Sitting MP and BJP's candidate from Mathura Lok Sabha constituency, Hema Malini says, "It was a huge gathering at HM Amit Shah's rally. People are saying that you'll be winning with 5-7 lakhs of margin, it feels good. But, to make this happen people should go out and vote. People are confident that PM Modi will win but people didn't go out in large numbers to vote in the first phase. If PM Modi has to win, and you want the BJP to win, your votes are valuable for it. The BJP's lotus will definitely bloom all over India and definitely in UP as people have seen the works that have been done..."

“Not just Amethi but it seems that Congress party and Rahul Gandhi are having issues in Wayanad too. Congress leaders in Wayanad are leaving the party and they have the same complaint that Rahul Gandhi forgets being accessible to the common man, and forgets caring about his constituency. He takes people and his party workers for granted,” says BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla.

Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chief Ghulam Nabi Azad says, "...Our agenda is of development, school-college, ending wages, eliminating unemployment...Our work is to reduce the differences..."

On the INDIA alliance's 'Ulgulan rally' in Ranchi, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who arrived at Ranchi airport, said, "Remove BJP and save the country's democracy... INDIA alliance is united. The people of Jharkhand will take revenge for the injustice done to Hemant Soren."

Congress is a synonym for scam, terrorism and Naxalism: Yogi Adityanath at election rally in Chhattisgarh

Delhi Minister & AAP leader Atishi says, "Arvind Kejriwal is in jail for the last 20 days. He has been a diabetic for 30 years and his sugar level has crossed 300. If you ask any doctor in the world, he will say that a sugar level above 300 can't be controlled without insulin. But, the Tihar administration at the direction of the BJP has denied insulin. Such cruelty even didn't happen under the Britishers...What kind of cruelty is this from the BJP that they're denying insulin to a diabetic having a sugar level above 300."

Here’s what BJP MP Deepak Prakash said on the INDIA bloc’s ‘Ulgulan Nyay rally’ to be held in Ranchi, Jharkhand today.

“The ‘Ulgulan’ rally scheduled to take place in Ranchi will be a gathering of parties indulged in corruption and familism. The people of the state have seen up close the dark deeds of RJD, Congress and JMM. The people of the state want to see PM Modi taking oath for the third time; they will teach these parties a lesson.”

Here’s what Bihar Congress chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh said on INDIA bloc’s ‘Ulgulan Nyay rally’ to be held in Ranchi. “The rally will be a huge success. People are inclined towards our alliance, especially in Bihar and Jharkhand.”

On the INDIA alliance's 'Ulgulan rally' in Ranchi, Jharkhand Minister & Congress leader Banna Gupta says, "...This is the land of 'Ulgulan' and Bhagwan Birsa Munda... and the message from here will convey to the entire country. The message will be that the constitutional institutions are being weakened, democracy is being weakened, and democratic values are being violated. This is a democratic nation and we have given the lesson of truth and non-violence to the world and having ideological differences is a symbol of a healthy democracy but now, having ideological differences means you'll have to be behind bars and suffer."

- Dynastic politics has been a prominent feature of Indian democracy, but its increased presence in Bengal this Lok Sabha election marks a significant departure from the state's tradition of cultivating leaders from grassroots politics. Out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats, 13 have candidates from political dynasties. This represents a significant increase compared to previous elections, where political dynasts were limited to just three seats.

- Traditionally known for its vibrant student politics, Bengal is experiencing a notable shift as influential political families are gaining prominence. "This is a new trend or an evolution of Bengal politics from class-based politics to dynasty politics. Never in the polls have so many candidates come from political families," political scientist at Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Maidul Islam, told PTI.

NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar arrived in Jalgaon, Maharashtra earlier today to participate in the poll campaign for party candidate Shriram Patil from Raver constituency.

- A surefooted NDA challenged by a determined INDIA bloc may be the big story of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, but in a Bihar seat, the narrative has come to be centred around an Independent candidate. Situated in the state's northeastern corner, Purnea, named after the eponymous district, has been known to literature aficionados as the land where Phanishwar Nath Renu lived and breathed life into famous characters like Hiraman, played on the big screen by Raj Kapoor in 'Teesri Kasam'.

- In the battle for 2024, the place is hogging the limelight, primarily because of Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, who according to some opinion polls, may turn out to be the dark horse when votes are counted on June 4. This is despite the fact that the NDA candidate is JD(U) MP who is aiming at a hat-trick while the INDIA bloc has thrown its weight behind Bima Bharti, who recently quit Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party and was promptly rewarded by arch-rival Lalu Prasad with the RJD ticket.

- Yadav has represented the seat thrice, in the 1990s, winning by huge margins, twice as an Independent and once on the ticket of Samajwadi Party, which is a major force in Uttar Pradesh but has never been a serious player in Bihar. Married to Ranjit Ranjan, a Congress Rajya Sabha MP, Yadav recently merged his Jan Adhikar Party with the grand old party, which, however, refused to field him from the seat on its own ticket.

Here’s what CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said while addressing a public rally in Trivandrum, Kerala.

“What is happening to the people of the country? The poor are becoming poorer and the rich are becoming richer. Today, India has the highest level of unemployment since the Independence. There has been no wage rise for the poor people (in last 10 years) but there is growing unemployment and inflation.”

Here’s what CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said while addressing a public rally in Trivandrum, Kerala.

“What is happening to the people of the country? The poor are becoming poorer and the rich are becoming richer. Today, India has the highest level of unemployment since the Independence. There has been no wage rise for the poor people (in last 10 years) but there is growing unemployment and inflation.”

Congress leader P Chidambaram says, "We are also promising to bring a special law which would say 'Bail is the rule, jail is the exception'; it was a great son of Kerala, Justice Krishna laid down the law- Bail is the rule, jail is the exception, in the words of Justice Krishna. This rule is rarely followed in the lower judiciary, Magistrates, and district judges, ultimately not everybody can go to the Supreme Court to get bail. 65% of the prisoners are undertrial, they are not convicts, so why are they in jail... 90% of the undertrials are OBCs, SC and ST, therefore, we would bring a special law 'Bail is the rule, jail is the exception'- everybody after the first 15 days of interrogation by police or the CBI must be granted bail..."

Union Minister Anurag Thakur says, "INDI alliance partners and these Princes (Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav) want this (BJP to be reduced to 150 seats) but their intentions will never be fulfilled. They had come together before as well but the public had wiped them out. This time again, this coalition of corrupt people will be wiped out...I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that neither in 2014 nor in 2019, the public made you win. This time too, Congress's fight is only to cross 40, the public will bless BJP with absolute majority and to cross 400..."

Here’s what BJP leader Samrat Choudhary said on the INDIA bloc’s ‘Ulgulan Nyay Rally’ to be held in Ranchi, Jharkhand today. “The person who formed the INDI alliance - (Bihar CM) Nitish Kumar, is with us. Therefore, this alliance has no structure. They faced defeat in 2019 and the INDI alliance will lose this time.”

Union Minister and BJP leader Anurag Thakur says "Congress is known for scams like Jeep scam, Bofors scam, AgustaWestland scam, Submarine scam and since now it is no longer in power, it is thinking like abolishing nuclear weapons to weaken the country...Where the country should be strong, the Congress thinks of weakening the country. On one hand, you join hands with the 'Tukde Tukde' gang, on the other hand, you give statements to break India into pieces...In your state, where Congress is in power, slogans of 'Pakistan Zindabad' are raised in the Assembly complex, but Congress remains silent, bomb blasts happen in Karnataka but Congress remains a silent spectator and not only this, when a daughter was killed in broad daylight, they remain silent on that too..."

On the colour of Doordarshan's logo changed from red to saffron, Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav says "There is shame, laughter and anger at Congress and the leftist thinking. Now Congress has objection to saffron color. What does Congress want? The leftist and opposition parties do not understand that saffron is a symbol of our sacrifice. If there is such opposition to the saffron color, then they should remove it from their flags as well...I hope that Congress will apologize to the people of Doordarshan for the words they have used..."

“The decision that the people of the country have taken in the first phase of the election is worthy of praise. This event was already planned.. the way (ex-Jharkhand CM) Hemant Soren was arrested. There is public anger in the entire state and with this event, we are trying to give them hope of justice,” says Congress Jharkhand president Rajesh Thakur on INDIA bloc’s ‘Ulgulan Nyay Rally’, to be held later today.

Former Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) leader & Khagaria MP Choudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser joins RJD in the presence of former Bihar deputy CM & RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.

- INDIA bloc will win all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and one seat in Pondicherry: P Chidambaram in Kerala

- BJP is no longer a political party, has become a cult worshipping Narendra Modi: P Chidambaram

- Grave erosion of freedom of speech and expression under 10 year Modi rule; have to restore democracy: P Chidambaram

Big democratic festival is on, it is country's confidence that it will mark new journey for our future: PM Modi

Central Election Committee meeting of Congress commences in Delhi. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Sonia Gandhi are chairing the meeting.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut says, "It is not the fight for PM's position. Congress is not fathoming what we are trying to say. Rahul Gandhi is the leader of this nation and if he wants to become the PM he is welcomed. However, there are many other faces as well like Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Uddhav Thackeray, and Mallikarjun Kharge, so taking anyone's name is a crime. If we take the name of our party leader, then what's wrong with it?..."

Here’s what Himachal Pradesh CM and Congress leader Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on the announcement of the party’s candidate for the upcoming Assembly bypolls.

“BJP has already given tickets to six sold outs (disqualified MLAs who joined BJP after leaving Congress). Why are they worried about our candidate announcement? Today is April 21, and we still have 40 days to go for the bypolls (scheduled to be held on June 1). Our process for the selection of candidates is underway, the names will be announced soon.”

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

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath says " The first phase of Lok Sabha elections have concluded. The enthusiasm that people have about the 10-year tenure of PM Modi in the country, is converting into votes today. BJP-led NDA government will come to power with a huge majority, there is no doubt in this and I think that the lies of the opposition are also being exposed by the public..."

- Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and bureaucrat-turned-politician Kartik Pandian were on the list of 40 star campaigners released by the BJD for the first two phases of simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the eastern state.

- Elections to 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 assembly constituencies in Odisha will be held in four phases on May 13, 20, 25 and June 1.

- Patnaik is contesting from two assembly seats -- Hinjili in Ganjam district and Kantabanji in Bolangir district -- while Pandian is not in the poll fray.

Congress leader and party's candidate from Katihar Lok Sabha constituency, Tariq Anwar says, "Every election is a challenge, last time we were behind just by a few votes. If there have been any gaps, we will try not to repeat that. People are in favour of the INDIA alliance and I believe, they will send me to Delhi as their representative... Amit Shah is welcome here, but I don’t think it will have a great impact. The people are not in favour of NDA and hence big leaders are coming here. The slogan of 400 plus of NDA will be a flop. There is an anti-BJP wave in the country. Guarantees of 2019 have not been fulfilled. The first phase of the election was in favour of the INDIA alliance. Nitish Kumar has been in power for 17-18 years but his only achievement is that he has switched sides time and again that has dented the image of Bihar."

Here's what AAP leader Sanjay Singh said on INDIA bloc's 'Ulgulan Nyay Rally' planned today in Ranchi.

"This rally is to save Constitution, democracy. We need to unite to get rid of this government. They've put a 3-time CM in jail. He is struggling to get insulin. They've put an incumbent CM of Jharkhand in jail. We are uniting in Ranchi on the land of Vir Birsa Munda to remove this government."

Here's what AAP leader Sanjay Singh said on INDIA bloc's 'Ulgulan Nyay Rally' planned today in Ranchi.

"This rally is to save Constitution, democracy. We need to unite to get rid of this government. They've put a 3-time CM in jail. He is struggling to get insulin. They've put an incumbent CM of Jharkhand in jail. We are uniting in Ranchi on the land of Vir Birsa Munda to remove this government."

- The Northern Kerala constituency of Kannur is witnessing an intense battle between the Congress and the CPI(M), while the BJP is focusing on the newly registered young voters to make an impact in the seat.

- With 39 percent minorities, including Muslims and Christians, the voters often support the CPI(M)-LDF in most of the assembly seats falling under this Parliament constituency in the polls to the legislature, but the Lok Sabha constituency has often swayed towards the Congress-led UDF, hoping to replace the BJP at the Centre.

- The strong minority vote base is what helped the UDF win the seat as the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is its major partner. The rubber farmers in areas like Irikkur and Peravoor, predominantly Christians, have also been a strong vote bank for the Congress.

On the INDIA Alliance's rally, JMM MP Dr Mahua Maji says, "This is a big rally and I don't think such a big rally would have ever taken place in Jharkhand. People are coming out in support of Hemant Soren; we are optimistic about the success of this rally...Jharkhand won't bow down and INDIA won't stop..."

Union Minister and BJP candidate from Barmer, Kailash Choudhary says, "...People have faith in PM Modi, that is why they are talking about PM Modi. PM Modi has done a lot of work for the welfare of the poor. Whatever voting has been done, it has definitely been more in favour of the BJP. The people of Congress have indeed accepted their defeat and that is why neither they are seen campaigning nor are they showing any support...Hence whatever vote has been cast has been read in favour of the BJP..."

Preparations underway for INDIA bloc’s ‘Ulgulan Nyay Rally’ scheduled to be held later today in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

On the INDIA Alliance's rally, Shiv Sina (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi says, "My message is very clear that we are together in this fight against BJP's growing autocracy...They are not allowing the opposition to function properly; what they are trying to do is to silence the opposition. We are seeing a high rate of inflation, joblessness and women not getting a safe environment...In the first phase of the election, not many people, but those who have come out to vote have come out to change these people (BJP), who have been showing this dictatorial tendency."

- With less than a week to go for the Lok Sabha polls in Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday alleged that the mainstream media was boycotting the CPI(M)-led front while exaggerating and celebrating the "lies" against the Left. Praising the Left social media handles for "effectively exposing falsehoods", Vijayan called for their "vigilant involvement" in putting an end to "any media monopoly and organised propaganda".

- Lok Sabha polls in all 20 seats of Kerala will be held on April 26. In a detailed post on Facebook, the Left leader alleged that most of the mainstream media was concealing the Left party's stand on crucial national issues but were enthusiastic in giving "front-page" coverage to cheap accusations from the right-wing.

“People of the entire country are with BJP and NDA and are eager to vote for PM Modi considering the work he has done in the last 10 years. Therefore, I can say that ‘Mission 25 (for Rajasthan), 370, and 400 paar’ will be achieved,” says former BJP Rajasthan president Satish Poonia.

- BJP candidate from Moradabad Lok Sabha seat Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar, who was unwell for some time, died at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Saturday, a senior party leader said.

- He was 72. Kumar is survived by his wife Sadhna Singh, a son and a daughter.

- "Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar has passed away," UP BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary told PTI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a public rally in Chikkaballapura in Karnataka on April 20, asserted that influential figures both within India and abroad had conspired to remove him from power. Read more.

- Manipur chief electoral officer on Saturday announced repolling at 11 polling stations in Inner Manipur Lok Sabha constituency on April 22.

- The decision follows a directive from the Election Commission to declare the polls held at these stations on April 19 as null and void and schedule fresh polling. The affected polling stations are Moirangkampu Sajeb and Thongam Leikai in Khurai constituency, four in Kshetrigao and one in Thongju in Imphal East district and three in Uripok and one in Konthoujam in Imphal West district, the official said.

- Incidents of firing, intimidation, destruction of EVMs at some polling booths and allegations of booth capturing were reported from conflict-hit Manipur that recorded a turnout of 72 per cent in the two Lok Sabha constituencies – Inner Manipur and Outer Manipur – on Friday.

- People are outraged at the autocratic policies of the BJP-led government at the Centre, Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat said here on April 19.

- Addressing a rally for Congress candidate Shivaji Kalge, he said the party was getting tremendous response from the people and victory in Latur will be a fitting tribute to late stalwart Vilasrao Deshmukh.

- Congress Rajya Sabha MP Chandrakant Handore said the BJP aimed to get more than 400 seats to change the Constitution and exhorted people to vote in large numbers to "save democracy".

- India is holding seven stages of general elections from April 19, 2024, to June 1, 2024, to choose 543 members of the Lok Sabha. On June 4, 2024, the votes will be tallied and the results announced.

- With a duration of 44 days, second only to the 1951–1952 Indian general election, this election is the biggest in history, exceeding the 2019 Indian general election. After serving a second term, the current prime minister, Narendra Modi, is vying for a third term in office.

- Out of the 1.4 billion people in the world, about 970 million are eligible to cast a ballot. Elections for state legislative assemblies will take place concurrently with the general election in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim.

- The BJP in Delhi will hold a mega influencers' meet next week for increasing voter outreach through social media ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, party leaders said on April 20. Social media is a very potent tool to send across any message and there are a large number of users on platforms such as X, Facebook and WhatsApp, among others, that need to be reached, the BJP's Delhi unit chief Virendra Sachdeva said.

- "The influencers' meet will help us bring those supporting us together for coordinated, organised publicity and campaigning on different social media platforms," he said. The meeting is expected to be attended by 1,000 influencers, he said, he said.

- A total of 433 candidates have filed their nomination papers for Gujarat's 26 Lok Sabha seats, which will go to polls on May 7.

- Apart from this, 37 candidates filed their nomination forms for the by-elections to five assembly seats which will also be held on May 7, Joint Chief Electoral Officer AB Patel said in a statement on Saturday.Earlier, the state information office had said provisionally 491 candidates filed their nomination papers for Lok Sabha and 39 for assembly seats.

- "As on April 19, a total of 433 candidates filed their nomination papers for the Lok Sabha elections and 37 candidates for the assembly by-elections. Highest number of 38 candidates filed nominations from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, and the lowest number of five candidates from Bardoli," Patel said.Union Home Minister Amit Shah is contesting from Gandhinagar. (PTI)

- As many as 37 Lok Sabha and 227 Assembly election nominations were filed in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday with Congress leader Y S Sharmila also submitting her papers for the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat.

- Sharmila was accompanied by Sunitha Narreddy, her cousin and daughter of Y S Vivekananda Reddy, who was murdered in the run-up to the 2019 polls, while filing her nomination in Kadapa town.

- "Filed the nomination as Kadapa MP candidate. Kadapa people did not forget Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and Vivekananda. We believe that they will vote this time by keeping them in their mind," said Sharmila, addressing a press conference.

- The voter turnout in the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls is set to reach 65.5 per cent.

- Polling took place in 102 constituencies across 21 states and Union territories in the first phase of the seven-phase election on Friday. The highest number of constituencies went to polls in the first phase.

- The Election Commission (EC) described the turnout as "high", noting that the voting remained "largely peaceful". More than 16.63 crore people -- 8.4 crore men, 8.23 crore women and 11,371 third-gender voters -- were eligible to exercise their franchise in this phase.

- There were as many as 35.67 lakh first-time voters, besides 3.51 crore voters in the age group of 20-29 years. In the first phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the voter turnout was recorded at 69.43 per cent. The total number of seats that went to polls were 91.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to campaign for party candidate Lumbaram Choudhary in Bhinmal, Jalore, on April 21. Subsequently, he will hold a rally in Banswara on behalf of Congress turncoat party candidate Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya.