Lok Sabha election 2024 LIVE Updates: ‘Won’t become Aatmanirbhar by 5 kg ration’, says Priyanka Gandhi

RJD’s Patliputra Lok Sabha candidate, Misa Bharti, criticized her uncle and BJP candidate, Ram Kripal Yadav, stating that he’s not running based on his own achievements but is depending on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity to win the election.

She said, “Chacha ji (Ram Kripal Yadav) is absolutely right that we have no conflict with him because this time the public is contesting elections… They never contest elections on their name and their work, this time also they are going to contest in the name of PM Modi.”

BJP’s Raebareli candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh says to PTI, “So much hatred is filled in the Gandhi family’s mind for Amethi-Raebareli. From 1952 till now, Gandhi family never gave a Lok Sabha ticket to a person born to a mother from Raebareli. No son of Rae Bareli was sent to Rajya Sabha and the Gandhi family did not make anyone from Rae Bareli even an MP’s representative. MP’s representatives have also been brought from outside. Today it is before the people. Could only a person brought from Ludhiana – who is Priyanka Gandhi’s clerk – fight the polls from Amethi? Were there no Congress leaders in Amethi?”

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi addressing a public meeting in Telangana says, “Now we are bringing a new scheme – ‘First Job Pakki’, meaning in one year we are going to give rights to all the unemployed youth of India in companies, public sector, private sector, government hospitals, offices. They will be given one year of job, excellent training and 1 lakh rupees in their bank account in one year…”

Rahul Gandhi alleged at a political rally in Telangana that Prime Minister Modi privatised numerous government companies with the aim of eliminating reservation.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra dismissed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent statement as an “absolute lie.” Modi had claimed that if Congress comes to power, it would put a “Babri lock” on the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Priyanka Gandhi clarified that court judgments would be respected, indicating that such claims were baseless.

She said, “This is an absolute lie (“yeh ekdum jhooth hai”). The Congress party has said a number of times that it will honour the judgment of the court. We have done this (in the past), and will do so in the future.”

In the midst of leaders leaving ahead of the polls, the Madhya Pradesh Congress faces a daunting challenge in making headway in the Dhar Lok Sabha constituency, traditionally dominated by the BJP. With a significant tribal and farmer population shaping electoral outcomes, this constituency, reserved for tribal candidates, holds around 19.5 lakh eligible voters. The BJP has held sway here for the past decade. The upcoming elections, scheduled for May 13 in the fourth phase, will witness former MP Savitri Thakur (45) representing the BJP, while the Congress has put forward Radheshyam Muvel (47), a supporter of opposition leader Umang Singhar.

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva criticized the Congress for its leaders’ alleged racist remarks on India’s unity and integrity, stating, “BJP opposes the manner in which Congress leaders have made racist remarks on India’s unity and integrity.” He added, “This remark by the Congress is a direct attempt to divide the country.” The BJP staged a protest against the Congress following Sam Pitroda’s remarks.

Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir on Amethi candidate KL Sharma says, “Gandhi family has always had a strong-hold in Amethi and Raebareli. No other decision could have been better for Amethi and Congress than what they have taken this time.”

BJP candidate from Patliputra Lok Sabha seat Ram Kripal Yadav says after filing his nomination, “I have filed the nomination from Patliputra as an INDIA alliance candidate. I have done service to people. I have been working as a Sewak. I am 100 pc assured of win from here.”

Congress candidate from Amethi KL Sharma on BJP’s ‘clerk’ remark says, “They are showing the values ​​they have received from their family. My father was uneducated but he have me good values; so we will not respond to what they are saying.”

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti speaking on the last three phases of elections says, “What is happening in the country clearly shows that after three phases of elections, BJP is losing…People have recognised that BJP wants to fight elections only in the name of religion…That is why they (BJP) want to create a Hindu-Muslim conflict…I am sure that now people have woken up. If these people come to power again, they will destroy the Constitution…”

Congress candidate from Kangra Lok Sabha Constituency Anand Sharma says  while filing nomination, “We have come amidst the people. This constituency is not new to us. I have been coming here for many years. Our effort is to make our words reach every person and to understand the necessities of this region.”

BJP’s candidate from Odisha’s Puri Lok Sabha seat, Sambit Patra says, “It is all PM Modi’s stronghold. It is because of the Garib Kalyan Yojana started by PM Modi…It is all happening because of the work done by PM Modi.”

ddressing a public meeting, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath says, “Half of the election is over… One voice is resonating in the whole country, ‘Phir Ek Baar, Modi Sarkar’… The public says that they will bring back those who have brought Lord Ram… A so-called intellectual of Congress said that the construction of Ram Mandir was unnecessary. He is an advisor to Rahul Gandhi…”

On Sam Pitroda’s statement, Assam CM & BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma says, “After I heard Sam Pitroda’s statement, I looked at myself in the mirror and I appear as a proud Assamese and Indian, not as a Chinese…This is a racist comment. It’s condemnable. I don’t know what he is trying to prove by making such a statement. There is one thing that those who are near Rahul Gandhi always insult the northeast. People of the northeast are proud Indians. You should never challenge our nationalism…Sam Pitroda and Rahul Gandhi are not two separate people. Pitroda is Rahul Gandhi’s friend, philosopher and guide. Why are you (Congress) not disowning him (Sam Pitroda)?…How is this a useless issue? This issue is connected to our sentiments. You are completely advocating racism. If this is useless, then what is useful for Priyanka Gandhi?”

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of “using” the Delhi police and alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is trying to “scare him.”

“Amit bhai is trying to scare me off. He is using MHA in doing so. If a political party produced a doctored video against a political party or leader, the concerned political party has to complain. But here, the complaint was by the MHA. It means that they (BJP) are trying to use Delhi Police like they use ED and CBI. Let them do whatever they want, there are courts…I have given the details of my Twitter accounts,” Revanth Reddy told ANI.

“In the age of social media, people are posting videos arbitrarily. If you accuse a CM for that and send him a notice – they have agencies in their hands…This is not correct,” he added.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the 2024 election is Rahul Gandhi vs Narendra Modi and that it is a contest between vote for development and “vote for jihad”. Addressing an election rally in Bhongir Lok Sabha constituency of Telangana, he said the election is between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Bharatiya guarantee” against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “Chinese guarantee”.

Here’s what BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi said on report on growth in Muslim population in India.

“It is a well-known fact and was in public domain. In 1951 Census, Hindus were 88 pc, Muslims 9.5 pc. In 2011, Hindus were 79.8 pc, Muslims 14.5 pc. It is a well-documented fact. If by this pace the population is increasing and Congress is hell bent on giving reservation to Muslims on the basis of population, then the share will be cut from whom? Possibility of increase in Muslim population is higher because of multiple marriages, conversion, infiltration. They (Muslims) are having secular cover. This needs to be answered.”

This election is vote for development against vote for ‘jihad’: Amit Shah in Telangana poll rally.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addresses a public meeting and says, “… 5 kg ration is not going to make the future. You will not become ‘Aatmanirbhar’ by this. If I ask you what will you choose between employment and a 5 kg ration, you will definitely choose employment. It will make you self-reliant. You need to understand that the political party, which is making policies where you will become dependent and not ‘Aatmanirbhar’, the ideology of such party is not right…”

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, linked a drop in savings to Dadabhai Naoroji’s “Drain Theory” of the British Raj. Jairam Ramesh charged th Modi government with allowing the drain of wealth from “Bharat ka Parivar” to “Modi ka Pariwar”.

In a post on X Ramesh alleged “150 years ago Dadabhai Naorji’s “Drain Theory” explained how the wealth of India’s people was being taken away and sent to England. Since 2014 we have seen a similar drain of wealth from Bharat Ke Parivaar to Modi Ka Parivaar. This is the intentional effect of the Prime Minister’s ‘hum do humare do’ policy of favouring his cronies.”

On BJP leader Navnit Ravi Rana’s “If you vote for AIMIM and Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey says, “Be it Navnit Rana or Owaisi brothers, they are speaking the same language…Someone is saying, give me police for fifteen minutes, then we will teach a lesson to Hindus, someone is saying, give me police for fifteen seconds, then we will teach a lesson to Muslims…They had to ultimately talk about Hindu-Muslim. Unless they do Hindu-Muslim, India-Pakistan, BJP’s water does not get digested…BJP distributes certificates of Hindutva and gives knowledge of morality to others…”

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addresses a public meeting and says, “… 5 kg ration is not going to make the future. You will not become ‘Aatmanirbhar’ by this. If I ask you what will you choose between employment and a 5 kg ration, you will definitely choose employment. It will make you self-reliant. You need to understand that the political party, which is making policies where you will become dependent and not ‘Aatmanirbhar’, the ideology of such party is not right…”

Reacting to BJP leader Navneet Rana’s “15-second lagenge” remark, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give her one hour instead of 15 seconds and asserted they are not “scared” of the BJP leader.

“I tell Modi ji – give her 15 seconds. What will you do? Give her 15 seconds, give her 1 hour. We, too, want to see if you have any humanity left in you. Who is scared? We are ready…If someone is making an open call for it, then so be it. PM is yours; RSS is yours; everything is yours. Do it. Who is stopping you? Tell us where we have to come, we will be there. Do it,” Owaisi told reporters on Thursday.

Responding to Navneet Rana’s remarks that the vote given to AIMIM and Congress directly goes to Pakistan, he claimed that the BJP “hate” India’s pluralism and diversity.

On BJP leader Navnit Ravi Rana’s “15 seconds lagenge” remark in Hyderabad, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi says, “I tell Modi ji – give her 15 seconds. What will you do?…Give her 15 seconds, give her 1 hour. We too want to see if you have any humanity left in you. Who is scared? We are ready…If someone is making open call for it, then so be it…PM is yours, RSS is yous, everything is yours. Do it. Who is stopping you…Tell us where we have to come, we will be there. Do it.”

Reacting to BJP leader Navneet Rana’s “15 seconds lagenge” remark, AIMIM leader Waris Pathan questioned why the police and the Election Commission have not taken any “action” against her and claimed that if he had said something like this, he would have been “jailed.”

In a self-made video, the AIMIM leader said that Rana was making such remarks because she understood that she is badly losing from Amravati seat this time.

“Navneet Rana knows that she is badly losing from Amravati this time. She is unable to accept this and that is why she is uttering all this nonsense. What will you do if the police are removed for 15 seconds? What will she do if the police are removed? Will you kill all Muslims? What are the police and administration doing? Why has no action been taken so far? What is the Election Commission doing? Are such statements allowed in elections? We would like the Election Commissioner to take cognisance of this statement and take strict action. BJP has come to realise that this time it is difficult for them to cross 200-250 seats. If I said something like this, I would have been jailed immediately. Why is everyone silent now?” he said.

Chhattisgarh has recorded an overall voter turnout of 72.8 per cent in elections to the 11 Lok Sabha seats, according to poll officials, registering an increase of 1.31 per cent from the 2019 figure.

Polling in the 11 Lok Sabha seats of the state was held in three phases – on April 19, April 26 and May 7.

“The overall voter turnout in the 11 Lok Sabha seats is 72.8 per cent. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the turnout stood at 71.49 per cent,” state’s Chief Electoral Officer Reena Babasaheb Kangale said on Thursday.

The Naxal-affected Bastar constituency (reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates), where voting was held on April 19, recorded 68.29 per cent turnout.

The Trinamool Congress on Thursday lodged a complaint to the Election Commission against the Leader of Opposition in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, and others over the Sandeshkhali issue.

The TMC has filed a complaint after leaders confessed on camera that the Sandeshkhali rape accusations were concocted.

Earlier, TMC held a protest march in Sandeshkhali’s Trimohini area against the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) alleged conspiracy against women in the riverine island after a sting operation revealed that the BJP was involved in scripting the entire incident.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday warned the BJP not to disrespect the mothers of Bengal, as once the self-respect of women is lost it cannot be regained.

The BJP in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday hit out at Congress for appealing to voters to exercise the ‘None of the above’ (NOTA) option.

BJP has begun a counter-campaign as Councillor Sandhya Yadav removed posters pasted on auto-rickshaws advocating the same.

Irked Councillor Sandhya Yadav from Ward 6 stopped the auto rickshaws and tore the NOTA campaign posters. A video of the same has surfaced on social media platforms.

Speaking to ANI, Yadav said, “The auto driver has no idea about the NOTA option and he was paid ₹50 to stick the poster on his auto rickshaw and asked to remove it after some time. He (driver) said I will give my vote to PM Modi.”

On BJP leader Navnit Ravi Rana’s “15 seconds lagenge” remark, Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan says, “PM Modi and Amit Shah are spreading hatred in the society so it is natural that their workers and candidates are also going to do the same. What Akbaruddin Owaisi has said is wrong and what Navnit Rana has said is also extremely shameful. They are all working in the directions of PM Modi to spread hatred in the country because PM Modi is losing this election badly…I will issue such a request to the Election Commission that both the statements should be investigated and action should be taken against them…”

Congress’ Lok Sabha candidate from Mandi, Vikramaditya Singh says, “Today, with the blessings of deities especially Lord Ram, I will file my nomination. People from all corners of Mandi constituency have come to give me their blessings. I am confident that the ‘sankalp’ we take here will be just of development – only development oriented. We have worked and stood with people in difficult times, especially during calamity…There are other candidates too, there is glamour and Bollywood but it will not make any difference. People of Himachal Pradesh and they support educated people.”

Several schools, a 5 km-long road, a sluice gate on a river, a tea garden, wells and even polling stations came up inside a wildlife sanctuary and a nearby forest reserve in Assam, an affidavit filed by the state government in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has revealed.

In an order passed last week, the NGT has asked the chief secretary of Assam to file an affidavit giving details of officers who “permitted such extensive construction” in “gross violation” of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

“The affidavit must also explain the inaction of the principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) under whose very nose such illegal activities were allowed to go on since 2017,” the NGT order passed on May 2 by judicial member, Justice B Amit Sthalekar andexpert member Arun Kumar Verma, read.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will hold roadshows in East and South Delhi Lok Sabha constituencies on May 11 to campaign for AAP candidates, the party said on Thursday.

Delhi will go to polls in the sixth phase of the seven-phase election on May 25. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

Mann will seek votes for Kuldeep Kumar and Sahiram Pahalwan, who have been fielded from the East Delhi and South Delhi constituencies by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

BJP national general secretary Sunil Bansal said here on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narend4a Modi’s road show scheduled in Varanasi on May 13 would set a new trend, giving a glimpse of a miniature India. People of different communities living on the banks of the Ganga would welcome him and the amazing scene would give the message of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.

Bansal was addressing a meeting of BJP workers and senior officials associated with the arrangements for PM Modi’s road show.

Bansal reviewed the road show preparations and gave necessary guidelines, saying it should be historic .

He said that all the people’s representatives and senior BJP officials should go door to door with the booth committee and invite Kashi residents to come to the road show.

Eleven beats have been made from Malviya statue to Kashi Vishwanath Dham for the Prime Minister’s road show and the responsibility of these 11 beats has been handed over to the people’s representatives and senior BJP officials.

People of different . communities will welcome PM Modi in their traditional attire and flowers will be showered on him. People of Kashi will welcome Modi with shehnai, shankhnaad and damru beats . Along with this, cultural programmes will be organized at various places.

Stressing he was confident of a thumping win in the prestigious Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency of Delhi, the BJP’s candidate for the seat, Praveen Khandelwal on Wednesday said the ruling party at the Centre was in pole position to retain all seven seats in the national capital by record margins.

Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Khandelwal said, “We are set to win Chandni Chowk again by record votes and the BJP will retain all seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Delhi with thumping victories.”

He said people, in the far corners of the country, have come to put their trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the last 10 years of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre, and the sentiment will be reflected yet again this year.

A First Information Report (FIR) was filed on Wednesday against a Marathi daily for breaching the moral code of conduct by publishing an advertisement without mentioning the details of the publisher and the printer. The advertisement, published on the front page of the Mumbai edition on May 5, suggested that ‘not voting for the BJP would lead to celebrations in Pakistan’, said officials.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered repolling at four booths in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul Lok Sabha seat on May 10 after electronic voting machines (EVMs) were damaged when a bus ferrying them and polling officials caught fire on Tuesday night.

The order for re-election by the EC came after the district administration submitted a report on the fire incident.

The repolling will be held at Rajapur, Kunda Raiyat, Chikhlimal and Dudar Raiyat of the Multai assembly segment of the parliamentary seat. The repolling is scheduled from 7 am to 6 pm.

Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remark that Congress and BRS had given Hyderabad “on lease” to AIMIM, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday asserted that the people of Hyderabad are not cattle, adding that they are the citizens, not the property of political parties.

PM Modi on Wednesday trained guns at Congress and BRS and alleged that for all these years, Congress and BRS have given Hyderabad to AIMIM on “lease.”

“Modi came to Telangana and said that the Hyderabad seat had been given on lease to Owaisi. The people of Hyderabad are not cattle. We are citizens, not the property of political parties. For forty years, Hyderabad has defeated the evil ideology of Hindutva and entrusted AIMIM. Inshallah, Hindutva will be defeated again,” Owaisi posted on X.

Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale has said he has filed a complaint with the Election Commission, objecting to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s frequent claim that the BJP would change the country’s Constitution. Gandhi should be prohibited from making this claim, Athawale, a prominent Dalit leader and BJP ally, told reporters on Wednesday.

Amravati MP and BJP candidate from the constituency, Navnit Ravi Rana says “…The manner in which Madhavi Latha is contesting like a lioness, on a family bastion seat and even the Congress is fielding a dummy candidate to support AIMIM – I feel Owaisi should contest from somewhere else and see what is real strength. The kind of support that Madhavi Latha is getting from people who are with India – all of them will vote for Madhavi Latha this time…I hope that when voting happens, Madhavi Latha will definitely stop Telangana from turning into Pakistan and work for the development of Hyderabad through Parliament.”

To facilitate Kashmiri Migrants, residing in Delhi, to cast their votes in person on the polling days during Lok Sabha elections on the seats across Jammu and Kashmir, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has established special polling booths for the community at different locations in the capital.

These booths have been established at Kashmir Resident Commission, 5 PR Road New Delhi, Kashmir Kissan Ghar BR-2 Shalimar Bagh Delhi, Arwachin International Public School Pocket F Dilshad Garden, Delhi and GGSSS Paprawat Najafgarh, Delhi.

“The Election Commission of India, in a first, has instructed for providing free of cost to and fro transportation facility for the Kashmiri Migrants eligible to cast their ballot in these special booths”, reads a communication received here today by the office of AERO/ARO, Migrants, New Delhi. The transport service will be provided to KMs from the camps to their respective polling stations and back to camps.

Targeting Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav and his INDIA bloc partner Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said both would have go to jail if they engaged in corruption.

“I want to tell you this and remember, if you engage in corruption you (Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi) will have to go to jail,” Shah said in the Samajwadi Party stronghold of Kannauj and Hardoi, which vote in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 13.

Akhilesh Yadav is contesting the Kannauj seat for the fourth time. In the ongoing polls, Yadav is up against sitting BJP MP Subrat Pathak who Shah described as a friend.

The back-to-back election rallies were held 30 km apart. In Hardoi, Shah alleged INDIA bloc leaders were involved in corruption of ₹12 lakh crore.

In an incident that has raised concerns over electoral integrity, a person named Vijay Bhabhor has been taken into custody for allegedly engaging in fraudulent voting after he livestreamed a video from inside a polling booth in Gujarat’s Dahod Lok Sabha constituency during Tuesday’s elections.

The controversy erupted when Bhabhor, whom the Congress party has accused of being the son of a local BJP leader, faced widespread backlash and drew a complaint from the opposition to the Election Commission after he went live on Instagram from inside the polling booth premises.

In the viral video, Bhabhor is allegedly seen focusing on the EVM and VVPAT machines, requesting time from officials despite being asked to leave. He is heard claiming “Only BJP works here” and “The machine belongs to my father.” Before pressing buttons on the EVM, he allegedly states only “Vijay Bhabhor works here.”

Totally oblivious of the election heat, Vishwanath Rai, 51, is busy irrigating the land near Angar Ghat to save his crop of maize from the continued heat spell.

“Every year, it is turning out to be a losing bargain as a sharecropper due to excessively hot weather and lack of irrigation facility. Now I feel it is not my cup of tea,” laments Rai, who has a family of 14 to feed, including three married sons and grandchildren.

Rai’s sons, all graduates, go to Mumbai to work as labourers every year. “Here, there is no avenue. Their earnings is also not enough to sustain their families. I somehow manage, but now I think I will also better go to Punjab or Mumbai, as agriculture is becoming a big challenge. Even for proper voltage to run the boring, one has to wait for hours. It takes a long time to irrigate even one katha of land,” he says, showing his wilting crop of maize.

Subsistence agriculture and growing unpredictability have abetted migration in Samastipur despite the apparent development in terms of roads, bridges and electricity in the region. This is the story across Mithilanchal, once famous for maachh (fish), Makhana (fox nut) and paan, besides abundance of water bodies.

Leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc are likely to meet the Election Commission on Friday over their demand to promptly release the absolute voter turnout figures in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls after each phase, sources said.

While the sources had earlier said that the meeting was scheduled for Thursday, it was later changed to Friday.

he Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday ordered repoll at booth numbers 182 and 183 under the Beldaur assembly segment of the Khagaria parliamentary constituency where anti-social elements damaged the electronic voting machine in course of poll boycott during the third phase polls in the state on Tuesday. The repoll will be held on May 10 between 7am and 6pm, according to a press release issued by the ECI on Wednesday evening.