Lok Sabha Election 2024 highlights: 'A farewell party,' BJP takes dig at INDIA bloc's meeting tomorrow

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, has said it acted within 24 hours to disrupt deceptive uses of AI in covert operations focused on the Indian elections, leading to no significant audience increase. In a report on its website, OpenAI said STOIC, a political campaign management firm in Israel, generated some content on Indian elections alongside about the Gaza conflict. Dig Deeper

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: The seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha election 2024 will take place on Saturday, June 1. In the last phase of polling, voters from 57 Lok Sabha constituencies spread across eight states and UT will exercise their franchise. On Saturday, voting will take place in eight states and union territories - Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chandigarh. 907 candidates across 57 poll-bound constituencies will have their fate sealed tomorrow. Dig Deeper

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah has jibed at the Congress party over its decision to boycott the exit poll debates.

"...Congress has been in denial mode for so long...the whole election they kept campaigning that they are going to get the majority but they know the situation that...in the coming exit polls, it will be their massive defeat so they can't face the media. Therefore, they are boycotting the entire exit poll exercise...exit polls have been happening for a long time but this time, because of the defeat, they don't know how to explain and that's why they are boycotting. Since Rahul Gandhi has taken in charge of Congress, they are in denial mode...," said Amit Shah as quoted by news agency ANI.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: BJP National President JP Nadda has tweeted, "Congress’s decision to not participate in Exit Polls, on the eve of Phase 7 polling, is an unequivocal confirmation that the Congress has conceded the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. It is not surprising, since Congress usually opts out when it doesn’t expect results to go in its favour, but has no compunction showing up if it thinks it has even an outside chance. Their hypocrisy is not lost on anyone. Let no one in Phase 7 waste their vote on them...Now by deciding to boycott the Exit Poll exercise, they are bringing into question the exercise carried out by several professional agencies, who have worked with thousands of associates to bring what people may have voted for..."

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: BJP MP and party's national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi has slammed Opposition for criticism targeting PM Modi. He said, "Sad to say that when the Prime Minister is doing silent meditation in the temple of Kanyakumari after finishing his election campaign, this type of politics is going on about it too. I don't understand that no matter how much disrespect you (opposition) have for the Hindu religion culture, pilgrimage sites, and temples, do you (opposition) have hatred in your mind even for doing meditation? Is it because this is your agenda, the eradication of Sanatana Dharma? Or the destruction of Hinduism?..."

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Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: BJP president JP Nadda has taken a dig at the Congress party, saying, "Congress has no complaints about either EVMs or poll process when it wins but whines endlessly when it expects a rout".

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: Union Minister and BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan has accused BJD of trying to influence elections in Odisha’s Balasore.

“In the SHG Bhavan in Remuna district, conspiracy to distribute lakhs of rupees was taking place in the evening today. Locals caught those involved and senior government officials arrived at the spot. CM Naveen Patnaik’s officials are trying to influence the elections by distributing crores of rupees. This is unconstitutional, unethical and undemocratic,” said Dharmendra Pradhan

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: On the upcoming INDIA alliance meeting on June 1, Tom Vadakkan BJP National Spokesperson said, "The INDI alliance meeting scheduled for tomorrow is essentially a farewell party. The DMK and the TMC have read the writing on the wall and they have kept a distance..."

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: Security forces carried out a flag march in Odisha's Balasore on Friday, ahead of the last and final phase of voting for the Lok Sabha elections on June 1.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: In an interaction with news agency ANI, Congress leader Pawan Khera weighed in on exit polls by TV channels and the party's decision to not be a part of it.

He said "What's the point of speculation? Why should we indulge in meaningless speculation just to increase the TRPs of channels or to there is some force? There are some forces which are involved in betting. Why should we be a part of that? Everybody knows who he or she has voted for. Parties will get to know how many votes they got on the 4th of June. Why should we speculate?.. We are poised to win this election. INDIA alliance will be forming the government after the 4 June."

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Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: According to the Election Commission of India, the voter turnout in the first six phases was 66.14 %, 66.71%, 65.68%, 69.16%, 62.2% and 63.36 % respectively.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Friday said suspended JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, facing allegations of sexually abusing several women, was arrested after completing due process, and further legal procedures will follow, reported news agency PTI.

"Prajwal Revanna landed around 12.40 am -12:50 am from Germany's Munich. As there was an arrest warrant against him, SIT accordingly arrested him and took him into custody and further legal procedures they will follow today. I'm yet to discuss with our officials," Parameshwara said.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: 13 poll personnel in UP's Mirzapur have died following fever, high BP. Exact reason is being ascertained, said Medical college principal Raj Bahadur Kamal, reported news agency PTI.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: Polling is scheduled in all 13 seats of Punjab and four of Himachal Pradesh, 13 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha and three seats in Jharkhand besides Chandigarh. Polling for the remaining 42 assembly constituencies of Odisha and bypolls to six assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh will also take place simultaneously.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: Over 53.23 lakh voters will decide the fate of 52 candidates in three Lok Sabha seats in the Santhal Pargana region of Jharkhand, where polling will be held in the last phase on Saturday, officials said, reported news agency PTI.

Tight security arrangements have been made for conducting the elections to Dumka, Rajmahal and Godda seats.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday asked his party workers, candidates and office-bearers to remain "vigilant" against the "lies" of the BJP and "its exit polls," reported news agency PTI.

In an appeal in Hindi on X, Yadav wrote, "Today I am making an extremely important appeal to you. All of you should remain fully alert, vigilant and cautious during the voting tomorrow and also in the days after the voting, till the counting of votes is over and you receive the certificate of victory. Do not get misled by the BJP."

Yadav went on to allege that the BJP will start spreading lies once the polling is over on Saturday.

"Actually I am making this appeal because the BJP people have made a plan that as soon as the elections are over tomorrow evening, they will start getting their 'media group (media mandali)' to say on various channels that the BJP has got a lead of around 300 seats, which is completely false," Yadav wrote.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief V D Sharma on Friday expressed confidence that the party would win all 29 seats with a historic majority in the Lok Sabha Election 2024, reported news agency ANI.

"Just as the people of MP blessed us in the state assembly poll last year, we will get a historic success in the Lok Sabha election in the state as well. We all have campaigned together with team spirit for the Lok Sabha poll in the state. Today, I am proud to say that BJP will win all 29 seats with a historic majority in the state," Sharma said while addressing a press conference in Bhopal.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: The seven-phase Lok Sabha election will conclude on Saturday, with polling on as many as 57 parliamentary constituencies across seven states and the Union territory of Chandigarh. The Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh, from where Prime Minister Narendra is two-term and incumbent MP, will vote in the seventh phase, with one of the candidates being the Prime Minister himself. Ahead of the last round of polling, dry days have been declared in some states, meaning that liquor shops in these states will remain shut. Dig Deeper

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Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: In an interaction with news agency ANI, Uttarakhand CM and BJP leader Pushkar Singh Dhami said, "Last time also PM Modi did meditation at the cave in Kedarnath Dham. This time also he will be meditating at the place where Swami Vivekanand did meditation...Opposition is against the Sanatan. They consider it Dengue and Malaria...They keep criticising PM Modi and by doing this they become 'desh virodhi'..."

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: Fourteen people, including 10 polling personnel, have died due to heatstroke in Bihar in the last 24 hours, officials said on Friday afternoon, reported news agency PTI.

In a statement issued by the Disaster Management Department, most of the fatalities were reported from Bhojpur, where five officials on election duty died of heatstroke.

Three election officials died in Rohtas, and one each died in Kaimur and Aurangabad districts, it said. Four other people died in different parts of the state, it added.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva has jibed at Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal over the latter seeking extension of interim bail citing problems to health.

“Delhi CM (Arvind Kejriwal) has said that he has a serious disease. I agree with what he has said. He has a disease of lying. He did the election campaigning. However, when now the time has come for him to go (to jail), he is reminding everyone of his diseases,” says Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE Updates: A section of voters in the Ara Lok Sabha seat in Bihar are nursing a hope that after the elections, efforts will be made by the new dispensation to include Bhojpuri language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, reported news agency PTI. Bhojpuri is spoken in several parts of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Ara, the headquarters of Bhojpur district, is a historic city and culturally-rich region, and Bhojpuri the dominant language of this region earlier known as Shahabad, which includes current districts of Buxar, Rohtas, Kaimur and neighbouring areas.