Lok Sabha Election 2024 highlights: Apna Dal (K) launches joint front with AIMIM

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Top leaders of the INDIA bloc on Sunday exhorted the people to defeat the BJP to save democracy and the Constitution and alleged that the opposition has been deprived of a level playing field in the Lok Sabha elections due to the government's "dictatorial" actions.

Coming together at the 'Loktantra Bachao' (Save Democracy) rally at Ramlila Maidan in the national capital, the first such show of strength by the opposition after the announcement of Lok Sabha polls, the leaders of 18 major parties slammed the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and gave a fervent call to the alliance partners to unite in national interest.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: The Bharatiya Janata Party Maharashtra on Sunday held a core group meeting at the state headquarters in Mumbai.

Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankhule were present at the meeting.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami campaigned for Mala Rajyalakshmi Shah, a BJP candidate from Tehri Lok Sabha constituency, at Lambgaon on Sunday.

Addressing the public meeting at the Government Inter College Ground in Lambgaon, CM Dhami said, "Voting is to be held in the state for all five Lok Sabha seats on April 19. In the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, with the blessings of the people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be made PM again for the third time, for which one has to vote enthusiastically in favour of the BJP candidate from this region, Mala Rajyalakshmi Shah."

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: BRS working president KT Rama Rao visited Secunderabad constituency as part of his 'padyatra' or foot march on Sunday.

NCP (Sharad Chandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule on Sunday said that the BJP's has conspired to field her sister-in-law Sunetra Pawar, against her in the Baramati Lok Sabha seat with an aim to finish the party chief Sharad Pawar.

In an exclusive interaction with ANI in Pune, Sule said, "My fight is not against a person, but their mindset and policies. You have witnessed me in politics for the past 18 years; I have never made any personal comment on anyone."

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare and Sports Minister and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin on Sunday appealed to the Union Territory's electorate to ensure that the Congress candidate is re-elected in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls with a massive vote difference. The Congress, DMK's alliance partner, has renominated sitting MP V Vaithilingam as their candidate for the 2024 polls. Addressing a large gathering during his road show in neighbouring Villianoor, Udhayanidhi said that the INDIA bloc's victory in the upcoming polls would pave the way for protection of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry's rights. Vaithilingam accompanied him during the rally.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) on Sunday formally broke away from the opposition INDIA bloc and tied up with Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM to launch a joint front ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK supremo M K Stalin on Sunday said it is only through unity that the opposition can defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi and oust the "fascist" BJP to form a federal India.

In his message at the INDIA bloc's rally here, he said the arrest of former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal shows the BJP's "growing desperation in the face of imminent defeat".

His message was read out by DMK leader in Rajya Sabha Tiruchi Siva, who represented the party at the rally.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: "... We will start with our election campaigning from tomorrow. When PM Narendra Modi is starting the election rallies in Bihar, his first rally will be held in Jamui... During his agitation with Anna Hazare in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal always carried a list of corrupt people with him, and today all those people were standing hand in hand on one stage..." Chirag Paswan said.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday met BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Mandi Kangana Ranaut at her home in Bhambla to discuss the election strategy.

Ranaut, a popular Hindi film actor, welcomed Thakur by presenting him with a cap at her Mandi house.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said the ruling BJP was trying to break up the country into several pieces and urged people to not be swayed by the party's "new jumlas" during the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Addressing an INDIA bloc rally at the Ramlila Maidan here, Mann said the BJP does not want the opposition parties to unite. "These people do not want that we should sit together. Let's come together," Mann said.

Mann said the country belongs to all its 140 crore people and is no one's "property".

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Taking a dig at the BJP-led NDA at the Centre, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday questioned why it was 'scared' of the AAP and other Opposition forces if it was so confident of going '400 paar' (beyond 400 seats) in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing the Opposition's Maha Rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, the former UP chief minister said, "These people (BJP and its NDA partners) are raising chants of '400 paar'. If they are so confident of winning that many seats, why be scared of the AAP and the other Opposition leaders? They are sending elected chief ministers to jail. Not just fellow countrymen but the whole world has condemned these arrests."

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday mocked the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA's target of winning 400-plus seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Speaking at a campaign rally for Trinamool Congress candidate Mahua Moitra in the Krishnanagar area, Mamata Banerjee also dared the BJP to win at least 200 constituencies.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: In a stinging attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Sunday said she would like to tell him that the message of Lord Ram's life is that power is not permanent and arrogance gets shattered.

In her remarks before reading out the INDIA bloc's demands at a rally at the Ramlila Maidan here, Priyanka Gandhi said, "I have been coming to the Ramlila Maidan since childhood. Every year Ravan's effigy is burnt."

"When I was a kid, I used to come (here) with my grandmother Indira Gandhi Ji. She used to narrate Ram's 'jeevan gaatha' to me. Those in power today call themselves Ram bhakts. When I was sitting here, I thought that I should say something to them in this context," the Congress general secretary said.

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

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: In the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Sunday that the preparations for the third term has already started.

While addressing a mega rally at Uttar Pradesh's Meerut on Sunday, PM Modi said, "Our government has already started preparations for the third term. We are making a roadmap for the coming five years. Work is going on rapidly on what major decisions we have to take in the first 100 days."

"In the last 10 years, you have seen only the trailer of development, now we have to take the country much further," he added.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, who is contesting from Rajgarh Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh, on Sunday said he was making efforts to get 400 people to file nominations so that polls will be held through ballot paper. He said this after asking people during a corner meeting in Kachnariya village in Susner if they wanted elections to be held through EVMs or ballot papers.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: The Maha Vikas Aghadi will win all the five constituencies going to polls in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra next month, state unit president Nana Patole said on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference here, Patole claimed the people are fed up with the "dictatorial" BJP government at the Centre which will be thrown out of power in elections.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: The 2024 Lok Sabha election is not just for making a government but to make a 'Viksit Bharat', Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, asserting that people have only seen a "trailer" of development and his government was preparing the roadmap for next five years.

Addressing his first rally in Uttar Pradesh after the announcement of the Lok Sabha election schedule, Modi lauded Meerut as a land of "revolution and revolutionaries" that gave leaders like Chaudhary Charan Singh to the nation.

"Our government has already started preparations for the third term. We are making a roadmap for the coming five years. Work is going on rapidly on what major decisions we have to take in the first 100 days.

“INDI alliance that hates farmers did not give due respect to Chaudhary Charan Singh,” said PM Modi attacking Oppn at Meerut rally.

On the Katchatheevu Island, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "Today, another anti-national act of Congress has come before the country. Katchatheevu is an island in Tamil Nadu, off the coast of India, between Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu and this island is extremely important from the perspective of national security. When the country became independent, we had this island, and it was an integral part of India but 4-5 decades ago, Congress said that this Island was of no use and cut off a part of Maa Bharti and separated it from India..."

In his Meerut rally, PM termed INDIA bloc as ‘anti-farmer' . “Anti farmer INDI alliance didn't give honour to Chaudhary Charan Singh,” PM said.

“We have started battle against corruption...no body could gobble up money...few people are upset because I am initiating action against corruption.. Modi mantra is Bhrastachaar Hatao,” says PM

PM Modi lauded ‘Lakhpati Didi’ scheme at Meerut poll rally.