Lok Sabha Election 2024 Highlights: Former JMM MLA Sita Soren joins BJP

By Lingamgunta Nirmitha Rao, HT News Desk

Mar 19, 2024, 22:40:34 IST

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Highlights: Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned emotional while addressing a public rally in Tamil Nadu. Stay tuned for more updates.

Key Events

12:43 PM IST, Mar 19JMM MLA Sita Soren resigns from party in Jharkhand ahead of LS polls, PTI reports
12:30 PM IST, Mar 19‘Country is seeking a change,’ says Kharge at CWC meet
12:10 PM IST, Mar 19What is ‘Know Your Candidate’ app launched by Election Commission
11:26 AM IST, Mar 19Karnataka BJP chief hits out at Congress party, says ‘party not able to declare candidates’
11:13 AM IST, Mar 19D Raja reacts to Shashi Tharoor's statement about CPI in Kerala
10:46 AM IST, Mar 19Karnataka BJP President BY Vijayendra on seat-sharing with JD (S)
10:30 AM IST, Mar 19‘Strong alliance’ TN BJP chief Annamalai after signing seat-sharing agreement with PMK | Details
10:22 AM IST, Mar 19Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini holds a roadshow in Ambala
10:13 AM IST, Mar 19Latest updates on Congress Working Committee meeting scheduled for today
10:08 AM IST, Mar 19Tharoor says CPI is playing BJP's game in Thiruvananthapuram
9:50 AM IST, Mar 19PM Modi to address poll rally in Tamil Nadu's Salem today
9:29 AM IST, Mar 19'We want SC-monitored poll,' says TMC leader Derek O’Brien
9:03 AM IST, Mar 19Uttarakhand Police on alert in anticipation of polls
7:49 AM IST, Mar 19Congress Working Committee to approve manifesto for Lok Sabha polls today
7:32 AM IST, Mar 19Union minister Giriraj Singh on ECI's order to remove West Bengal DGP
6:34 AM IST, Mar 19Ahead of polls, EC orders removal of Bengal DGP, home secretaries of 6 states
6:23 AM IST, Mar 19Latest updates on NDA's seat sharing in Bihar
6:14 AM IST, Mar 19BJP's core committee meetings to discuss on candidates
6:08 AM IST, Mar 19NDA files poll code violation complaint against CPI in Kerala

Sita Soren joins BJP

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Highlights: The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on March 16 that this year's general election will be conducted in ‘seven phases’, beginning on April 19 and ending on June 1. While the counting for all the state assemblies, which are going for election during the same time, has been set for June 4, the poll body changed the counting dates for Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, where counting will occur on June 2. Other states going for Assembly elections are Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, with 175 and 147 seats, respectively....Read More

Before gearing up for voting, the public can now check the details of the candidates from their constituency through the "Know Your Candidate" mobile application recently launched by the Election Commission. It will also provide details on the candidate's "criminal history", if any.

Detailed dates of seven phases of Lok Sabha Election 2024 -

• Phase 1- April 19, 2024

• Phase 2- 26 April 2024

• Phase 3-7 May 2024

• Phase 4 - 13 May 2024

• Phase 5 - 20 May 2024

• Phase 6 - 25 May 2024

• Phase 7 - 1 June 2024

• Counting on June 4

Schedule for state Assembly elections -

Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim - Phase 1 (60 seats)

Andhra Pradesh - Phase 4 (175 seats)

Odisha - In four phases, Phase 4, 5, 6,7 (147 seats)

Here are some top election updates so far -

• Approximately 65,000 paramilitary personnel will be deployed by the Centre in West Bengal for election security, the largest deployment among all states. New checkpoints will be established by the Election Commission near West Bengal's international border, along with drone surveillance to prevent smuggling of election-related items.

• Besides West Bengal, about 50,000 paramilitary personnel will be deployed in Jammu and Kashmir to ensure peaceful elections.

• NDA reveals a seat-sharing plan for Bihar, with 40 seats going to polls starting on April 19. In 2019, NDA won 39 out of 40 seats, with BJP winning 17, JD(U) 16, and LJP 6. BJP will fight 17 seats, the same as 2019, and its principal ally, the Janata Dal (United), will fight in 16, one lower than 2019. For the first time, the BJP would contest more seats than the JD(U).

• DMK allocates nine Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry to Congress, following their successful alliance in the 2019 elections. In 2019, the Congress contested nine out of 39 parliamentary seats, besides the lone seat in Puducherry. It won eight seats in the polls in Tamil Nadu. The DMK contested 20 seats and won all of them that year.

• Telangana Governor and Puducherry Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan resigns. Speculation arises about her potential candidacy for the Lok Sabha elections in South Chennai or South Tamil Nadu.

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