Lok Sabha Election 2024 news highlights: CPI(M) releases LS poll manifesto

"This Lok Sabha election is very important for us. We are definitely hoping to win the Tura Parliamentary constituency. The position of the Congress in the state is very weak. Their organisation is fragmented," says Meghalaya Minister Marquise N Marak.

The Election Commission has planned to use helicopters to ferry electronic voting machines and polling personnel to 167 booths in three Lok Sabha constituencies of Chhattisgarh in view of the Maoist threat as well as geographical location, an official said on Thursday. 

Elections to the 11 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held in three phases on April 19, April 26 and May 7 and votes will be counted on June 4. The Naxal-hit Bastar (ST) seat will go to polls on April 19, while Mahasamund, Rajnandgaon and Kanker (ST), where some pockets are affected by Left Wing Extremism, will witness voting on April 26.

PTI

Seeking a successive term in the Lok Sabha from Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi has declared assets of over ₹20 crore in his nomination papers. Gandhi filed the papers before the returning officer on Wednesday. 

He has declared movable assets to the tune of ₹9,24,59,264 and showed the purchasing price of his self-acquired immovable assets as being worth ₹7,93,03,977 in the affidavit. 

He has also declared that the current market value of the self-acquired immovable assets is ₹9,04,89,000 and the value of the inherited assets is ₹2,10,13,598. Gandhi has stated that he has a liability of ₹49,79,184. He has declared ₹55,000 as cash in hand.

PTI

Businessman Robert Vadra, husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has expressed interest in contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Amethi.

In an interview with ANI, Vadra stated that the people of Amethi expect him to represent their constituency if he plans to enter Parliament. Vadra targeted Union Minister Smriti Irani, the current Amethi MP, claiming that constituents feel they made a mistake by electing her.

Irani had defeated former Congress President Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Amethi, a traditional Gandhi family bastion, in a major upset.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 news LIVE: Thirty-four candidates, including 25 independents, have thrown themselves into the fray for the Lok Sabha polls in Gautam Buddh Nagar, officials said on Thursday, as curtains drew on the nomination process for the second phase of general elections on April 26. The number of nominations filed this time has gone up from 2019, when a total of 21 candidates had applied but ultimately 13 were able to contest as eight others got rejected. Almost half of the nominations (16) were made on Thursday -- the last day -- at the Collectorate in Surajpur, the local election office said.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 news LIVE: BJP president J P Nadda Thursday said it is the "national responsibility" of the people of Uttarakhand to again give all the five Lok Sabha seats in the state to the BJP in order to help Narendra Modi return as prime minister for a third term. He appealed to the people of the hill state to help make India the third biggest economy in the world by voting for the BJP. "It is your national responsibility," Nadda told his first election meeting in Uttarakhand here in support of Ajay Tamta, the BJP candidate from the Almora Lok Sabha seat.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the BJP of not following the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for the Lok Sabha polls and asserted that a poisonous snake can be trusted but not the saffron camp. Addressing a rally in Cooch Behar, Banerjee alleged that the central investigating agencies, Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) are working at the behest of the BJP and urged the Election Commission to look into it and ensure a level playing field for all political parties. "The BJP is asking you to enrol names for Awas Yojna again. Why will the names be enrolled again? They want further enrolment so that they can chuck them off. You can trust a poisonous snake; you can even pet it, but you can never trust the BJP... The BJP is destroying the country," she said.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 news LIVE: In order to ensure free, fair and peaceful forthcoming General Elections 2024, Special Director General of Police (Spl DGP) Law and Order Arpit Shukla on Thursday chalked out a foolproof strategy with the Border Security Force (BSF) to further strengthen the second line of defence and completely break the supply chain of drugs from across the border. 

Lok Sabha Election 2024 news LIVE: Two-time BJP MP from Delhi Manoj Tiwari said he "unwillingly" contested the 2009 Lok Sabha polls on a Samajwadi Party ticket against Yogi Adityanath, who he always considered as a man committed to his principles. In an interaction with the PTI, Tiwari who is contesting the upcoming parliamentary elections a third time from the North East Delhi seat, said he never said a word against Yogi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district on April 8 to give momentum to the party's campaign for Lok Sabha polls in the state, BJP's state unit said on Thursday. Prime Minister will also visit the state on April 14 to address a rally in Ramtek.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 news LIVE: The CPI(M) on Thursday released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections, promising to scrap all "draconian" laws such as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The CPI(M) appealed to voters to defeat the BJP, strengthen the Left, and ensure the formation of an alternative secular government at the Centre. In its manifesto, the party pledged to fight for "an uncompromising adherence to the principle that religion is separated from politics".

Lok Sabha Election 2024 news LIVE: “BJP govt has introduced CAA but INDIA bloc partners spreading lies about it,” PM Modi said in his attack on the opposition in Bengal rally

Lok Sabha Election 2024 news LIVE: “BJP has pledged to ensure culprits of Sandeshkhali are punished: PM Modi at Cooch Behar rally,” says PM

Narendra Modi Live Updates: "It is the BJP only which can stop atrocities against women here. The whole country has seen how the TMC govt tried its best to protect the accused in Sandeshkhali. BJP has resolved to ensure punishment for the accused in the Sandeshkhali incident. They will have to spend their lives in jail," PM Modi said.

Narendra Modi Live Updates: "This is an election to form strong and stable government in the country," PM Modi said addressing a rally in Bengal's Cooch Behar

Lok Sabha Election 2024 news LIVE: "Firstly, I want to express gratitude to Mamata Didi. In 2019, I came to this same ground to address a rally, at the time she got a platform constructed in the middle of this ground to make it smaller in size. At the time, I had said that the public would give an answer to this. Today, she did not do any such thing and I got the opportunity to meet you all. I express my gratitude towards the Bengal govt for not creating any obstacles today," the Prime Minister said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing a public rally in Cooch Behar Bengal at present.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 news LIVE: BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Mandi, Kangana Ranaut says, "...This the election of PM Modi. If you vote for Kangana, it will go to PM Modi... When a govt as the extension of a 'foreign mindset' formed in India with most of their officials being foreigners, they shattered our self-respect. It was made like this that being Indian, talking about Indianness and about our very own culture and religion has become worse than a shame. But, PM Modi has said from the Red Fort that we have to get over this mindset."

Lok Sabha Election 2024 news LIVE: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who recently took a 'U' turn to join former ally National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Thursday said that he would stay permanently with the alliance (Ab kabhi idhar udhar nahi hone wale hain). Addressing a public rally in Jamui where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on the dias, Nitish Kumar said "Woh toh jhooth-mooth ka hum beech mein ek baar saath kar liye the toh aaj woh baat karta hai', but when I saw that he is doing wrong, I left them (RJD). And we are together forever now. 'Ab kabhi idhar udhar nahi hone waale hain'."

Lok Sabha Election 2024 news LIVE: The Lok Sabha elections are a contest between "brand Modi" and "brand virodhi", making it virtually a presidential contest that leaves no doubt about who will win given the emotional connect people have with Narendra Modi, BJP national spokesperson Ajay Alok has said. The prime minister's declared target of 370 seats will be helped by a record tally in southern states and West Bengal, Alok told PTI, giving an explicit breakdown of seats the BJP will win in states that have traditionally not been its strongholds.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said during a rally in Cooch Behar, "...All agencies have been put to work. State officials are being transferred. How many officers from the central agencies - NIA, CBI, IT - have been transferred?... I will take care of Bengal, as long as I am here, they will not dare to touch the people of Bengal. CAA was brought before the elections... As soon as you submit your name for registration (CAA for citizenship), you will be declared a Bangladeshi..."

Lok Sabha Election 2024 news LIVE: As India heads to the 18th general election, data over the years show voters' trust in independent candidates has been diminishing, with more than 99 per cent of independent candidates losing their deposits since 1991. Data compiled by the Election Commission of India show that since independence, even as the number of independent candidates has remained high, numbers of those winning polls have come down from over six per cent in 1951 and eight per cent in 1957, to around 0.11 per cent in 2019.

“My first feeling was that the party should not have announced my candidature. But our senior leaders have their own challenges as a three-party coalition is governing the state,” he said. 

In the 2019 general elections, Patil had won from Hingoli as a candidate of the undivided Shiv Sena, polling nearly 5.86 lakh votes. 

“We have to accept it (change in candidature). It feels bad but as a party worker, I will work and extend my help in the election in Hingoli,” he added.

Pappu is symbolic to Purnea and vice versa. Today for the first time, neither there is an organisation, nor religion, nor caste, there is just humanity. I made no mistake, no crime. I always stood with everyone in all difficulties. The life that is left in me, I will work hard to fight corruption and develop Seemanchal and Purnea: Pappu Yadav, Congress

Those who raised questions on my birth got an answer today. I thank the Supreme Court. The truth always wins. This is a victory of those who walk on the path shown by Baba Saheb Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj: Navneet Rana