Mumbai rally Highlights: PM Modi is just an actor, says Rahul Gandhi

With Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar's announcement that Lok Sabha elections for 543 seats will be held in seven phases, from April 19 till June 1 and the counting of votes will be held on June 4, the Bharatiya Janata Party said that the party is fully prepared for the Lok Sabha elections adding that Narendra Modi will become the Prime Minister of the country for the third time.

Shortly after the announcement of the Lok Sabha election dates, reactions from party workers started pouring. The BJP leaders exuded confidence in the party win and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be back in power for the third consecutive time.

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal spoke on the LS date announcement in Rajasthan and said, "As soon as the dates were announced, we directed everyone to follow the ECI. We will go among the public and will make them aware of the works done by PM Modi and will also take feedback."

Maharashtra Minister Uday Samant also reacted on the same and said, "We are fully prepared for the election that will be happening in 7 phases. Our alliance Shiva Sena, BJP and NCP are fully prepared. Seats will be finalised in 2-3 days."

Uttarakhand Congress MLA Rajendra Singh Bhandari joined the BJP here on Sunday, in a setback to the grand-old party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Bhandari, a three-term Congress legislator who was also a minister in the state in the past, joined the BJP in the presence of its senior leaders, including Union Minister Piyush Goyal and the party's national general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam.

Gautam is also the BJP's in-charge for Uttarakhand.

The Congress is in such a bad situation that even leaders like Sonia Gandhi are taking the "backdoor" Rajya Sabha route to reach Parliament instead of contesting Lok Sabha polls, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Sunday. Rahul Gandhi's decision-making is full of confusion and the opposition party is not getting candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, which the BJP will win with a record mandate, he told reporters.

BJP MP Hema Malini says, "These elections are very important not only for the state or the country but also for the whole world. The leaders of the world want PM Modi to become the prime minister and guide them... The popularity of Mathura and Vrindavan has increased in the last 10 years... River Yamuna is also one of the main issues for us this time..."

On seat-sharing in Bihar, State Minister Santosh Kumar Suman says, "The seat-sharing formality is done, the announcement is left. I think that within 24-48 hours, the declaration is possible. The talks have been held with each and everyone and everybody has taken into consideration..."

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have had their final meeting on seat sharing and the formula will be announced soon.

Talking to reporters here, Raut said the MVA constituents comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) and the Congress, had their final meeting to discuss seat sharing on Saturday.

Congress leader Ashok Gehlot also participated in the meeting along with K C Venugopal and Sharad Pawar.

On the announcement of Lok Sabha poll dates, former Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav says, "The biggest festival of democracy has begun; we are very confident and fully prepared. This time Bihar will deliver a surprising result....Why I have used the word 'surprising' because of the undercurrent in the people, particularly of Bihar...What has the central government done for the people of the state in the last 10 years? Bihar did not get any special package...The inflation and farmers' issue still remain the same..."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan to shortly address a public gathering in Palnadu.

BMC removed banners that were put up to welcome Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to Mumbai for 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra'.

On J&K Assembly Elections, DPAP chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad says, "I would like to request the Election Commission and Government of India to conduct the Vidhan Sabha elections, one month after the Lok Sabha elections..."

"The INDIA bloc had multiple partners when it was formed. However, many of their alliance partners have already left the coalition. They are gathering again in Mumbai today but many of their leaders have already left alliance - West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar," says BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain (@ShahnawazBJP) on INDIA bloc's mega rally in Shivaji Park in Mumbai, scheduled to be held later today.

After the announcement of the Lok Sabha poll schedule, Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party chief BY Vijayendra lauched a scathing attack on Congress and said that the mood across the state is in the favour of the BJP.

"Congress party despite being power in the state, they aren't able to find candidates in any Lok Sabha constituencies. They're trying hard to convince their minister to contest the elections but fortunately, the mood across the state is in the favour of the BJP and PM Modi..." said Karnataka BJP chief.

"The INDIA alliance is a selfish and an alliance of family dynasty...The people have accepted PM Modi as their next Prime Minister. This is because he is for the country & the country is for him..." Union minister Giriraj Singh says, according to ANI.

Congress leader and Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar has expressed confidence in winning 20 seats in the state.

"This is a festival of democracy. We need to enjoy and celebrate this festival and fight it (elections) out as well. We are very confident of winning 20 seats in the state," he says.

“It's a good thing that Rahul Gandhi travelled across North to South earlier and reached Kashmir during snowfall. Now, he is reaching the West after he started from the East. He is trying to unite the country and strengthen the secular character and the tradition of India...” NC chief Farooq Abdullah tells reporters, according to ANI

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh speaks about the party's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra during a press conference. He says: "The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was a 6,300 km long yatra and it passed through 106 districts. The yatra started on January 14 from Thoubal (in Manipur) and it concluded on March 16 in Mumbai. Meanwhile, the 140-day Bharat Jodo Yatra was organised from Kanyakumari to Srinagar, and it covered 75 districts. In total, Rahul Gandhi covered 181 districts in these two yatras," according to PTI.

A WhatsApp message from ‘Viksit Bharat Sampark’ seeking feedback and suggestions from the citizens along with a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sparked a controversy, with opposition leaders alleging misuse of government database and the messaging app for political propaganda. More details.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was felicitated during a public meeting in Kalaburagi, Karnataka, ANI reports.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has arrived in Mumbai to attend the INDIA alliance mega rally today in Shivaji Park, reports ANI.

With the announcement of Lok Sabha elections on Saturday, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has adopted a wait-and-watch approach to draw a poll strategy as it is waiting for an alliance with its former ally Bhartiya Janata party (BJP). According to a senior SAD functionary, the party is already in the poll mode and is holding the “Punjab Bachao Yatra” which is spearheaded by party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal. Read more.

The Election Commission in Karnataka will keep a close watch on the movement of water tankers in that state following the declaration of a model code of conduct (MCC). The state government has already regulated the prices of water tankers in Bengaluru amid the severe shortage in water supply in the capital city. Read more.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will share the dais with Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party chief and actor Pawan Kalyan at a massive public rally proposed to be held at Boppudi village, near Chilakaluripet town in Andhra Pradesh’s Palnadu district on March 17. Read on.

The 44-day Lok Sabha election period announced by the Election Commission makes it the second-longest after the first Parliamentary elections held in 1951-52. The entire election process, from Saturday's announcement to the declaration of results, lasts 82 days. Read more.

“There are a maximum of 5 per cent of people who get justice. For them, the courts, government, and all other institutions work for them. But if we look at the other 90 per cent of the population, they have been suffering injustice,” Rahul Gandhi told a public gathering in Mumbai.

Praising Congress during interactions with reporters, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut says that iff there was no Congress the country would not have got independence.

"If there was no Congress the country would not have got independence, the country would not have got leadership & we would not have made progress in science and technology...There are a lot of such things which the BJP will never understand because they do not think for the country. They only think about the businessmen..." Raut says, according to ANI.