E-Paper
‘Modi ki guarantee’ vs Congress's ‘Nyay’: Campaign ends for first phase of Lok Sabha elections
In 2019, the UPA had won 45 of these 102 seats and the NDA 41. Six of these seats have been redrawn as part of the delimitation exercise.
The high-voltage campaign for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections ended today as the silence period kicked in for parliamentary constituencies that will vote on April 19. The top leaders of the BJP-led NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc made a last-ditch effort to woo voters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spearheaded the BJP's campaign with whirlwind tours of several constituencies, pitching the ‘Modi ki guarantee’ against the Congress's 'Nyay' schemes.
The BJP focused its attack on issues such as corruption, dynasty politics, and alleged insults to the Constitution and Hinduism while opposition leaders centred its campaign on the issue of electoral bonds, alleged misuse of probe agencies, inflation, and unemployment.
Follow LIVE updates on Lok Sabha Election 2024
BJP's manifesto, named "Modi ki Guarantee", largely built on the government's existing welfare schemes targeted at different sections of society, while reiterating its commitment to one-nation-one-election and Uniform Civil Code.
The Congress party, on the other hand, focussed on five "pillars of justice" and 25 guarantees under them.
Eight Union ministers will go through the electoral test in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. These include Nitin Gadkari, Kiren Rijiju, Sarbanada Sonowal, Sanjeev Baliyan, Jitendra Singh, Bhupendra Yadav, Arjun Ram Meghwal and L Murugan. Two former chief ministers - Biplab Kumar Deb (Tripura) and Nabam Tuki (Arunachal Pradesh), and former governor Tamilisai Soundararajan (Telangana) are also in the fray.
Polling will be held in all seats of Tamil Nadu (39), Uttarakhand (5), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1) and Lakshadweep (1).
Apart from these 10 states and Union territories, there will be voting in 12 seats in Rajasthan, eight in Uttar Pradesh, six in Madhya Pradesh, five seats each in Assam and Maharashtra, four in Bihar, three in West Bengal, two in Manipur, and one seat each in Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh.
Any form of electioneering, public meetings, press conferences by political parties, interviews and panel discussions in electronic or print media have been strictly prohibited in these 102 parliamentary constituencies.
The second phase of polling for 89 seats in 13 states and Union territories will be held on April 26.
