Lok Sabha Election 2024: PM Modi Says 'Want To Leave Viksit Bharat As Legacy For Poor Children'; AAP To Protest Against Arrest Of Kejriwal's Close Aide

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Sunday said, "Right now there is a new case of PA (CM Arvind Kejriwal)... If any incident or murder happens in our house, then we are responsible for it... The house is yours, Swati Maliwal was also your sister... He says BJP has a hand in everything, he does not find anyone else."

Welcome to our live blog, where we'll be bringing you all the latest updates and developments about elections on 19 May 2024. Stay with us!

-The first four phases of the Lok Sabha Election 2024 have concluded, and the country is preparing for the fifth voting phase on May 20. 

-Voting occurred in the previous rounds on April 19, 26, May 7, and 13, with the final phases scheduled for May 25 and June 1. 

-Phase five will encompass 49 constituencies across 5 states and Union territories. The votes will be counted on June 4.

The main parties contesting in the Lok Sabha elections are, needless to say, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which leads the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) currently in power at the Centre.

Attempting to take on the BJP are several parties, a couple of which have united under a bloc they have named 'INDIA' - The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.

'INDIA' bloc is a multi-party political alliance of 41 parties, led by India's largest opposition party the Indian National Congress.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday that he and other AAP leaders would go to the BJP headquarters on May 19 "so that the prime minister can send anyone he wishes to jail".

The BJP is saying they will send AAP MP Raghav Chadha,and Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj to jail too, he claimed at a press briefing hours after his aide Bibhav Kumar was arrested in connection with the alleged assault on his party's parliamentarian Swati Maliwal. 

"You think that you will crush the Aam Aadmi Party by putting its leaders in jail, the AAP is not going to be crushed like this. You try it once and see." Kejriwal said the AAP is an idea that has struck a chord with people across the country.

Authorities have seized cash, drugs and other inducements worth Rs 8,889 crore that were aimed to influence voters in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission said on Saturday.

At 45 per cent, drugs formed the biggest chunk of the total seizures. Narcotics worth around Rs 3,959 crore were seized, it said.

Drugs, liquor, precious metals, freebies and cash influence elections in varying degrees, some flowing directly as inducements while others through reduced levels of circulation of money, the poll authority said.

-PTI

-Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a Lok Sabha election rally at Maubhandar in Jharkhand’s East Singhbhum on May 19. 

-After this, he will also campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West bengal's Purulia today. 

Voters in 49 seats spread over eight states and Union Territories will decide the destiny of 695 candidates in the fifth round, which is set on May 20.

Bihar (5), Jammu and Kashmir (1), Jharkhand (3), Ladakh (1), Maharashtra (13), Odisha (5), Uttar Pradesh (14), and West Bengal (7) are the states taking part in this phase.

The schedule for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 was announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on March 16. The first four phases of the Lok Sabha Election have concluded, and the country is preparing for the fifth voting phase on May 20. 

Polling for Phase 6 and Phase 7 will take place on May 25 and June 1 respectively.

• Phase 1/April 19 - 21 states/UTs - 102 constituencies

• Phase 2/April 26 - 13 states/UTs - 88 constituencies

• Phase 3/May 7 - 12 states/UTs - 12 constituencies

• Phase 4/May 13 - 10 states/UTs - 96 constituencies

• Phase 5/May 20 - 8 states/UTs - 49 constituencies

• Phase 6/May 25 - 7 states/UTs - 57 constituencies

• Phase 7/June 1 -  8 states/UTs - 57 constituencies

Lok Sabha Elections Full Schedule Here

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday claimed that the INDIA bloc will come to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and BJP will "not cross the 200 mark" in the polls.

She accused Congress and CPI(M) of having entered into a nexus with BJP in the state to discredit the state government and asked the electorate not to vote for any non-TMC parties which will benefit the saffron camp.

“So the total number would go up to 10 crore. How many actually get jobs promised by Modi? Why is he not repeating the same promise this time?... I have not seen such a jumla government in my entire political life,” Banerjee said.

With the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 just around the corner, the Election Commission of India has started issuing voter slips and sending them to the houses of eligible voters. However, not all eligible voters have received their voter slips.

With several voters yet to receive their voter slips, a common question arises - can I still cast a vote in the elections without a slip?

The answer is YES. Eligible voters can vote without the slips if their name is mentioned on the electoral roll. Know More On This And Other Election FAQs Here

Two persons were injured in a clash between activists of TMC and BJP in West Bengal's Nadia district on Saturday, police said. The clash broke out in Gayeshpur.

TMC Nadia South president Debasish Ganguly alleged, "BJP workers intentionally took the route where our street-corner meeting was taking place. Our activists urged those present in the BJP procession to turn off the microphone but they did not listen. They assaulted one of our women activists."

Countering the allegation, a local BJP leader claimed that one of the saffron party workers was injured after being attacked by TMC activists and admitted to AIIMS Kalyani.

-PTI

This Lok Sabha election, among other things, is being seen as the battle of ideologies. The idea of social justice, through promises of pan-India caste census and assurances regarding reservation, has been making headlines. 

Prime Minister and BJP leader Narendra Modi brought in the issue of reservation in election campaign but from a different angle. He has been delivering speeches across the country warning people that if the opposition alliance INDIA, particularly Congress, came to power they will snatch away the reservation provided to SCs (Scheduled Castes), STs (Scheduled Tribes) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and give it to the Muslims. 

The Left parties of the country have been demanding that private sector should also adhere to the provision of reservation for a long time.

READ FULL STORY

In the midst of the ever-twisting political storm that seems to have made Kashmir as a preferred playground, it's hard not to notice some characters adding a touch of humor to the otherwise jittery atmosphere.

The hustle and bustle of election campaigning has transformed the streets of Kashmir into a battleground, with mainstream political parties competing for the coveted title of "Asli Shera" (Real Tiger). On the day of nomination filing, the road outside the DC office in Srinagar was alive with the thunderous chants of "Nakli Shera watsadera, Asli Shera aa gaya" (No place for Fake tigers as the Real Tiger has arrived).

Each political party seems to have its own comedic counterpart, adding an extra layer of romance to the already chaotic political landscape.

READ FULL STORY HERE

A voter can check the EPIC number on their Voter ID card to find out which polling booth they are supposed to vote at.

What is EPIC number

The Election Photo ID Card (EPIC), also known as the Voter ID card, has a unique 10-digit alpha-numeric code which is assigned by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The number is a proof that you are a registered voter.

On any Voter ID card, the EPIC code is on the front. One can also get the EPIC number from the National Voters' Service Portal (NVSP).

How to find EPIC number online?

• Open the official NVSP portal.

• Under ‘Services’, click on ‘Search in Electoral Roll'.

• Select ‘Search by Details’ or ‘Search by Mobile’.

• Fill the required details in to see the EPIC code.

How To Find Polling Booth With EPIC Number

• Visit electoralsearch.eci.gov.in.

• Enter the EPIC code, state, captcha code, and click ‘Search.’

• The booth details will be displayed on the screen of your device.

The Delhi Police has beefed up security at the BJP headquarters in view of a protest announced by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday.

"In view of the proposed protest by a political party at DDU Marg Delhi, Traffic will remain heavy at DDU Marg, IP Marg, Minto Road and Vikas Marg. DDU marg may be closed for traffic movement between 11 am to 2 pm. Kindly avoid these roads and plan your journey accordingly," the traffic police in a post on X.

On Saturday, addressing a press conference, Kejriwal accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "playing the game" of sending AAP leaders to jail. "I along with my MLAs and MPs would go to the BJP office at noon tomorrow so that the prime minister can send anyone he wants to jail," he said.

Even as political parties continue to introduce welfare schemes and make grand promises that are exclusively catered for women, they only constituted around eight per cent of the total candidates in the fray for the first three phases of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. 

There were 135 women candidates in the first phase of elections, 100 in the second phase and 123 in the third – bringing the total to 358 out of 4,162 candidates – 8.6 per cent. The ongoing general elections come just over seven months after the Indian Parliament passed the historic and long-awaited women’s reservation bill or Nari Shakti Vandan Abhiniyam, that paved the way for the reservation of one-third of legislative seats for women. Yet, major political parties, barring the AIMIM, that overwhelmingly backed the idea of giving more representation to women, are still lagging behind in giving tickets to women. READ FULL STORY

The Delhi Police has put barricades outside the BJP headquarters in the national capital ahead of the AAP protest here.

On Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s call for a protest outside the BJP HQ against the arrest of AAP leaders, DCP Delhi Central, Harsha Vardhan Mandava said, “Section 144 has been imposed on DDU Marg and there is no permission for any kind of protest here.”

Speaking about the alleged assault on her at Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s residence, Swati Maliwal today said that “if Manish Sisodia was here, maybe this wouldn't have happened to me..”

“There was a time when we all came out on the streets to get justice for Nirbhaya. Today, after 12 years, we are out on the streets to save the accused who made the CCTV footage disappear and formatted the phone?” she wrote in a post on X.

“I wish we had made as much on an effort for Manish Sisodia ji. If he had been here, maybe this wouldn't have happened to me!,” Maliwal wrote.

Delhi Police on Sunday detained some people who were protesting against the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi.

The AAP led by Arvind Kejriwal is set to hold a protest outside BJP HQ today against the arrest of its party leaders.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha was seen arriving at the party office in Delhi today. the party leaders led by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal plan to march towards the BJP headquarters.

Addressing a press conference ahead of their protest march towards the BJP headquarters in Delhi, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that the saffron party thinks that AAP will be a tough competition for them in the coming years, hence they want to end the Aam Aadmi Party. 

“Under this operation jhaadu, AAP leaders are being arrested. Accounts of AAP will be seized. I am not lying...they will not seize it now because of polls. But they will do it after the polls and close the office of AAP... Aur AAP ko sadak par layenge They think that they end the AAP and it's leaders... Ye AAP ek crore logon ki sapno vichar hai,” said Kejriwal.

“AAP is thought... This thought is spreading across the nation. We have constructed schools for children in Delhi And Punjab. We have redeveloped hospitals in Delhi and Punjab. But Modi ji is unable to do all this , so he is asking to crush the party, arrest the leaders and put them in jail,” he said.

"Since I came to power in 2015, how many allegations did they (BJP) raise?...now they say that liquor policy scam has happened, and people are asking them if the scam happened, where is the money?...in other places when raid happens, notes and golds are recovered but here nothing was found...where is all the money? They (BJP) made fake cases and arrested our people," said Kejriwal.

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested in Delhi Excise policy and has been granted interim bail by the Supreme court till June 1 to campaign in the Lok Sabha elections. He will have to surrender and go back to jail on June 2.

As AAP leaders led by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal plan to march towards the BJP headquarters at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, DCP (Central) Harshavardhan said: "The road has offices of many political parties and important government installations and hence we have imposed Section 144. We have made adequate arrangements, multi-level barricading and we will ensure proper maintenance of law and order.'

"They (AAP) didn't seek permission, such kind of permissions are not given. The general election is going on, the codes are in place."

Delhi CM and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, accompanied by party leaders, departs from the party office in Delhi to lead a march towards the BJP headquarters.

As AAP leaders, led by Arvind Kejriwal, commenced their march towards the BJP headquarters in the national capital, the Delhi Police issued a warning, urging them to refrain from approaching the gate due to the imposition of Section 144. 'We are asking you not to come near the gate. Please listen carefully and do not violate the order. Otherwise, legal action will be taken against you,' the Delhi Police announced.

Amidst the proceedings, AAP MP Sanjay Singh raised slogans, chanting 'Modi Shahi murdabad, Taanashahi Murdabad... Kejriwal zindabad,' as protesters sat on the ground.

Speaking about the AAP protest, DCP Delhi Central, Harsha Vardhan Mandava said, "We stopped them as they came out of the office 144 CrPC has been implemented and we asked them to disperse, adequate police arrangements are in place."

As AAP leaders march towards the BJP headquarters near ITO today, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenged the Prime Minister to arrest them all. “They arrested me, Sisodia, Jain, and yesterday they arrested my PA. They are also saying they will arrest Raghav, Atishi, Saurabh, and Kailash Gahlot. So today I am telling the PM, we all are coming, arrest us all,” he declared. 

AAP leaders were stopped by Delhi Police and were not allowed to move beyond the barricades. All party leaders returned back to the office.

Team of Delhi Police including Additional DCP Anjitha Chepyala, SHO Civil Lines arrives at the residence of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the AAP MP Swati Maliwal assault case.

Delhi Police yesterday arrested Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar in this case.

"The way Swati Maliwal, a woman MP was called to his (Arvind Kejriwal) house and was beaten up, he has no answer to this. I only want to ask one question to him, why are you silent on Swati Maliwal?...no matter what he says, from inside, he himself knows that he is responsible for what happened at his home..." said Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva today.

Kejriwal has alleged that Maliwal was “blackmailed” by the BJP to become part of a “conspiracy” against him as she faces a corruption case. 

In an attack on the BJP, AAP leader Jasmine Shah said that their party is ‘not allowed to peacefully protest,’ while BJP leaders have permission to ‘loot, rob, and do corruption.’ He further said that the Delhi Police and all the other agencies are the ‘same,’ stressing that AAP is against ‘dictatorship.’

Shah was part of the AAP's protest march towards the BJP headquarters in the national capital.

-PTI

In his reaction to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Odisha later on Sunday, Union Minister and BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan said, “It’s confirmed that he (PM Modi) will become the Prime Minister again for the third time. He will come here to appeal to people to form a government in Odisha. BJP will win all 21 Lok Sabha seats.”

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said, "When Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister in 2011, social, economic and caste census was conducted. However, the information obtained regarding caste was not published. Modi government never published it. Even today the Modi government has not clarified its position whether it is in favor of social, economic and census or not...We have said that we will increase the limit of 50 per cent. Our question to the Prime Minister is whether you will increase this 50 per cent limit or not? Will you get the caste census conducted or not?"

BJP leader Shazia Ilmi on Sunday said, "Aam Aadmi Party should be named as Aam Apradhi party and Bhibhv Kumar has become the Shahjahan Sheikh of Delhi. Bhibhv has misbehaved with a person who supported their party for so long...She was there for the party...Sanjay Singh said that the incident took place and action will be taken. What kind of action has been taken? The person who is a culprit is out, roaming free..."

During a rally in West Bengal's Bishnupur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said, “Your dreams are Modi's resolve. I do not have to leave behind a legacy for my ‘nephew’ or anyone else. I am working and will work for the people. I want to make ‘Viksit Bharat’ for the children of the poor, Dalits and tribals. This is the legacy that I want to leave behind. Each and every vote of yours will strengthen Modi’s hands and give me energy to work more."

Two people were injured following a knife attack by unidentified attackers during a roadshow of National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Sunday.

During a rally in West Bengal's Bishnupur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said, “Be it the Congress, TMC or the Left front, they may look like three different parties, but their 'sins' are the same. This is why they have joined hands and formed the INDI alliance. These parties only gave slogans for the poor, farmers, tribals and OBCs; never worked for them. Wherever they ruled, they made that state poor; West Bengal is the latest and most suitable example. Their model is not development, but violence, corruption, ‘mafia’ and appeasement. People are forced to migrate out of the state. I believe these situations should change."

A stampede-like situation took place in the joint rally of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav at Phulpur constituency in Prayagraj on Sunday.

Both the leaders, Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav left the public meeting without addressing the crowd.

Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj on Sunday said, "Since the beginning, Delhi Police has been lying. Swati Maliwal did not tell anyone, it was Delhi Police who told everyone about the complaint. Since day one, BJP and Delhi Police are trying to gain political advantage from this issue. Delhi Police has already taken DVR (digital video recorder) comprising all CCTV footage, but they are lying just to create a narrative."

Delhi Police on Sunday arrived at the residence of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal over the Swati Maliwal alleged assault case.

During a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said, "Thousands of our workers are here to support the Congress-Samajwadi Party partnership. I want to ask you to stand against the BJP-RSS workers at the polling booths and make the candidate from here win with 5 lakh votes... Here is our candidate Ujjwal Ramansingh, make him win with a huge majority..."

Addressing a public rally in Bihar's Champaran, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said, "... Four phases of the elections are complete and the 5th phase is tomorrow... The PM has crossed 270 in 4 phases. Lalu's party is not getting 4 and Rahul Baba is not getting even 40..."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a rally in West Bengal on Sunday said, “CAA is Modi's guarantee, it is about giving citizenship to refugees.”

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Sunday said, "Sitting in Delhi, they (BJP) used to say that Article 370 is responsible for terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. It has been five years since the abrogation of Article 370; have these attacks stopped? Innocent people are dying in these attacks."

On party's protest outside BJP headquarters in Delhi, AAP leader Sandeep Pathak on Sunday said, "We will soon reveal our strategy. The way the PM and the BJP are conspiring, I feel they should have focused this much on the development of the nation. They are arresting us one by one. Instead of this, they should have arrested all of us in one go. This would have made their jobs easier."

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that the BJP is winning only one seat in Uttar Pradesh.

"Have you heard (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi is winning only one BJP seat of Kyoto (Varanasi) in Uttar Pradesh," said Gandhi while addressing a joint poll meeting with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav in Prayagraj in support of INDIA bloc candidate Ujjawal Raman Singh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier said that he will turn Varanasi into Kyoto, a picturesque town in Japan.

"The fight is to save the Constitution. The BJP and the RSS are attacking it, and I want to tell them that no power can tear and throw the Constitution away," Gandhi said while waiving a copy of the Indian Constitution. PTI

Addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, UP CM Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said, "A grand temple in Ayodhya has been built after 500 years of wait... Can the people of Congress and the Samajwadi Party look after the pilgrim places? It is not even a part of their agenda. Pakistan's benefit, inviting terrorists, playing with the Hindu faith and looting poor people's property are all a part of their agenda. They will implement Inheritance Tax. Aurangzeb was the cruellest king of the Mughals. He destroyed Hindu Temples, killed his own brother and killed his father in prison. His soul has entered Congress and the Samajwadi Party, and now they are saying that they will implement an Inheritance Tax and give half of the property to Muslims... They never spoke a word after Kalyan Singh's demise but went to offer condolence when a mafia died recently..."

Delhi CM and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal while addressing a rally in New Delhi on Sunday said, “I am a small man with a small party. I think PM Modi sent me to jail because I built good schools for your kids. They wanted to arrest Kejriwal and close down his schools. I say that since I have built 500 schools in Delhi, you (PM Modi) being such a big man should build 50,000 schools in the country.”

Former chief minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot on Sunday attacked the BJP government in the state over a public notice of auctioning farmers' land for not repaying loans in Hanumangarh district.

Gehlot demanded that the chief minister should immediately halt the auction and relieve the farmers. 

In a post on X, Gehlot shared a photo of the notice published in a newspaper and said, "These advertisements published in the newspapers of Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan to auction the land of farmers are exposing the truth of "Modi's Guarantee.”

He alleged that the BJP had promised in its election manifesto in Rajasthan to ensure that farmers' land auction will be stopped, but farmers' land is being auctioned in Rajasthan.Elections. PTI

Uttarakhand CM and BJP leader Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday said, “The way Swati Maliwal was beaten up at the Chief Minister’s residence is an insult to ‘Nari Shakti’. This shows their mentality about women.”

The Delhi BJP slammed AAP and its supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday and alleged the chief minister is enacting a "political drama" over Swati Maliwal's "assault" charge while maintaining silence on the issue.

The BJP's Delhi unit chief Virendra Sachdeva also asked how AAP came to the conclusion that the saffron party was involved in the matter when Maliwal, an AAP Rajya Sabha member, was allegedly assaulted at Kejriwal's residence by his close aide Bibhav Kumar.

AAP leaders have claimed that the Maliwal's allegation is a conspiracy by the BJP to trap Kejriwal.

Kejriwal on Sunday claimed the BJP has launched "Operation Jhadoo" to crush AAP as the saffron party sees his party as a "challenge". PTI

In his reaction on West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's Ramakrishna Mission remark,Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said,"You (Mamata Banerjee) don't allow Ram Navami procession, and it is very saddening. You have also abused Ramakrishna Mission. You are abusing those who are serving others. What is your contribution? What did you give to West Bengal apart from Sheikh Shahjahan?"

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Sunday said, "This election is very important for us, especially in West Bengal, change of power is necessary here... NDA's target of crossing 400 will definitely be achieved... In West Bengal, the target of 32 out of 42 will be achieved..."

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said, "INDIA bloc will form govt on June 4; will ensure full statehood for Delhi and improve city's deteriorating law and order."

Addressing a meeting with Kashmiri Pandits, PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said, "Whether it is the BJP or Congress government in Delhi, no one can simply lift you and bring you to Kashmir. You have to dare and we will also support you. Only then you can settle back into your homes... I want some land should be given to Kashmiri Pandits... I think if rooms are constructed where there are temples, then your return will increase gradually... The middle-aged Kashmiri Pandits must take a risk and come back. Then your children will also come to visit you. This would be the beginning. 'Jammu Kashmir ke rang udd gaye aap ke jane se'..."

On the statement of Home Minister Amit Shah, former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister & RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday said, "Who has stopped anyone from making predictions...In Bihar, whatever he (Amit Shah) says, the opposite of that happens. It is good Amit Shah ji that you keep saying this so that the opposite keeps happening."

Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Sunday said, "If you want to see the atmosphere, come to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The crowd that is coming to the meeting of the Congress, RJD and INDIA alliance...The Prime Minister tells a new lie every day..."

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal while addressing a 'Nukkad Sabha' in New Delhi on Sunday said, “He (PM Modi) wants to stop Kejriwal’s free bus service for women in Delhi, but don’t worry, I won’t let that happen. They (BJP) are saying that I have to go back to jail on June 2. It is in your hands now. If you press the lotus button (BJP symbol), then I’ll have to go to jail, and if you press the button of broom (AAP symbol), I’ll stay amongst you.”