Lok Sabha Election 2024: ECI Takes Note Of Non-compliance On Unauthorised Political Ads

The schedule for Lok Sabha elections 2024 was announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on March 16. The poll body announced that voting for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 will take place in seven phases, starting April 19, while the counting of votes will take place on June 4.

While voting for Phase 1 will take place on April 19, polling for Phase 2 to Phase 7 will take place on: April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.

Full Schedule Here

Voting for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 will be taking in seven phases, with the first one being on April 19. Phase 2 to 7 will be on: April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.

A total of 102 constituencies from 21 states/UTs will vote in Phase 1, while 89 constituencies from 14 states/UTs will vote in the second phase. The third phase includes 94 contituencies from 12 states/UTs, 96 constituencies from 10 states/UTs will vote in the fourth phase, 49 constituencies from eight states/UTs in fifth, 57 constituencies from seven state/UTs in the sixth and 57 constituencies from eight states/UTs will vote in the last phase on June 1.

Click Here To Know Which Phase Your Constituency Will Vote In

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrapped up his mega south India tour on Tuesday after holding several rallies, roadshows and delivering speeches in all the southern states over the last five days.

Over the last five days, PM Modi visited all of south, held roadshows, made an aggressive bid for his BJP, stepping up his attack on the opposition bloc 'INDIA' and especially at Rahul Gandhi over his 'Shakti' remark.

PM Modi on Tuesday wrapped up his tour of South India with a roadshow in Kerala and a public rally in Tamil Nadu.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has invited massive criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for a remark he made during a rally in Mumbai on Sunday, March 17. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders have been intensifying their attack on Rahul Gandhi for his "fight against a shakti” remark.

The ruling party, which has accused Rahul Gandhi of making a "misogynist" remark, on Tuesday asked if he can speak in the same "derogatory" terms against any other religion and said the people of the country would give their reply to his remarks in the upcoming elections. READ MORE

At the rally in Mumbai on Sunday, Rahul Gandhi had said, "We are not fighting against a political party...We are not fighting against Narendra Modi, nor are we fighting against one person. But, one face has been projected in the forefront."

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"In Hindu dharma, there is a word 'shakti'. We are fighting against a 'shakti' (power). The question arises as to what is that 'shakti'...," he had said in the presence of several opposition leaders of the INDIA bloc.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief and Uddhav Thackeray's cousin Raj Thackeray met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday amid buzz that the BJP is looking to forge an alliance with him for the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

Senior MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar said in Mumbai that the talks on Lok Sabha polls between the two leaders were "positive", and details will be shared in a day or two.

The meeting, however, drew sharp reactions from the Maha Vikas Aghadi camp, with the Congress accusing the BJP of "betraying" north Indians. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray accused the BJP of trying to "steal a Thackeray" to win elections, underlining that the brand Thackeray is indispensable in the state.

Raj Thackeray, who arrived in Delhi on Monday, was joined by BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde when he met Shah earlier in the day.

Union Minister AND Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) leader Pashupati Kumar Paras on Tuesday resigned from the cabiner, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of doing "injustice" with his party by excluding it from the seat-sharing deal with allies for the Lok Sabha polls in Bihar.

Paras's announcement came at a press conference a day after the BJP-led NDA announced its seat-sharing pact and gave five seats to the Chirag Paswan-led LJP (Ram Vilas), ignoring his faction's claims.

The only ally in the Union Cabinet headed by PM Modi, he called the prime minister a "big leader".

The RLJP president said he was thankful to Modi before expressing his displeasure over the treatment meted out to him. Paras said he had served the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with honesty and loyalty but received injustice. READ MORE

Senior IAS officer Deepak Kumar was on Tuesday named the new additional chief secretary of the home department of Uttar Pradesh. The Election Commission has approved Kumar's name as the new ACS, Home.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa confirmed to PTI the appointment of Kumar in the home department.

Kumar, a 1990 batch IAS officer, is presently additional chief secretary of finance and basic education. Senior IAS officer Sanjay Prasad, who is associated with the chief minister's office (CMO) and is also holding the charge of the information department, was also looking after the home department.

(via PTI)

With the issuance of notification, nomination process has begun from today for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls, which will take place April in 102 seats across 21 states and Union Territories

Full Schedule Of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 1

• Date of Issue of Gazette Notification: March 20

• Last Date of Nominations: March 27

• Date for Scrutiny of Nominations: March 28

• Last Date for Withdrawal of candidatures: Match 30

• Date of Poll: April 19

• Date of Counting: June 4

• Date before which election shall be completed: June 6

Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje's remark that the suspect involved in the March 1 blast at The Rameshwaram cafe in Bengaluru was from Tamil Nadu sparked outrage, prompting her to offer an apology later. A blast at the popular Rameshwaram cafe in Karnataka's Bengaluru on March 1 had left nine people injured. While it was initially suspected to be a cylinder blast, it was later confirmed to be a bomb explosion.

Claiming that the bomber involved in the Rameshwaram cafe blast case was trained in Krishnagiri forests, the BJP leader had said, "FYI, the Rameshwaram bomber was trained in Krishnagiri forests under your nose. Tamil makkal has a long history of harmonious relations with Karnataka."

"They have been an integral part of Karnataka's social fabric, contributing immensely to the state. We have close cultural bonds and shared history," she added. Taking offence at Karandlaje's provocative claims, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said that the Union Minister lacks the authority to make such assertions.

A total 15 Congress leaders joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajasthan's Jodhpur on Tuesday in the presence of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. While talking to the media, BJP leader and CM Sharma took a dig at the Congress and said no one wants to be with the party which has no future.

"Earlier it was said that there is a hole in Congress's boat. But now their entire boat is sinking. Who would like to sit in a sinking boat?" he said.

The defectors included Pappuram Dara, Hanuman Singh Khangta, the President of Marwar Rajput Mahasabha and a close aide of former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, and Suresh Gurjar, sarpanch from Gotan (Nagaur), and a confidant of Sachin Pilot.

(via PTI)

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Tuesday announced that the civil services preliminary examination have been postponed to June 16 from May 26 due to the Lok Sabha elections.

The civil services examination is conducted annually by the UPSC in three stages -- preliminary, main and interview -- to select officers for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS) among others.

"Due to the schedule of the impending general election, the commission has decided to postpone the civil services (preliminary) examination-2024 which also serves as screening test for Indian Forest Service examination, 2024, from 26-05-2024 to 16-06-2024," UPSC said.

Clashes broke out between the supporters of ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district after a public meeting addressed by Union MoS for Home Nisith Paramanik got over and a rally led by state minister Udayan Guha was about to begin nearby.

The incident happened in the Dinhata Bazar area around 8.30 pm on Tuesday when Pramanik, the local BJP MP, was on his way out after attending the meeting. The TMC was also scheduled to hold a meeting a few metres away from the spot, a news agency PTI report mentioned.

Pramanik claimed that stones were hurled at his convoy when he was leaving the area.

Pawan Kalyan-led Janasena, an NDA partner from Andhra Pradesh, has named T Uday Srinivas as the alliance candidate for the Kakinada Lok Sabha seat. Janasena, which is in alliance with the BJP and TDP in the state, has been allotted 21 Assembly and two Lok Sabha seats as part of a seat sharing deal.

"T Uday Srinivas will be the Janasena candidate from the Kakinada Lok Sabha constituency," a press release from Janasena quoted its chief Pawan Kalyan as saying on Tuesday.

Kalyan announced Srinivas' name during a party internal meeting in which 160 people from Pithapuram constituency joined the party.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday issued notification for simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh, in the first phase on April 19. The state election office in Arunachal Pradesh has issued separate gazette notifications for holding elections to 60 assembly constituencies and two Lok Sabha seats in the northeastern state.

With the issue of notification, the process of filing nominations has started, Joint Chief Electoral Officer Liken Koyu said.

Tamil Nadu CM and DMK chief MK Stalin is at the party headquarters Arivalayam in Chennai.

DMK will shortly release their election manifesto and announce the list of candidates for the party to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday accepted the resignation of Pashupati Kumar Paras from the Union Council of Ministers with immediate effect.

The President directed that Kiren Rijiju, Cabinet Minister, be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, in addition to his existing portfolio.

Tamil Nadu: Ruling DMK released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha election 2024 and its list of 16 candidates.

The candidates are: North Chennai :- Kalanidhi Veeraswamy, South Chennai :- Thamizhachi Thangapandian, Central Chennai :- Dayanidhi Maran, Sriperumbudur :- TR Baalu, Thiruvanamalai :- Annadurai, Nilgiris :- A Raja, Thoothukudi :- Kanimozhi

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) announced that it has rescheduled exam dates in view of the Lok Sabha elections. While the chartered accountant exams will be conducted in the month of May as decided earlier, the dates have been changed.

Here's The New Schedule For CA Exams

• According to the new schedule, the intermediate course exam for Group 1 will be held on May 3, 5 and 9. Earlier, the exam was scheduled on May 3, 5 and 7.

• For Group 2, the intermediate course exam will be held on May 11, 15 and 17. Earlier, the exam was planned on May 9, 11 and 13.

• For the final exams, the ICAI has announced May 2, 4 and 8 for Group 1 which was earlier scheduled on May 2, 4 and 6. For the Group 2, the exam will be held on May 10, 14 and 16 which was earlier supposed to be conducted on May 8, 10 and 12.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday released his party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections 2024, in which he promised a ban on NEET exams.

Stalin's sister Kanimozhi and other party leaders were also present at the event in Chennai, where the party also announced a list of candidates for the party to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Statehood for Puducherry and a ban on NEET exams are some of the promises made by the DMK in its manifesto.

The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on Wednesday released its first list of 16 candidates for Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu.

The nominations for the eight constituencies in Uttar Pradesh in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections has started from today. The nomination process will take place between 11 am to 3 pm and will be done in Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur, and Pilibhit.

Out of eight Lok Sabha seats, seven are general and one is reserved for SC.

The last date for the first phase nomination is March 27, scrutiny of nomination papers on March 28 and withdrawal of nominations on March 30.

Police checked vehicles in TDP leader Nara Lokesh's convoy at Undavalli, Vijayawada as Model Code of Conduct is imposed following the announcement of simultaneous Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha elections on May 13 in Andhra Pradesh.

At the 3rd Summit of Democracy, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said the introduction of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) stands testament to their "commitment to transparency, to efficiency and the sanctity of the democratic process."

"This shift not only aligns with the principles of modern democracy but paves the way for greater civic engagement, especially among the youth who will inherit the responsibilities of our democratic legacy...India's commitment to conducting free, fair and inclusive elections underscores the resilience and adaptability of its democratic machinery, illustrating that even amidst complexity, the voice of every citizen matters," news agency ANI quoted Jaishankar as saying.

"With 968 million registered voters, 15 million election officials and 1.2 million polling booths, the upcoming 18th edition of India's national elections is the largest electoral logistics exercise that this planet has ever witnessed...," Jaishankar said.

The ruling DMK of Tamil Nadu has filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India over Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje's recent statement alleging that "people of Tamil Nadu were behind the Rameshwaram cafe blast, which took place in Bengaluru on March 1.

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In what looked like a veiled dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday at the 'Startup Mahakumbh' event at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi said that "many launch start-ups, especially in politics, where repeated launch attempts are made."

"...Start-up toh bohot log launch karte hain, aur politics mein toh zyada. Baar baar launch karna padta hai. Aap mein aur unme fark yeh hai ki aap log prayogsheel hote hain, ek agar launch nahi hua to turant doosre par chale jaate hain...," PM Modi said. FULL REPORT HERE

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PM Modi had taken a similar swipe at Congress scion Rahul Gandhi in his Rajya Sabha speech in February this year, saying that despite party giving a "starter" to the 'yuvraj', he has turned out to be a "non-starter."

"Apne yuvraj [scion] ko ek starter bana ke diya hai, ab wo non-starter hai... na toh lift ho raha hai an wo launch ho raha hai... [Congress has given its scion a starter, now he is a non-starter... neither is he lifting off nor is he launching," PM Modi had said.

Tamilisai Soundarajan, who quit her post as Telangana Governor on Monday, rejoined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai gave the membership card to Soundarajan at the party's headquarters 'Kamalalayam' in Chennai.

After rejoining the BJP, Tamilisai Soundararajan said she wants to contest elections, adding: "I have expressed my wish to my party too...I am happy to get back the membership card which I have...It's the happiest day. It's a tough decision and a happy decision too. There were many facilities to me as Governor but I left it...I don't regret it even one per cent...Lotus will blossom in Tamil Nadu for sure."

Over 11,000 defacements, including wall writings, posters and banners, were removed in Gautam Buddh Nagar district within 72 hours in line with the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha election, according to official data.

Of the total defacements removed, 9,361 were on public properties and 2,321 on private spaces across the district, data on the status of enforcement of poll code, accessed by PTI, showed.

According to the Election Commission's guidelines on model code of conduct, all wall writings, posters, papers, cutouts, banners, flags or defacements in any other form, including cutouts, hoardings, banners, among others, on government properties should be removed within 24 hours from the announcement of elections.

(via PTI)

BJP leader Varun Gandhi may contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate if BJP does not give him a ticket, reports citing sources said.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Varun Gandhi contested from Pilibhit and secured the seat for a third term.

Sources cited in an indiatoday.in report said that Varun Gandhi's representatives returned from Delhi, brought four sets of nomination papers for the Pilibhit seat in Uttar Pradesh and went back to the national capital.

The BJP is yet to hold a Central Election Commission (CEC) meeting to decide a candidate for Pilibhit.

Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK, a key constituent of the INDIA bloc in its manifesto released on Wednesday promised to repeal the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 if the opposition alliance wins the Lok Sabha elections 2024. The party also vowed to ban NEET exam.

Disbanding the current NITI Aayog, set up by the BJP regime and establishing again the Planning Commission to draft plans based on the requests of state governments is another assurance the DMK has made.

Jannayak Janata Party chief Dushyant Chautala on Wednesday said his party will try to bring in those people who have been left out or have joined other ideologies.

In a presser in Chandigarh, Chautala said: "JJP workers will try to connect every village and house with the party. We will also try to bring those who have been left out or joined other ideologies.”

Bihar leader Pappu Yadav on Wednesday merged his Jan Adhikar Party with the Congress and formally joined the party in New Delhi.

RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha on Wednesday said things are moving in the right direction among the parties in INDI alliance on seat-sharing for upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

"Things are on track, things are moving amid a great atmosphere. In the next couple days, everything will be clear. A great formula involving number and winnability will come and everything will be finalised," he said.

Suspended BSP leader and Lok Sabha MP Danish Ali from Amroha on Wednesday joined Congress.

BJP on Wednesday knocked the doors of Election Commission over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'shakti' remark.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha on Wednesday accused ‘Mahagathbandhan’ parties of corruption.

He also termed the parties of the amalgam as “dynast”, who have “common agenda” to stop Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Mahagathbandhan is not a natural alliance. They all have their own hidden agenda and one common agenda to stop PM Modi. These corrupted and 'parivarvad' people cannot finalise their seat-sharing pact because of their negative agenda,” he said.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday said BJP appeals Election Commission of India (ECI) to take remedial action against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his ‘shakti’ remark.

Earlier, BJP went to ECI with a complaint about Rahul Gandhi’s ‘shakti’ remark during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra rally in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park.

After meeting with ECI officials in New Delhi to lodge a complaint against Rahul Gandhi over his recent remarks on EVMs and central probe agencies, Puri said: “If we listen to his (Rahul Gandhi) speech, he said things about the EVM. He said if there was no ED, CBI or EVMs, then the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could not conduct an election campaign and win. We appealed to the Commission to take remedial and corrective actions.”

The seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections was signed between BJP Tamil Nadu chief K Annamalai and Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMK) general secretary TTV Dhinakaran in Chennai on Wednesday.

CPI(M) Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday said the upcoming Lok Sabha elections are “existential elections for the Indian republic”.

"These elections are important because it is an existential elections for the Indian republic, whether we are going to maintain our secular democratic character or not. The last 10 years have seen a series of assaults on the Constitutional values and fundamental pillars of our Constitution,” he said.

Tamil Nadu's main opposition AIADMK on Wednesday clinched Lok Sabha poll deal with DMDK ahead of upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

AIADMK alloted five seats to DMDK under the deal between the two parties. AIADMK allots Central Chennai, Cuddalore, Tiruvallur, Thanjavur, Virudhunagar segments to DMDK.

RJD leader Shakti Singh Yadav on Wednesday said there is no delay in INDIA bloc’s decision of seat-sharing among in Bihar.

"There is no delay in the decision of seat-sharing. The opposition (NDA) will get nothing from what they are so eager about," he said.

The National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) on Wednesday was rescheduled due to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The NEET UG 2024, originally scheduled for May 5 this year, has been postponed to June 23, 2024.

The flying-squad team of the Election Commission seized Rs 1 lakh of unaccounted cash in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi on Wednesday.

Congress on Wednesday said the party will officially announce the names of Lok Sabha candidates in Rajasthan.

“Our aim is to perform well in Rajasthan. We are getting good feedback from the campaigns and shortlisted candidates," said Congress leader Sachin Pilot after attending the party's Central Election Committee meeting in Delhi.

Election Commission on Wednesday asked Karnataka chief electoral officer to act on DMK's complaint against Union Minister and BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje over her remarks about Tamil Nadu people.

Former MP and Jammu and Kashmir minister Lal Singh rejoined the Congress in the presence of senior party leaders in New Delhi on Wednesday.

He also announced the merger of his outfit, Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Party (DSSP), with the Congress.

Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Wednesday said the party will choose local leaders in Punjab for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Singh after attending the party’s Central Election Committee meeting in New Delhi said: “We held discussions over all (the seats). People don’t like to see leaders from outside, so we will choose local leaders (in Punjab).”

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday took serious note of the non-compliance/partial compliance of its instructions on unauthorised political advertisements.

The ECI has directed all State/UT governments to immediately remove all unauthorised political advertisements and ensure full compliance with its aforesaid instructions.

The ECI said the Commission has been receiving complaints from Congress and other quarters alleging that unauthorised political advertisements are still being displayed in many places across the country.

Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Wednesday said the people willingly give money to Opposition.

His response came in reaction to a question on electoral bonds.

"There is a big difference between what the opposition gets and what the government gets. Who has ED and CBI, and who can put pressure? People willingly give (money) to the opposition, so we accept it...,” he said.

AAP leader Mahabal Mishra on Wednesday targeted BJP saying saffron party’s guarantees are just 'jumla'.

Mishra, who is AAP’s candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from West Delhi seat, said:"People are praising the work done by Arvind Kejriwal in the area, whether it is related to water supply, electricity, education, free buses for women, or more. People are discussing that Arvind Kejriwal fulfils what he promises, whereas the BJP's guarantees are just 'jumla'."

Former Bihar MLA Abhay Kushwaha on Wednesday said he will stand with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav for the “bright” future of Bihar.

Kushwaha, who resigned from JDU earlier, said: "I have sent my resignation to the state president. We will definitely decide on the future course of action... We will definitely strengthen the RJD and will stand strongly with Tejashwi Yadav for the bright future of Bihar....”.

Former cricketer-turned-politician Yusuf Pathan, who recently joined TMC on Wednesday said: "I feel very good that I am coming back to Kolkata and today we will have a meeting here and plan how to move forward."

Yusuf Pathan is TMC's candidate from Berhampore seat for the upcoming Lok Sabha Polls.

Union Minister and BJP leader Arjun Munda on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guarantees indicate that the country’s future will be bright.

While commenting on the party’s preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, he said: “I visited the Adilabad Lok Sabha constituency today. I saw enthusiasm among the public and party workers in Adilabad. PM Modi’s guarantees indicate that the country’s future will be bright.”

Congress leader K C Venugopal on Wednesday said the government should let the truth come out on electoral bonds.

Venugopal said: "Let the truth come out. If the opposition is going to get exposed, then why are they keeping this?"

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday accused UPA government of resorting to lies to defend its scams. He said his government acted against the corrupt.