Elections 2024: Lok Sabha Poll Dates To Be Out On March 16; Madras HC Says Yes To PM Modi's Coimbatore Roadshow

The list of companies purchasing electoral bonds for political contributions comprise of corporate heavyweights. However, the biggest donor, as per the list is from a lesser-known lottery company, Future Gaming and Hotel Services.

Among the more recognizable names are steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, Bharti Airtel led by Sunil Bharti Mittal, Vedanta chaired by Anil Agarwal, as well as ITC, Mahindra and Mahindra, DLF, PVR, and a host of other prominent figures including the Birlas, Bajajs, Jindals, Spicejet, IndiGo, and the Goenkas.

The Election Commission is set to announce the dates for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 soon. As per 2019 polls taking place in later half of April had the dates announced by March 10. Some media reports suggest that the dates will be announced on March 16 or 17.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled for roadshow in Hyderabad. Alongside BJP Rallies in Telangana before Lok Sabha Elections, PM Modi is set to conduct a roadshow from Mirjalguda to Malkajgiri Chowrasta on Friday evening, as announced by G Premender Reddy, the state BJP general secretary, in a release on Thursday.

He will address BJP rallies in Telangana on March 16 and March 18, in anticipation of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu will today take charge as Election Commissioners. Both were appointed election commissioners yesterday by the selection panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Trinamool Congress on Thursday announced candidates for four Lok Sabha seats in which other anti-BJP parties have already declared nominees. Even though TMC is a part of the United Opposition Forum Assam, their candidate list indicated their intention go solo in the upcoming elections.

ALSO READ | TMC Announces Candidates For 4 Lok Sabha Seats In Assam

The CPI(M)-led Left Front on Thursday announced candidates for 16 of West Bengal's 42 Lok Sabha constituencies among which 14 are new faces while 3 are women. Left Front chairman Biman Bose, keeping the doors open for a seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress.

With the agenda of increasing votes in South India, PM Modi will conduct election campaigns in three states today - Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. These three states are currently ruled by opposition parties.

During his fifth visit to the state this year, PM Modi will be campaigning in Kanniyakumari today. This area in the southern tip of India is where the BJP has a stronger presence. However, in the Dravidian heartland, the party is struggling without any major allies after AIADMK's departure.

To strengthen its position, the BJP is seeking the support of the PMK and actor Vijayakanth's DMDK in the state before the polls. Prime Minister Modi has been criticizing the ruling DMK for its dynastic politics and corruption, while the DMK has been focusing on the BJP's criticism of federalism and alleged financial discrimination against southern states.

Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to arrive in Pathanamthitta at 10:30 am. He will be greeted by the BJP's state leader K Surendran, the party's Kerala representative Prakash Javadekar, state General Secretary George Kurian, and Pathanamthitta district president VA Sooraj.

CEC Rajiv Kumar welcomed the two newly-appointed Election Commissioners, Gyanesh Kumar & Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, as they officially joined the Commission on Friday after their names were announced by the PM Modi-led selection committee on Thursday.

According to a post by the Election Commission, "CEC emphasized the significance of their joining at the historic point when ECI is all set to conduct #General Election2024 in the world's largest democracy."

ALSO READ | New Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu Join Office

Union Minister Amit Shah on Friday arrived in Gujarat's Gandhinagar to continue with BJP's election campaign after being renominated for the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat.

He joined the rally after offering prayers to Lord Hanuman in Ahmedabad city.

He addresses public and speaks to them in Gujarati where he emphasizes the contribution of BJP karyakartas or party workers in the success of the party nationwide. He also urged BJP cadres to contact each and every voter during the poll campaign and ensure that they come to the booth to vote for BJP.

Supreme Court on Friday addressed the release of data regarding electoral bonds by the Election Commission and clarified that once data is scanned, digitised, the original documents be returned to EC.

According to PTI, the bench took note of the submissions made by senior advocate Kapil Sibal and lawyer Prashant Bhushan, who appeared in the matter on behalf of the petitioner, that the alpha-numeric numbers of the electoral bonds have not been disclosed by the SBI.

It issued a notice to the bank and posted the matter for hearing on March 18.

ALSO READ | Electoral Bonds: SC Asks SBI To Publish Data Revealing Link With Donor To Political Parties

Speaking to the reporters, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said that the seat-sharing among INDIA bloc parties in Maharashtra is almost finalised. He said, "Prakash Ambedkar is a member of Maha Vikas Aghadi. He took part in the first meeting. We have given a proposal of 4 seats to Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi. In today's meeting (of MVA), there will be talks between NCP-Congress."

Punjab Congress MLA Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal has tendered his resignation from the primary membership of the party. He has also stepped down from his position as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).

Addressing a public rally in Tamil Nadu, PM Modi urges the people from the southern part of India to choose BJP as he claims that the incumbent DMK and the opposition Congress want to come to power to "loot people".

PM Modi added, "People of Jammu and Kashmir rejected those who dreamt of breaking the country, Tamil Nadu will also do the same."

The Election Commission notified that they will reveal the Lok Sabha and state assemblies poll schedule schedule on Saturday that is March 16.

The Supreme Court has declined to halt the appointment of new election commissioners under 2023 law that excludes chief justice of India from selection panel.

Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) seat-sharing meeting is scheduled to be held on Friday evening. Prakash Ambedkar told ANI that he has not been invited to the MVA meeting yet, so he won’t attend it.

The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday released a notice announcing that they will withdraw their candidate from the Guwahati Lok Sabha seat. Not only that the AAP has demanded Congress to withdraw their candidates from Sonitpur and Dibrugarh in Assam and claimed that if they do not withdraw, "it will be clear that Congress party has done a setting with BJP and is fighting only to make sure that BJP wins."

AAP in their announcement expressed shock at the candidates list by Congress in Assam released on March 12, they questioned, "will it not be helping the BJP by diving the votes?"

Bharat Rashtra Samithi and Bahujan Samaj Party will be forming an alliance for Lok Sabha elections from Telangana.

BRS Chief KCR announced on Friday that Nagarkurnool and Hyderabad Lok Sabha seats will be given to BSP.

On the central government's decision to slash petrol and diesel prices by Rs 2 per litre ahead of Lok Sabha elections, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sachin Ahir said "this government does it before every election".

"It's an election 'jumla' as post polls again, there will be a price hike," he said.

PM Modi accused Kerala government of corruption and said, "My brothers and sisters in Kerala are suffering the loss of having a corruption government here. We know that the rubber farmers here are struggling to survive, but the LDF and UDF have their eyes closed."

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh told the media on Friday that Rahul Gandhi will be present at the Chaityabhoomi Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Smarak to conclude the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra at 5:30 pm on Saturday.

Arvind Kejriwal addressed public at the launch event of the Aam Aadmi Party's Gujarat campaigning for Lok Sabha polls. He said, "Back in December 2022, during the Gujarat assembly election, people used to tell us that the state only has a dominance of two parties (BJP and Congress) and there’s no scope for a third party here. And surprisingly, we got 14 per cent votes and five MLAs in the first time itself."

He then added, "I believe AAP will liberate this country from BJP’s rule one day...we are confident that we will form the government in the Centre."

Coimbatore police on Friday denied permission for PM Modi's 4km roadshow which he planned to hold in the city during his March 18 visit, as per media reports.

According to police, the reason behind denying the permission was public inconvenience and they also mentioned that the road chosen by the BJP was communally sensitive.

Turning the speculations into reality, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs Arjun Singh and Dibyendu Adhikari on Friday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in Delhi. Dibyendu Adhikari is the brother of West Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikari.

Arjun made the 'ghar wapsi' to the BJP with an explosive claim that Sandeshkhali's alleged kingpin Shajahan Sheikh owned large tracts of land and other properties in Naihati under active patronage of local TMC MLA Partha Bhowmik.

"Why did the TMC top brass send Partha Bhowmik, instead of the local MLA, to Sandeshkhali to defend Shajahan and his cohorts? That's because he had close contacts with Sheikh and needed to secure the evidence connecting him to Sheikh in the wake of the ED raid", Singh said.

"Not just Sheikh, but his associates Shiba Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar have also bought bighas after bighas of plots and other properties in Naihati", he further added.

As poll dates are set to be announced tomorrow, TMC leader and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, "We want the elections to take place in one phase only... More than one phase election is not even required..."

Madras High Court Justice N Anand Venkatesh directs Coimbatore Police to permit the BJP's road show during PM Modi's visit to the city on 18th March with certain conditions.

Earlier, citing public inconvenience and communal sensitivity, Coimbatore police denied permission for the 4 km long roadshow.

The Samajwadi Party announced its candidates for six constituencies in Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The declared candidates include Yashveer Singh for Bijnor, Manoj Kumar for Nagina, Bhanu Pratap Singh for Meerut, Bijendra Singh for Aligarh, Jasveer Valmiki for Hathras, and Daroga Saroj for Lalganj. Additionally, the party allocated the Bhadohi Lok Sabha seat to the Trinamool Congress.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted a roadshow in Malkajgiri, Hyderabad, within Telangana. He was accompanied by State BJP chief and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy during the event.

Arindam Roy has stepped down from his role in the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), also resigning from his position as the party's general secretary.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has deployed 75 companies of paramilitary forces in Odisha for the upcoming Lok Sabha and state elections. IG CRPF Archana Shivhare stated, "MHA has deployed 75 companies of paramilitary forces in the state - 35 companies of CRPF, 25 companies of BSF and 5 companies of CISF. On behalf of MHA, IG-CRPF has been designated as a state force coordinator for the state to ensure the deployment of these paramilitary companies...We are continuously coordinating with the State Police to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections...More deployment is in the states where naxalism, naxal activities have been found to be reported. CRPF has also established four new camps in the core areas for intensifying the anti-naxal operations so that before the polls, we can eliminate naxal activities from the state and polls can be conducted in a free and fair manner..."

"We are extremely delighted that Madras High Court has come hard on the Tamil Nadu government and Coimbatore Police for denying permission for PM Modi’s roadshow on March 18. The conditions that they cited for rejection were childish and frivolous. We are happy that the court has given us the permission, and the roadshow will be a historic one." - Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai on Madras HC permitting BJP to conduct roadshow.

Popular Odia actor Arindam Roy, alongside several others, has officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bhubaneswar. The event took place at the BJP headquarters in the presence of Odisha BJP President Manmohan Samal.

Actor Arindam Roy says, "I have joined BJP after being inspired by PM Narendra Modi and will work hard to strengthen the party. While I was in BJD, tried several times to meet Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, but unfortunately due to party politics couldn't get the opportunity to meet him".

The Election Commission announced on X that a press conference is scheduled for Saturday at 3 pm. This conference will unveil the timetable for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and elections in several state assemblies.