Lok Sabha polls highlights: CWC meet, Priyanka rally in Gujarat on Mar 12

While Election Commission is yet to announce the Lok Sabha Election 2019 schedule, all parties have been campaigning with their full might. Catch LIVE updates on general election campaigns

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will sound the poll bugle in Madhya Pradesh today by addressing a rally in Dhar district. BJP workers, mainly from tribal-dominated Dhar and Ratlam-Jhabua Lok Sabha seats, will take part in the Vijay Sankalp rally. Meanwhile, Congress Party and the Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continue to trade barbs over air strikes carried out by the Indian Air Force on February 26 by slamming each other.

Today, the UDF-Congress combine in Kerala will discuss seat sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Karnataka's ruling coalition partners, the Congress and the JD(S), on Monday began the first round of discussions on seat-sharing. The two parties did not reveal the outcome of the meeting. However, Congress state president Dinesh Gundu Rao Rao termed it fruitful while his party insisted that "winnability" would be a criterion for finalising the seat-sharing formula.

While the Election Commission of India is yet to disclose General Election 2019 schedule, senior Congress leader Ahmad Patel on Monday courted controversy by questioning ECI on the delay in the announcement of dates. Patel took a jibe at ECI and asked if the chief election body was “waiting” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to complete his election rallies before announcing the dates for the crucial elections.

Catch LIVE updates on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 campaigns

11:13 PM

Congress-led MP govt has no concern for farmers: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday accused the Congress-led government in Madhya Pradesh of having no concern for farmers as the state had not sent a list of eligible beneficiaries for the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana.

 

In the interim Budget 2019-20, the Central government announced the PM-KISAN scheme under which Rs 6,000 per year will be given in three instalments to 12 crore small and marginal farmers holding cultivable land up to two hectares.

 

The first tranche of Rs 2,000 was disbursed online to over 1 crore farmers by the prime minister on February 24.

 

"Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, the first instalment (of Rs 2,000) has already reached the bank accounts of several crore farmers. But I am pained to say not a single farmer from Madhya Pradesh is included in it because the government sitting in Bhopal has no concern for farmers," he said.

 

"The state government has not yet send us the list of beneficiary farmers (for the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana)," Modi said at a BJP 'Vijay Sankalp' rally here.

11:11 PM

Cong to hold CWC meet in Ahmedabad on March 12

Congress is likely to hold the meeting of its highest decision-making body in Ahmedabad on March 12, party sources said Tuesday, days after it was postponed in the wake of deteriorating security situation between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terrorist attack.

 

The meeting of the Congress Working Committee was previously scheduled for Feb 28 in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state Gujarat.

 

This will be the first poll rally that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would attend, days after her foray in active politics as Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

The CWC would discuss the current political scenario and review the progress for the coming general election.

11:08 PM

Condemn those doing politics over 'blood of jawans': Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday condemned those playing politics over "blood of the jawans" for winning Lok Sabha polls and said she does not need lessons on patriotism from "those who killed" the father of the nation.

 

The Trinamool Congress chief said she has right to speak as a citizen of the country and said whoever is asking about the outcome of the air strikes on terror camps in Balakot is being branded as a Pakistani or traitor.

 

"This cannot happen that someone will win elections by doing politics with the jawans' blood. The blood of the jawans is for the country. Jawans work for the country and they do not do politics. I condemn those who are doing politics with the blood of jawans," Banerjee told reporters at state secretariat 'Nabanna'.

 

11:04 PM

Kejriwal seeks support of women voters in LS polls on issue of Delhi's full statehood

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday sought support of women voters in the Lok Sabha election on the issue of full statehood for the national capital.

 

In an audio message, Kejriwal said police will be under the control of elected chief minister if Delhi becomes a full state and then the force will have to listen.

 

"Like we have improved the government schools and hospitals, I am telling you when Delhi will be a full state, the law and order of the city will be such that even if you step out of your home at 11 pm in the night, nobody will even dare to look at you," he said.

11:03 PM

BJD govt stalling Central projects in Odisha: Pradhan

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Tuesday accused the BJD government of "stalling" many Central projects in Odisha including the long awaited medical college built here at a cost of Rs 500 crore.

 

"Odisha Government is obstructing operationalisation of the medical college built by Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd in the say way it has been scuttling many other people-oriented Central projects," Pradhan claimed.

10:59 PM

All political parties batted for joint polls in J&K: CEC

The Election Commission of India Tuesday said almost all political parties in Jammu and Kashmir have expressed full faith in the ECI and batted for holding state assembly polls simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections.

 

The team, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, reached Jammu on the second leg of the two-day tour and held discussions with the representatives of various political parties, including the BJP, Congress, National Conference, PDP, CPI(M) and the National Panthers Party (NPP), officials said.

 

A similar exercise was conducted by the ECI in Srinagar on Monday as part of its efforts to assess the feasibility of holding the Lok Sabha and the assembly polls together.

9:28 PM

AAP to start door-to-door campaign for Delhi's full statehood

In the run-up to the Lok Sabha election, Aam Aadmi Party is planning to start a door-to-door campaign from March 10 for full statehood for Delhi, the party sources said.

 

The AAP has already constituted 1000 teams for the door-to-door campaign from March 10 and make people aware of the statehood issue, they said.

 

9:20 PM

BJP decides to contest both LS seats from Meghalaya on its own

BJP, which is backing the NPP-led Democratic Alliance government in Meghalaya, on Tuesday announced that it will go alone in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and field candidates on the two Parliamentary seats--Tura and Shillong.

 

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by BJP general secretary in-charge of North East, Ajay Jamuwal and attended by state party's leaders and workers here.

 

"We have decided in principle to contest the Lok Sabha elections from both the parliamentary seats in Meghalaya," BJP state leader and cabinet minister AL Hek told reporters.

9:07 PM

You cannot win elections over jawans' blood: Mamata Banerjee

9:03 PM

We are against Modi and BJP: Mamata

9:02 PM

9:01 PM

2:19 PM

DMK will contest on 20 seats in Tamil Nadu: Stalin

"We have allocated 10 seats to our alliance partner Congress & other 10 have been given to our other alliance partners. DMK will contest on the remaining 20 seats.On 7th March, we will begin the identification of the seats for both DMK & alliance partners," says DMK President M K Stalin.

2:16 PM

No alliance in Delhi: Delhi Congress Chief Sheila Dikshit

1:48 PM

Congress MLA fell for BJP's 'Operation Kamala': Siddaramaiah

Umesh Jadhav, Karnataka's "rebel" Congress MLA who resigned from the state Assembly, fell prey to the BJP's 'Operation Kamala', party leader Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday. Read more...