LS polls highlights: INDIA bloc extremely communal, casteist and nepotistic, says PM at Delhi rally

General Elections 2024: Catch all the latest news updates on the Lok Sabha polls here

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday tore into the INDIA bloc accusing it of being extremely "communal, casteist and nepotistic" as he alleged that all parties which are the Congress are to be blamed for the anti-Sikh riots. Addressing a rally in Dwarka, he said the BJP's development model is committed to 'nation first' but for the Congress and the INDIA grouping, the only agenda is 'family first'.

At an election rally at Ranchi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi hit out against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the prime minister takes credit for Chandrayaan 3, but does not provide salaries on time to HEC engineers who built its components.

At a poll rally in UP's Shravasti, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at the Congress, alleging that if the Congress wins, terrorists who are in jail today will be called to PM's house and fed 'biryani'.

The Congress has consciously contested on a lesser number of seats in this Lok Sabha election as part of a strategy to keep the INDIA bloc together and defeat the BJP,  Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge stated in an interview with PTI. Kharge asserted that  this does not exhibit "under-confidence" on the part of the party as the "compromise was struck to ensure victory of the united opposition while giving space to other parties which have strengths in different parts of the country".

Ahead of the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address elections rallies in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi today. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will also lead a rally in Charkhi Dadri and a public meeting in Sonipat. 
The Delhi Traffic Police has released an advisory in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election rally in the national capital today. He will be campaigning in the Dwarka Lok Sabha constituency this evening.

At the Nari Shakti Samvaad programme in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday claimed that before 2014, women did not get the respect they deserved.  Adityanath asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi prioritized women's welfare in his government's agenda in the past 10 years. "Before 2014, daughters and sisters in the country were unsafe and did not get the respect they deserved. They were harassed in the name of triple talaq and there was hesitation in giving them proper representation," Adityanath said.

Home Minister Amit Shah accused the BJD government in Odisha of looting the Ratna Bhandaar at the iconic Jagannath Temple. Shah said, "I wish a pose a direct question to Naveen Patnaik and I want his answer. Where did the keys to the Mahaprabhu's (Lord Jagannath's) 'Ratna Bhandaar' (at Puri's Jagannath temple) disappear? Naveen Patnaik should answer if duplicate keys were made. I can tell you that if the BJP comes to power in Odisha, we will take those, who looted the state of its wealth and resources, to task within the first 100 days of forming the government here. We will bring those, who looted the Ratna Bhandaar, to justice."

8:40 PM

INDIA bloc extremely 'communal, casteist and nepotistic', says Modi at Delhi rally

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday tore into the INDIA bloc accusing it of being extremely "communal, casteist and nepotistic" as he alleged that all parties which are the Congress are to be blamed for the anti-Sikh riots. Addressing a rally in Dwarka, he said the BJP's development model is committed to 'nation first' but for the Congress and the INDIA grouping, the only agenda is 'family first'.

6:52 PM

Want fair probe, justice in Maliwal assault case as incident has two versions: Arvind Kejriwal

In his first reaction on AAP MP Swati Maliwal's alleged assault at his official residence, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said he expects a fair investigation into the matter and justice should be served. Maliwal has alleged she was "assaulted" by Kejriwal's personal assistant Bibhav Kumar when she went to meet the chief minister on May 13. The police have registered a case and arrested Kumar in connection with it. In an interview to PTI, the chief minister said the matter is currently "sub-judice" and his comment might affect the proceedings.

6:42 PM

Sunita has no interest in politics, will not contest polls: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal made it clear on Wednesday that his wife Sunita is not likely to contest elections in the future, saying she has no interest in active politics even though she came out aggressively in public after his arrest. In an interview to PTI, Kejriwal spoke at length on a variety of subjects, including the "humiliation" he suffered during his incarceration, accusations against him, what his family is going through and the prospects of the opposition INDIA bloc in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. "In every stage of my life, Sunita has supported me. I am fortunate to have a partner like her. To tolerate an eccentric person like me is not easy," Kejriwal said.

6:15 PM

LS polls: BJD moves EC against BJP's Sambit Patra for using Jagannath temple pic in advertisement

Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) against BJP's Puri Parliamentary Constituency candidate Sambit Patra for using a photo of Sri Jagannath temple in an advertisement issued by him in the local media. In a petition to the chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar, the BJD highlighted that the full-page advertisement featuring Patra's picture with Sri Jagannath Temple in the background also had the BJP's "lotus" symbol. The BJD also noted that on Monday, Patra made an "offensive" comment stating that "Lord Jagannath is the devotee of Modi," which severely affected the sentiments of millions of Odias worldwide.

5:58 PM

LS polls: INDIA bloc doesn't have any leader who can become PM, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the "corrupt INDI alliance," stating that the opposition bloc lacks any leader capable of becoming prime minister. Addressing back-to-back rallies at Ghatal and Purulia, Amit Shah criticised the INDIA bloc leaders, stating they only aim to advance their dynasties and "neither have any leaders to lead the country nor any intention for the development of the nation." Shah, while referring to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir said "PoK is part of India and we will take it".

5:37 PM

Lok Sabha elections: 8,360 candidates in fray in 2024 polls, highest since 1996

A total of 8,360 candidates are contesting the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, the highest since 1996, according to an analysis of official data. In the 2019 polls, there were 8,039 candidates, and in 1996, a record 13,952 candidates were in the fray for 543 seats of the Lower House of Parliament. The 2024 general elections are being held in seven phases, with five rounds of polling completed. The sixth and last rounds will be held on May 25 and June 1, respectively. Counting of votes will be taken up on June 4.

5:25 PM

PM takes credit for Chandrayaan 3, but no salary for engineers who built its parts, says Priyanka Gandhi

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the prime minister takes credit for Chandrayaan 3, but does not provide salaries on time to HEC engineers who built its components.

5:09 PM

Got a call from 'senior leader': Swati Maliwal makes fresh claims against AAP

In a tweet on X,  AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal said that that she received a call from a ‘senior leader’ from the party. She alleged that everyone is under pressure to speak ‘dirty things’ against her and that the party is plotting a ‘personal photos' leak’.

5:07 PM

Water shortage due to AAP's corruption, inaction, says Delhi BJP chief

Responding to AAP's allegations, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva on Wednesday said, "Fearing its defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, the AAP has come out with a new lie. When we raised the issue of water supply crisis on Monday the minister did not utter a word and now she is blaming the BJP."

"Delhi CM Kejriwal had written a letter to her from Tihar a month ago to address the issues of water supply. She should tell what was done in the past one month. The corruption and inaction of the AAP government is responsible for the shortage of water in Delhi," he charged.

5:04 PM

Lok Sabha polls 2024: INDIA bloc doesn't have any leader who can become PM, claims Amit Shah

While addressing a rally at Ghatal, Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the INDIA bloc leaders just want their dynasty to move ahead and "neither have any leaders to lead the country nor have any intention for the development of the nation." "The INDI alliance doesn't have any leaders. The INDI alliance wants five PMs in five years. The INDI alliances neither have leaders nor have any intention for the development of the nation," he said.

3:55 PM

AP police teams on hunt for YSRCP MLA who damaged EVM

Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena on Wednesday said police teams have been formed to look for 'absconding' YSRCP MLA P Ramakrishna Reddy who vandalised an electronic voting machine (EVM) at a polling centre in Macharla constituency of Palnadu district. The CEO said police raided Reddy's residence this morning, but he was not found there.

3:44 PM

Election Commission asks BJP, Congress to refrain from making divisive speeches during election campaigns

The poll body  asked Congress to not politicise defence forces and make potentially divisive statements regarding socio-economic composition of armed forces. EC also instructed BJP to stop delivering campaign speeches that may divide society. the poll body also directed the Congress to ensure that star campaigners do not make statements which give false impression that Constitution of India may be abolished.

3:37 PM

SP-Congress will resort to taking away the water tap of your homes, claims PM Modi

"Modi gave 4 crore houses to poor people, now SP-Congress have decided to reverse everything, they will take the keys of these 4 crore houses, snatch the houses and give them to their vote bank. Modi opened Jan Dhan accounts for more than 50 crore poor people, they (SP-Congress) will close your bank account and snatch away your money. Modi brought electricity to every village, these people would again create darkness by cutting off the electricity connections. Modi is providing water to every home, SP-Congress people will even open the water tap of your house and take it away and they are experts in this," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today.

3:25 PM

INDIA bloc has diseases worse than cancer, can destroy the whole of India if they spread: PM Modi

"The INDI alliance has diseases worse than cancer. They can destroy the whole of India if they spread. These three diseases can be more destructive for the country than cancer. These diseases are, these people are extremely communal, these people are extremely racist, these people are extreme nepotists," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today.

3:20 PM

AAP not implementing Centre's schemes in Delhi: Minister Hardeep Singh Puri

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri today slammed the AAP government for not implementing the Narendra Modi government's flagship schemes, including Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Ayushman Bharat, in the national capital. Puri also alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal government created obstacles in the implementation of the Metro project in every phase.