 "LS polls: 'Modi-Aurangzeb' row, 200k political ads axed in Delhi. 10 points")
Filing nominations for phase one of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections got off to a slow start on Wednesday, with 33 candidates' affidavits submitted for the key battle across 102 constituencies on April 19. The data on the Election Commission of India (ECI) website showed that close to half of the nominations were filed by independent candidates at 15, while the rest were by the candidates on different party tickets.
Notably, no nominations were filed in either of the two constituencies of the conflict-torn Manipur on day one. The last date to register for phase one polls is March 28 for Bihar and March 27 for the remaining 20 states/UTs.
Here are 10 other Lok Sabha election updates for March 21:
1) The Opposition's INDIA or Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance in Maharashtra will meet on Thursday to hold final discussions on the seat-sharing agreement. Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole said, "We have discussed at least 18-19 seats of Maharashtra and finalised at least 12 seats and tomorrow morning, we have a meeting with Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray."
Patole said that an announcement on the same could be made anytime soon. The development comes after the Congress' Central Election Committee finalised 26 Lok Sabha poll candidates for the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan in a key meeting on Wednesday.
Sanjay Raut compares Modi to Aurangzeb
2) Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction) leader Sanjay Raut has sparked fresh tensions with the BJP over his remarks comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The row erupted after Raut, during an election in Maharashtra's Buldhana, said, "There is a place called Dahod (in Gujarat) where Modi was born, Aurangzeb was also born there. So this Aurangzebi attitude is marching towards Maharashtra from Gujarat and Delhi, and also against the Shiv Sena and our self-respect. Don't say Modi has come, say Aurangzeb has arrived. We will bury them."
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In response, the BJP's Sudhanshu Trivedi said, "The people of the country will respond to all such attacks in an effective way."
Supreme Court hearing on freebies
3) The Supreme Court is set to hear a PIL against the practice of political parties promising freebies during elections today. The plea demands a ban on such measures, which parties usually promise in a bid to gain undue political favour from voters.
Delhi action on political ads
4) Since the enforcement of the model code of conduct from March 16, Delhi's civic body, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, removed a total of 257,995 posters, banners, hoardings and small boards from across 12 zones, citing violation. The removed items till Tuesday included a whopping 201,364 political advertisements.
5) The EC on Wednesday further clamped down on poll code violations in a bid to ensure a level playing field in the Lok Sabha elections. Accordingly, it wrote to all the state governments, asking them to take down all unauthorised political advertisements from government, public and private properties and submit a compliance report in 24 hours.
Congress - CPI(M) struggle in Assam
6) The INDIA bloc in Assam is making efforts to build consensus on a seat-sharing deal in the northeastern state. The Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) are holding discussions to reach an agreement on a common candidate for the Barpeta Lok Sabha constituency, where both parties have named their nominees.
The seat, which will hold polls in the third phase on May 7, is currently represented by Congress' Abdul Khaleque. The party has fielded a new face, Deep Bayan, for 2024 polls. The CPIM(M) has fielded Manoranjan Talukdar on the seat.
7) The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), an INDIA bloc member, expressed displeasure on Wednesday over Congress' delay in announcing the alliance candidates for Goa's two Lok Sabha seats. The alliance has agreed for the Congress to contest both seats in the coastal state. Congress won the South Goa seat in the last polls, while the Bharatiya Janata Party won the North Goa seat. Both constituencies will go to polls in the third phase on May 7.
NEET PG 2024 rescheduled to June 23
8) The NEET PG 2024 exam has also been rescheduled to June 23 due to Lok Sabha polls by the National Medical Commission (NMC) on Wednesday. The exam was earlier to be held on July 7. Earlier, the UPSC civil services prelims and ICAI exam dates were also shifted, citing clashes with the poll process. The UPSC prelims will now be conducted on June 16.
Varun Gandhi looks at BJP ticket from Pilibhit
9) BJP MP Varun Gandhi, a vocal critic of the Modi government, will get a ticket from Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit constituency, his spokesperson claimed on Wednesday. The statement came amid speculations that Gandhi may be dropped from the BJP's list over his statements. Pilibhit seat has been represented by Varun Gandhi's mother, Maneka Gandhi or him for over two decades.
10) Union Minister Jitendra Singh will file his poll nomination today from Jammu-Kashmir's Udhampur constituency. The Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir will go to polls in the first five phases, with one seat up for voting each time. The 67-year-old BJP leader will fight to retain his seat, which goes to poll in the inaugural phase on April 19.