Elections 2024: Congress Announces 5 More Candidates; Kangana Tells Mandi 'I'm Your Sister, Not A Heroine'

The schedule for the 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.

Detailed Schedule Here

The Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Thursday announced candidates for eight Lok Sabha seats in the state, with the list including seven sitting MPs.

The party gave a ticket to former Congress MLA Raju Parve from Ramtek (SC) seat, which will see polling on April 19. Parve had joined the Shiv Sena recently. He replaces Sena's sitting MP Krupal Tumane.

The other seven names on the list, all sitting MPs, are Rahul Shewale (Mumbai South Central), Sanjay Mandlik (Kolhapur), Sadashiv Lokhande (Shirdi (SC)) Prataprao Jadhav (Buldhana), Hemant Patil (Hingoli), Srirang Barne (Maval) and Dhairyasheel Mane (Hatkanangale).

In June 2022, the Shiv Sena, which had fought the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the BJP, split and 13 of the 18 MPs from the state had allied with Shinde.

(via PTI)

While voting for Phase 1 of the Lok Sabha election 2024 will take place on April 19, polling for Phases 2 to 7 will take place 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 constituencies 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 Voting Day For Your Constituency

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Bollywood actor and former Congress Lok Sabha MP Govinda on Thursday joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in Mumbai.

The 60-year-old renowned actor was welcomed by Shinde into his party.

Back in 2004, Govinda had emerged as a "giant killer" as the Congress candidate when he defeated BJP stalwart Ram Naik in the Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat. READ MORE

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced names of 401 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections 2024, voting for will take place in seven phases from April 19 till June 1.

Among the key leaders of the BJP, whose government is currently at the Centre, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been fielded from Varanasi, the seat he currently represents in the Lower House of the Parliament. Meanwhile, the BJP has also fielded actors Kangana Ranaut, Arun Govil and Rekha Patra, reportedly a Sandeshkhali 'victim'.

Click Here For Full List Of BJP Candidates

The arrest of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 have dominated the news headline lately as his party claims the move is orchestrated by the BJP-led central government to jeopardize its poll performance.

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with a money laundering case linked to the alleged now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 'scam'. He is in ED custody till April 1.

Kejriwal's party AAP has slammed the central government over his arrest ahead of the general polls and asserted that he would continue to function as CM from custody.

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami inaugurated party’s parliamentary elections office in Tamil Nadu's Madurai on Friday.

Addressing a rally in MP's Shivpuri in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections 2024, Union Minister and BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said, "Twenty years ago when I resolved to walk on the path of dedication, I decided that if no one would solve your problems, Jyotiraditya Scindia would..."

"I am the spider of Shivpuri. I have built a network of roads here, a network of substations, a network of irrigation facilities, and a network of progress and development for the people here...," he said.

As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) denied him a ticket from Pilibhit, the Lok Sabha seat that always remained either to him or his mother Maneka Gandhi since 1996, BJP MP Varun Gandhi on Thursday penned an emotional letter to the people of his constituency asserting that his relationship with them will remain intact till his last breath.

Replacing Gandhi, the BJP has fielded Uttar Pradesh Public Works Minister Jitin Prasada from Pilibhit. Prasada had filed his nominations on this seat on Wednesday.

Read Full Report Here

Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place set up and a large number of police personnel deployed on roads leading to the BJP headquarters here in view of the opposition INDIA bloc's protest on Friday against the arrest of AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Besides police personnel, those of paramilitary forces have also been stationed at many places in Central Delhi, including on the DDU Marg and around the ITO area.

Arvind Kejriwal, who is in the Enforcement Directorate's custody, was arrested by the agency on March 21 in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday had said members of the bloc will demonstrate against Kejriwal's arrest as well as on the electoral bonds issue at the BJP headquarters on DDU Marg.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said the party will announce the name for North Mumbai seat's candidate soon, adding that Rajan Vichare will be fielded from Thane and names for other seats like Kalyan Palghar and Jalgaon seats will also be announced soon.

Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav slammed the state government over the death of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari who died of a cardiac arrest on Thursday.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said in a post on X: "... A government that cannot protect life has no right to remain in power. Uttar Pradesh is going through the worst phase of 'government anarchy'. This is the 'zero hour' of law and order in UP."

AAP leader claimed on Friday that the Enforcement Directorate is working as BJP's political weapon and it wants to get details of party's Lok Sabha election strategy by accessing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's phone.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was arrested by ED agency on March 21 in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case and is in its custody till April 1.

The insistence of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to look into Kejriwal's mobile-phone, which is a few months old and did not exist when the policy was formed and implemented, proves that the agency is working as a "political weapon" of the BJP, Atishi alleged at a press conference in Delhi on Friday.

The AAP leader, who is a minister in the Kejriwal government, said that "actually it is the BJP and not the ED that wants to know what is there on Kejriwal's phone".

Tamil Nadu Minister and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin campaigns in Ponneri, Thiruvallur, for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections that will begin on April 19.

"DMK President MK Stalin has made promises. You all know he will fulfill what he says," Udhayanidhi Stalin said.

Actor Kangana Ranaut reached Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi on Friday. She has been fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Mandi for the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

Bihar: The RJD, Congress and Left leaders held a joint press conference and announced seat allocation. RJD will field its candidates on 26 seats, including on Purnea and Hajipur.

Congress will field nine seats, including Kishanganj and Patna Sahib.

Left will be fielding candidates on five seats.

Actor Kangana Ranaut, BJP candidate from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi, made an address in the constituency people as she held a roadshow there.

Making the address, Kangana Ranaut asked the people of Mandi to consider her as their sister and daughter and not a heroine.

"...Don't think that Kangana is a heroine, that she is a star. Consider Kangana your sister, your daughter. Everyone is my family...," Kangana Ranaut said.

The Income Tax department has dealt another blow to the Congress party by serving a fresh notice amounting to Rs 1,700 crore on Friday due to discrepancies in tax returns for previous years.

The tax penalties, along with interest, stem from irregularities in tax filings spanning from 2017-18 to 2020-21. The party received the fresh notice earlier this week, further exacerbating its financial woes.

Congress is already grappling with financial constraints after the Income Tax authorities imposed a hefty penalty of Rs 200 crore and froze its funds.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said "BJP engaged in tax terrorism, adding that efforts are being made to financially cripple Congress.

But we won't be cowed down, he said. Full Report Here

Congress is likely to release its Manifesto for 2024 Lok Sabha elections on April 5 in Delhi, news agency ANI cited party sources. The Congress had earlier said its manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls would focus on "Paanch NYAY" and "Pachees Guarantee". The party resolved to take its promises to the people with a "ghar ghar guarantee" mantra.

The party's highest decision-making body Congress Working Committee (CWC), which met earlier this month to finalise the manifesto, authorised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to give the final approval to it and decide a date for its release.

Addressing a press conference after the CWC meeting, party leaders KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh had said the CWC has prepared a roadmap for taking the party's guarantees to the grassroots. Ramesh said the Congress will release not just a "ghoshna patra (manifesto)" but a "nyay patra" so that people see a bright future.

Delhi Minister and AAP leader Gopal Rai held a door-to-door campaign and distributes an invitation pamphlet, 'Main Bhi Kejriwal', appealing to people to attend the INDIA alliance rally that is to be held on March 31 at Ramlila Maidan.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita on Friday launched the 'Main Bhi Kejriwal' campaign and released WhatsApp number for people to send their messages to him while he is in Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody in connection with the alleged excise policy 'scam'. READ MORE

BJP Central Parliament Board members, former CM BS Yediyurappa, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, former CM HD Kumaraswamy, LoP R Ashoka, BJP state president BY Vijayendra participated in a coordination meeting in Bengaluru on Friday.

BJP's Basirhat candidate Rekha Patra, who had highlighted the plight of women in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali, has lodged a complaint with the National Commission for Women against TMC nominee Debangshu Bhattacharyya for alleged violation of her privacy.

She also shot off a letter to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, alleging that Bhattacharyya, the TMC nominee from Tamluk Lok Sabha seat and head of the party's social media cell, made the details of her personal information and bank accounts public.

(With PTI inputs)

CM Yogi Adityanath in his speech during the public rally in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh praised the BJP for the 'development' that the country saw in the last two terms of its rule.

Adityanath reportedly said, "How your vote can change the face and fortune of the country is in front of you. Look at India before 2014 and that of after 2014 - in India before 2014, there was an atmosphere of mutual distrust in the country, anarchy, mismanagement, corruption and the country's borders were unsafe."

He added, "In India after 2014, country's stature in the world has increased, borders are secure, terrorism and Naxalism have ended."

When asked whether he will contest Lok Sabha election from Bihar's Purnea, Congress leader Pappu Yadav told PTI, "I will file nomination...let the party leadership's response come. People of Purnea have said 'Pappu is their son, he won't go anywhere', I will have to follow the order (of the people)."

Kamlesh Shah, Congress MLA from Amarwara in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara district have joined BJP.

Maharashtra BJP General Secretary Vikrant Patil speaking to PTI on the party's 'Coffee with Youth' campaign said, The youth wing of the BJP has organised the ‘Coffee with Youth’ programme. It has two segments: 'Coffee with Youth' will be set up in urban areas while 'Namo Chaupal' will be held in rural areas. Through this programme, we hope to reach out to the youth of the country.”

BJP candidate Ravi Shankar Prasad received a grand welcome in Patna, Bihar as he held a roadshow after being nominated for atna Sahib constituency.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav told PTI, "We are fully prepared, and we will fight the elections with all our might," referring to the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

"I have said time and again that the Lok Sabha Poll results in Bihar will be surprising,” he added.

West Bengal LoP and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari participated in the election campaign for party candidate Rekha Patra in Basirhat earlier today.

The Congress on Friday announced three more candidates, including Sandur MLA E Thukaram for the Ballari Lok Sabha constituency In Karnataka.

The party has named Sunil Bose as its Chamarajanagar LS candidate and All India Youth Congress General Secretary Raksha Ramaiah as its Chikkaballapura candidate

While in Rajasthan, Congress fielded Damodar Gujrar and CP Joshi from Rajsamand and Bhilwara LS seats.