9.10 pm: Here are the day’s top stories:
- The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress launched their campaign slogans on Sunday. While the BJP’s song is “Phir se Modi Sarkar Banate Hai”, Congress’ slogan is “Ab Hoga Nyay”.
- The SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh held its first joint campaign rally for the coming Lok Sabha elections in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh. Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav and Ajit Singh attacked both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. They said the two parties were not very different from each other.
- The leaders of 21 Opposition parties have filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court saying that a delay of 5.2 days in the declaration of election results due to the counting of 50% VVPAT slips is not a serious one if it maintains the integrity of the process. The Supreme Court is expected to continue hearing the case on Monday.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed a rally in Cooch Behar in West Bengal, where he called Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee a “speed breaker” and claimed she was having sleepless nights because of his popularity.
- Uttar Pradesh CM Adityanath claimed voting for Congress will strengthen terrorism and Naxalism.
- The Election Commission defended its decision to transfer four West Bengal police officials, and said the move was within its rights.
8.31 pm: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath accuses the BJP of misusing state institutions to raid the homes of Congress leaders, reports News18. “They are doing this because they have nothing to say on the topic of development and they have nothing to show,” he says. “It seems that BJP can sense its impending defeat in the Lok Sabha elections and so they are resorting to these tactics for political gains. Many states have been witness to these tactics that they have used over the last 5 years.”
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Madhya Pradesh: Income tax raids under way at locations related to Kamal Nath’s aide
8.14 pm: Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu says he will campaign extensively for the Congress from April 10. He says party president Rahul Gandhi has asked him to meet Ahmed Patel for detailed schedule.
8.03 pm: Congress President Rahul Gandhi says karma will catch up with Narendra Modi. He challenges the prime minister to a debate on corruption.
7.53 pm: Congress names Pravash Kar Mohapatra its candidate from Morada constituency for the upcoming Odisha Assembly elections.
7.51 pm: The leaders of 21 Opposition parties file an affidavit in the Supreme Court saying that a delay of 5.2 days in the declaration of election results due to the counting of 50% VVPAT slips is not a serious one if it maintains the integrity of the process. The Supreme Court is expected to continue hearing the case on Monday.
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VVPAT verification: Delay of 5.2 days to declare results is not serious, Opposition parties tell SC
7.40 pm: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot accuses Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making false promises. Addressing an election rally in Kolayat town in Bikaner district, he claims the Congress would not need to campaign to win elections if people start listening to Modi’s previous speeches now.
7.34 pm: The Election Commission orders poll authorities in Arunachal Pradesh to get an FIR lodged under a penal provision dealing with bribing voters, reports News18. On April 3, Arunachal Chief Electoral Officer Kaling Tayeng said that they found Rs 1.8 crore from a raid but did not specify if any political party was linked to the seizure.
6.52 pm: The Election Commission orders Maharashtra government to transfer Mumbai Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Deven Bharti, reports PTI. Vinoy Kumar Choubey replaces Bharti who has been made Joint Commissioner of Police (Economic Offences Wing).
6.50 pm: The Congress says it was not in talks with Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party for alliance in Haryana and Punjab, and will soon declare its candidates for the two states. However, party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala says the Congress is yet to decide on tying up with the AAP in the national capital.
6.29 pm: The Election Commission has banned all political advertisements in newspapers on the day of voting and a day before that, reports PTI. However, advertisements can be published if those are pre-certified from the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee.
6.23 pm: Union minister Smriti Irani cautions people against Robert Vadra. “Whereever Robert Vadra chooses to campaign, I hope the people there are warned in advance or else they may end up losing their lands,” she says.
6.10 pm: Javadekar says the Opposition’s grand alliance hardly exists and the Congress has become a fringe party.
6.09 pm: “People want to give Modi another chance,” says Javadekar. “They voted in 2014 in hope because he was not tested in Delhi. Now, they will vote in confidence because they believe he is a man who leads from the front, is decisive, ended policy paralysis and works round-the-clock.”
6.08 pm: BJP leader Prakash Javadekar claims that there is a clear trend in his party’s favour. He tells PTI that the BJP will better its 2014 tally and win over 300 seats.
5.58 pm: At Imphal rally, Modi says the Congress’ hypocrisy document seems to blow the trumpet of Pakistan more than that of India.
5.57 pm: Modi says around 1.25 lakh farmers of Manipur have started receiving financial assistance from the Centre. “We changed the law around bamboo and now you can grow and sell bamboo.”
5.46 pm: At the rally in Imphal, Modi says if the Congress really wanted to develop the region, they would have developed infrastructure and promoted sports. “Now, all the capitals of the northeast are connected with the rail lines,” he adds.
5.45 pm: Through BPOs and Mudra yojana, we have created job opportunities for the youth of the northeast, claims Modi.
5.44 pm: Modi says the Congress is visible in North East only during elections. “Congress has fouled in NE, it’s time to show them the red card and let them set aside in NE and rest of India,” he says.
5.39 pm: Modi attacks the Congress, and says it has failed to fulfill its promise of making the North East a manufacturing hub. “Have they done anything for the many years they have ruled?” he asks. “Nothing. But, they are experts in manufacturing lies.”
5.34 pm: Modi says that for first time there is a pro-incumbency trend in the country. “It is the first time that there is anger against the Opposition,” he says.
5.33 pm: Modi asks if the chowkidaar is doing good work. “Your love and support to the BJP has brought north eastern states to the forefront. The history of violence in Manipur has seen an end,” he says in Imphal.
5.29 pm: Prime Minister Modi’s public meeting in Imphal, Manipur, begins.
5.21 pm: National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah attacks the BJP for its allegiance to the RSS and accuses the party of killing Mahatma Gandhi. “Who were the ones to kill Gandhi?” Abdullah asked a public meeting in Srinagar. “The RSS killed Mahatma Gandhi and it is they who are chanting slogans across the country. Today those who rule Delhi, they killed Gandhi.”
5.15 pm: Pro-Maratha outfit Maharashtra Kranti Sena joins the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra, days ahead of the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The outfit’s chief Suresh Patil was among the leaders who had spearheaded the protests for reservation for the Maratha community. The party had fielded 15 candidates for the elections, but they will now not contest.
“The welfare and development of the Maratha community is my priority. The Congress and NCP betrayed the Marathas,” he tells PTI. “The current state government led by Devendra Fadnavis worked hard for the welfare of the community.”
4.52 pm: BJP’s launches its campaign song – ‘Phir se Modi Sarkar Banate Hai/Phir se Kamal Khilate Hai’.
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Lok Sabha elections: BJP releases campaign tagline ‘Phir ek baar Modi sarkar’
4.50 pm: “We want a government with one captain and not a team of 11 members with 40 captains,” says Jaitley.
4.49 pm: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley says BJP’s main campaign theme for 2019 Lok Sabha election will be ‘Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar’. “The first theme of our campaign will be ‘Kaam Karne Waali Sarkaar’. Our second theme will be ‘Imaandar Sarkaar’. Our third theme will be ‘Bade Faisle Lene Waali Sarkaar’,” he says.
4.48 pm: Senior Congress leader Rajeev Shukla says no decision has been taken yet about party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contesting the election against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi, reports PTI.
4.46 pm: The Shiromani Akali Dal names former minister Gulzar Singh Ranike its candidate from the Faridkot Lok Sabha seat. Ranike will contest against Congress’ Mohd Sadique and Aam Aadmi Party’s Sadhu Singh.
4.32 pm: Robert Vadra says he will go to Amethi and Raebareli at the time of filing of nominations by Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.
4.12 pm: Union minister Arun Jaitley will launch BJP’s campaign theme song today, reports News18.
4.10 pm: The Election Commission of India has dismissed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s allegations that it unfairly followed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre’s orders while transferring four police officials, PTI reports. The Election Commission says it was fully within its rights to transfer officials when the Model Code of Conduct is in place. It adds that it will not respond to the allegation to prove its image.
On Friday night, the Election Commission had removed Anuj Sharma as Kolkata police commissioner and replaced him with Rajesh Kumar, who was the additional director general of police, Pollution Control Board. The panel had also appointed Natarajan Ramesh Babu as the commissioner of Bidhannagar Police, replacing Gyanwant Singh. The Bharatiya Janata Party had lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against Singh for alleged police interference when Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee’s wife was allegedly found carrying gold at the Kolkata airport. Two others – Avannu Ravindranath and Srihari Pandey – were appointed superintendents of police of Birbhum and Diamond Harbour.
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Lok Sabha polls: Within rights to transfer police officials, EC tells Mamata Banerjee
4.09 pm: Adityanath alleges that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s decision to remove the Telugu Desam Party from out of the NDA was “politics of opportunism”.
“The BJP had given respect to Chandrababu Naidu, while ignoring party workers,” Adityanath says. “His walking away from the NDA will not affect BJP’s poll prospects. BJP will perform very well in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, and win a handsome number of seats in these states.”
4.06 pm: “Whether it is the TDP in Andhra Pradesh, the Congress or the TRS in Telangana, all of them have resorted to politics of appeasement,” Adityanath adds. “They have played with the sentiments of the people by making tall and attractive promises.”
4.05 pm: “They have only given attractive slogans and made the life of the common man miserable,” Adityanath says, referring to the Congress, the Telugu Desam Party and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. “In Telangana, for the past five years there is a TRS government. This government is also walking on the path shown by the Congress. It is indulging in dynastic and family politics as well,” he says.
4.02 pm: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath alleges that the Congress and the regional parties of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have obstructed development in the states. “In the past some years, in Andhra Pradesh it has been either the Congress or the regional parties that have been in power,” Adityanath tells PTI. “They have duped the people in the name of development. They have promoted dynastic and family politics there and obstructed the developmental process.”
4 pm: Militant groups have called for a shutdown in Manipur from 6 am to 6 pm on Sunday to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state. He is expected to attend a rally in Imphal on Sunday.
3.58 pm: Amit Shah releases the BJP’s manifesto for Odisha. It focuses on curbing crime against women, capacity building in agriculture, the creation of jobs, rights of tribals, boosting the economy and giving importance to the state’s history and culture.
3.56 pm: BJP president Amit Shah says Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik cannot work for the state’s welfare. “Will Naveen babu be able to speak even five lines in Odiya, without looking at paper?” he asks at a rally in Bargarh. “The man who can’t speak Odiya even after being CM for 19 years, can never work for welfare of Odisha.”
3.43 pm: A BJP worker lodges a police complaint in Mumbai against Bollywood actor and Congress’ Lok Sabha candidate Urmila Matondkar, accusing her of making anti-Hindu remarks. Suresh Nakhua also seeks actions against Congress President Rahul Gandhi for allegedly instructing Matondkar to make the “calumnious comments” and journalist Rajdeep Sardesai allegedly for letting the actor make the remarks on his news channel.
3.41 pm: The Biju Janata Dal announces Sarojini Hembram it candidate from Baripada Assembly seat in Mayurbhanj district, reports PTI. With this, the BJD has fielded six Rajya Sabha members to contest from Lok Sabha and Assembly seats. The ruling party in Odisha has declared candidates for all 21 Lok Sabha seats. However, out of 147 Assembly seats, it is yet to announce its candidate for only Kendrapada constituency.
3.34 pm: Modi says the BJP government has worked for the welfare of people. “Tripura government has greatly benefited farmers by directly buying produce,” he says. “It hasn’t been long for the BJP government in Tripura, but now the law and order situation is under control and people can walk without fear. We announced 7th pay commission benefits for teachers, worked for tribal welfare.”
3.33 pm: “More than 5.5 lakh farmers in Tripura will get Rs 3.5 crore every year, the process has already started and 1.5 lakh farmers have already got the first installment,” says Modi.
3.29 pm: Modi says the Congress hates the middle class and hence has not mentioned it even once in its manifesto.
3.22 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to file his nomination papers from Varanasi on April 26, reports News18. He will address a mega roadshow after that. Varanasi will vote on May 19.
3.16 pm: Modi says the North east has been neglected by previous governments. “For the Left parties, their constitution is more important than the constitution of the country,” he says at the Tripura rally. “These parties once had dozens of MPs, CMs and MLAs, but now they are showing signs of fatigue. There leaders are seen on television debating but not on ground with the people.”
3.09 pm: Addressing a rally in Tripura, Narendra Modi says the people of the state have been very intelligent and far-sighted to choose BJP over Left and Trinamool Congress. “Entire opposition has come together against Prime Minister Modi, they might look two different parties here in Tripura but they get united in Delhi,” he adds.
2.37 pm: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor asks if Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the courage to fight from a seat in Kerala or Tamil Nadu. He adds that Rahul Gandhi’s decision to contest from Wayanad shows he has the confidence to win from both North and South India.
2.53 pm: Ajit Singh says BJP never supports the farmers. “When farmers had reached Delhi on October 2, Modi ordered water cannons and lathi charge,” he says. “Farmers were stopped from entering the national capital, no BJP leader was there to support farmers.”
2.52 pm: At the Deoband rally, Ajit Singh says this election is very important as it will decide the fate of democracy in the country. “[If] Modi is re-elected, the democracy will suffer,” he adds.
2.44 pm: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee accuses the Centre of intervening in state matters. “Why was Andhra Pradesh chief secretary removed?” Banerjee asks at an election rally in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, reports PTI. “Why don’t you [Modi] remove your own Cabinet secretary,” she asks.
On Friday, the Election Commission removed Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Anil Chandra Punetha from the post and appointed LV Subrahmanyam in his place.
2.36 pm: Winning the Lucknow seat will be a “cakewalk” for Home Minister Rajnath Singh, says Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma. He tells PTI that the Opposition is yet to find a suitable candidate for the seat. “… People here are sensitive and have an emotional attachment with BJP candidates,” says Sharma.
2.33 pm: Ajit Singh asks what the prime minister has done in five years. “Modi wasn’t talking about your acche din, but his own achche din,” he says.
2.32 pm: At the Deoband rally, RLD leader Ajit Singh accuses Prime Minister Narendra Modi of lying to people over jobs and poverty eradication schemes. “His parents never taught him to speak the truth,” says Singh.
2.28 pm: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav attacks both BJP and the Congress at a rally in Deoband. “There is not much difference in Congress and BJP, if you will look at their policies,” he says. “They are both same. This grand alliance is meant to bring change in the country, but Congress party doesn’t want that, it wants to form government in UP.”
2.11 pm: “You must have listen to leaders who spit hatred, they don’t want to speak about promises. First they came as chaiwala and promised everyone Rs 15 lakh and now they have come as chowkidar,” Akhilesh Yadav adds.
2.10 pm: I congratulate RLD and BSP for this historic joint rally, says Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav as he begins his speech.
2.07 pm: Mayawati asks people not to spoil their vote by giving to candidates who are being fielded as part of conspiracy. “In UP, only alliance can stop BJP, not congress. Congress has fielded candidates who could help BJP,” she adds.
2.02 pm: BJP will also lose this election because of [the] policies inspired by hatred, especially their “chowkidar” campaign, says Mayawati.
1.45 pm: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party’s Mayawati and Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Ajit Singh are addressing their first joint rally in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh.
Mayawati says the alliance will win “if there is no rigging”, reports PTI.
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‘BJP will lose because of policies inspired by hatred,’ says Mayawati
1.32 pm: “Modi was nowhere to be seen when people were targeted by Maoists in Jangalmahal,” PTI quotes Mamata Banerjee as saying. “Now that peace has returned to the region, they are trying to fool the people with fake promises.”
1.21 pm: Speaking in Odisha, BJP chief Amit Shah says his party will make Puri the cultural capital of India. The party released its manifesto for the state elections in Bhubaneswar.
1.11 pm: While launching its campaign slogan, the Congress says there is an atmosphere of “anyay” or injustice in the country. The party’s campaign slogan, “Ab Hoga Nyay”, is not only a reference to its promise of a minimum income guarantee scheme, but means justice to all sections of the society, senior leader Anand Sharma says.
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Congress launches campaign slogan ‘Ab Hoga Nyay’ for Lok Sabha elections
12.52 pm: The theme song for the Congress campaign has been written by Javed Akhtar, and its video was filmed by Nikkhil Advani, reports PTI.
12.50 pm: The Congress launches its campaign slogan, “Ab Hoga Nyay”. The slogan is Hindi for “Now there will be justice”.
11.26 am: “It is time to teach Didi a lesson,” Modi says. “If she had no blocked central government schemes, you would also have got their benefits.”
11.11 am: “The chants of ‘Modi, Modi’ give sleepless nights to ‘speed breaker’,” Modi says in a reference to Mamata Banerjee. “Didi is the speed breaker of West Bengal.”
11.08 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing a rally in Cooch Behar, West Bengal. He says the way Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is “showering abuses” at him and criticising the Election Commission shows how scared she is.
11 am: The Congress releases a list of nine candidates for Odisha Assembly elections, reports ANI.
9.36 am: The Election Commission bans BJP MP Babul Supriyo’s theme song for his party, which the Trinamool Congress had objected to, reports NDTV.
9.30 am: The Tripura Congress files a complaint with the Election Commission, seeking the immediate arrest of Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb for allegedly spreading communal hatred in the state, PTI reports.
The party accuses Deb of repeatedly making false statements with “a motive to divide communities in the state on the lines of caste, creed and religion”.
8.45 am: Here are the top updates from Saturday:
- The Indian Union Muslim League urged the Election Commission to take action against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath for comparing the Muslim League to a virus.
- Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha officially joined the Indian National Congress on Saturday at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi. Soon after he joined the party, Congress announced that Sinha was being fielded from Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar.
- Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Union Minister Kalraj Mishra said his party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had never promised to deposit Rs 15 lakh in every Indian’s bank account. Mishra alleged that Opposition parties were spreading disinformation to mislead the public.
- Union Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj rebuked Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi for saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “kicked out” Bharatiya Janata Party veteran LK Advani. The minister said Gandhi should have “some decorum” in his speech.
- Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala accused the Election Commission of being lenient towards the Bharatiya Janata Party’s alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct for the elections. “Adityanath insults the Indian Army – EC writes a love letter to him. NITI Aayog vice chairman [Rajiv Kumar] criticises the NYAY scheme – EC says ‘don’t do it in future’,” he tweeted.
- West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday wrote to the Election Commission against its decision to transfer four police officials including Kolkata Commissioner Anuj Sharma.