Elections 2019 LIVE: 'Chowkidar Chor Hai' slogan harmful for India, says PM

Just three weeks are left before voting for phase 1 of the 7-phase Lok Sabha elections 2019 begins. Catch LIVE updates as BJP, Congress and other parties declare their lists of candidates for LS polls

7:59 PM

2019 polls most crucial since Independence: Sitaram Yechury

India is facing the "most crucial" elections after Independence where the criterion for deciding whom to vote for will not be the government's mere performance, but the fact that our secular democracy is in peril and has to be saved, says CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury.

 

"This is not an ordinary election where the ruling party of the day is judged on the basis of its delivery of its promises made at the time of the last general elections alone. The balance sheet of its betrayals is often the main issue of electoral discourse," Yechury has written in the forthcoming issue of the party's mouthpiece "People's Democracy".

7:58 PM

BJP asks EC to take strong deterrent action against AAP for violating poll code

A delegation of Delhi BJP Wednesday met Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and demanded "strong deterrent action" against the Aam Aadmi Party for violating the model code of conduct by allegedly playing the religious card to disturb communal harmony.

 

The delegation comprising the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Legislative Assembly Vijender Gupta, party MP from South Delhi Ramesh Bidhuri and other leaders including Subhash Arya, Subhash Sachdeva and Rajiv Babbar submitted a memorandum against the "misinformation campaign" by the AAP through its call centres.

 

 

7:05 PM

Chowkidar is now synonymous with patriotism and honesty: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday hit back at Rahul Gandhi for his 'chowkidar chor hai' barb at him, saying the Congress president has insulted people working as guards and asserted that the word 'chowkidar' has now become synonymous with patriotism and honesty.

 

 

 

6:08 PM

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra concludes her Ganga Yatra, reports ANI

Source: ANI

Congress general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday culminated her three-day Ganga Yatra by offering prayers at Vishwanath temple here.

 

Varanasi, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi parliamentary constituency, is the last leg in Priyanka's three-day boat yatra.

 

5:25 PM

Mahagathbandhan intact, candidates to be announced after Holi : Tejashwi

The 'Mahagathbandhan' or Grand Alliance in Bihar is intact and its candidates for all the 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be announced after Holi, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said here on Wednesday.

5:23 PM

BSP leader from Amethi joins BJP

Bahujan Samaj Party leader from Amethi and former MLA Chandra Prakash Mishra 'Matiyari' on Wednesday joined the BJP here and said he would work to ensure the defeat of Congress president Rahul Gandhi from his Lok Sabha constituency

5:16 PM

 

 

'My government has worked for the upliftment of farmers, 'says PM Modi

 

5:16 PM

 

'Chowkidars will not sit silently until poverty is curbed,' says PM Modi

 

 

5:10 PM

PM Modi says Clash "Chowkidar Chor Hai" slogan harmful for country

PM Narendra Modi says Opposition's "Chowkidar Chor Hai" slogan harmful for country

 

 

4:06 PM

Nine sitting MLAs in Kerala in LS poll arena

Nine sitting MLAs of the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and Opposition Congress headed UDF are in the poll arena in Kerala, waging a do-or-die battle to secure maximum seats for their parties in the Lok Sabha polls

3:44 PM

BJP announces alliance with BDJS and Kerala Congress

 BJP announces alliance with BDJS and Kerala Congress, finalises seat-sharing for Lok Sabha polls

3:28 PM

BSP leader Chandraprakash Mishra joins BJP

Delhi: BSP leader Chandraprakash Mishra joins Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Union Ministers JP Nadda and Smriti Irani

2:32 PM

Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress: Friendly contest means that there will be no cut-throat contest between us on these two seats (Anantnag and Baramulla). If either Congress or NC wins, it's a win-win situation for both of us.

2:18 PM

Rahul says Modi bypassed RBI to carry out note ban

Rahul Gandhi says PM Modi bypassed RBI to carry out demonetisation.

2:16 PM

1:57 PM

Tejashwi Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD): Mahagathbandhan is intact, seats and constituencies will be announced after Holi. There is nothing to worry, all is fine in the alliance.

1:52 PM

1:50 PM

Modi destroyed 1 crore jobs in 2018, says Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of destroying 1 crore jobs in 2018 alone despite promising to create 2 crore jobs annually.

 

Addressing a public rally in the Manipur capital, Gandhi said the job losses under the Modi government were to the tune of 30,000 per day through 2018.

 

"In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi destroyed 1 crore jobs in the country. This is the scale of his incompetence. It is absurd and ridiculous that the PM promises giving 2 crore jobs," Gandhi alleged.

1:40 PM

Priyanka visits Lal Bahadur Shastri's ancestral home in Varanasi

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Wednesday visited the ancestral home of former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at Ramnagar here.

Gandhi, who reached here Wednesday morning by road, garlanded the statute of Shastri at his ancestral home.

She was accorded a warm welcome by party leaders and workers on reaching Varanasi.

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1:23 PM

Both BJP and Congress, the two major parties in the state, have not yet announced their candidates for the polls.

 

The BJP, which won all five seats in the state riding on the Modi wave in 2014, faces the challenge of retaining them in the forthcoming election. 

1:23 PM

While Congress president Rahul Gandhi has addressed a rally in Dehradun to launch his party's poll campaign, his sister Priyanka Gandhi is expected to hold a roadshow somewhere in the Kumaon region, senior party leader Suryakant Dhasmana said.

 

A list of state-level start campaigners has also been prepared which includes former chief minister Harish Rawat, PCC chief Pritam Singh, Leader of Opposition in Uttarakhand Assembly Indira Hridayesh and the party's state incharge Anugrah Narayan Singh, Dhasmana said.

1:22 PM

The tentative venues for Modi's rallies are Dehradun, Haridwar, Srinagar and Haldwani whereas Tehri and Almora are the tentative venues for Shah's rallies, he said.
 

The list of star campaigners includes Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, former Army chief and Union minister Gen V K Singh, Union Health Minister J P Nadda, and Hema Malini and Manoj Tiwari, he said.

1:22 PM

Star campaigners of both BJP and Congress will hit the campaign trail in Uttarakhand after Holi

Star campaigners of both BJP and Congress will hit the campaign trail in Uttarakhand after Holi to shore up chances of their respective candidates on the five Lok Sabha seats of the state going to polls in the first phase on April 11.

 

While AICC general secretary incharge of eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is likely to hold a roadshow in Kumaon region of the state to drum up support for party nominees, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah will address rallies in both Kumaon and Garhwal regions to boost the party's prospects, sources in both parties said.

 

"Two rallies each of the PM and the party president in Kumaon and Garhwal regions have been proposed by us. However, the dates for the rallies and the venues are still being finalised," state BJP president Ajay Bhatt said.

1:22 PM

Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh (East) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reaches at Assi Ghat in Varanasi for her 'Ganga Yatra' campaign. She started her campaign from Manaiya ghat in Prayagraj.

1:20 PM

Shashi Tharoor writes to CEO, Kerala, states,"Writing to file a complaint in relation to malicious attempt by BJP & Sabarimala Karma Samithi to vitiate free & fair polls in Thiruvananthapurarn Lok Sabha constituency, by publicising materials in a bid to appeal to religious sentiments of voters".

1:19 PM

Rahul Gandhi interacting with students in Imphal: PM bypassed RBI & carried out demonetisation. These are just ad-hoc decisions he takes. Instead of calling it the Prime Minister's Office, it should be called the Publicity Minister's Office. Basically that is all he is interested in.

1:04 PM

Former Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh: It was decided unanimously in BJP CEC meeting that the sitting MPs in Chhattisgarh will not contest the election and new faces will be brought in. The decision is to be respected by all.

1:02 PM

Goa floor test: CM Pramod Sawant wins crucial test with 20 votes