LIVE: Congress releases sixth list of candidates for Lok Sabha polls

Lok Sabha elections 2024 latest news: Catch all the latest updates on the announcements related to General Elections here

9:46 PM

Lok Sabha polls: Amid Maha Vikas Aghadi seat-sharing discussions, Sharad Pawar meets Uddhav

With consensus eluding Maha Vikas Aghadi on an agreeable seat-sharing formula for Lok Sabha polls, NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar on Monday met Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray at his residence in suburban Mumbai. Pawar was accompanied by Jayant Patil, who heads the Maharashtra unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut was also present at the meeting held at Matoshree, the private residence of Thackeray.Notably, the deadline for filing nominations for the five seats going to polls in the first phase on April 19 is just two days away.

8:58 PM

AIMIM to fight Lok Sabha poll from Gandhinagar and Bharuch seats of Gujarat

The AIMIM on Monday said the party will contest from Bharuch and Gandhinagar constituencies in Gujarat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.Notably, the high-profile Gandhinagar seat is represented by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "Our Central leadership has decided to field party's candidates from Bharuch and Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seats. Names of candidates will be announced soon. Both Bharuch and Gandhinagar have significant number of Muslim population," said Gujarat unit All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Sabir Kabliwala, a former MLA.

8:02 PM

Shiv Sena (UBT) 1st candidate list on Tuesday for LS polls to contain 15-16 names: Sanjay Raut

The Shiv Sena (UBT)'s first list of candidates in Maharashtra for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections will be formally declared on March 26, party leader Sanjay Raut said on Monday. The list of the Uddhav Thackeray-led opposition party, a constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the state, will contain up to 16 names, he said. "The Shiv Sena (UBT)'s (first) list will be declared tomorrow (March 26). We will declare candidates for 15-16 seats tomorrow," the Rajya Sabha MP told reporters here. 

7:48 PM

PM Modi's credibility to help NDA win all 40 LS seats in Bihar: Giriraj Singh

Union Minister Giriraj Singh, who is seeking re-election to the Lok Sabha from Begusarai seat, on Monday asserted that the NDA will win all 40 seats in Bihar because of the "credibility" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The voters know that development is the only agenda of the prime minister, he said. "I am not sure about my credibility. But the credibility of our PM is unparalleled and it is because of him, the NDA will win all 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, including Begusarai," Singh told PTI.

7:07 PM

Students & youths raising 'Modi, Modi' slogans should be slapped: Karnataka Minister

Youths and students who raise "Modi, Modi" slogans should be slapped, Karnataka Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi has said, as he attacked the BJP-led government at the Centre, accusing it of not honouring the promise to create two crore jobs per year. The Kannada and Culture Minister also said the BJP should be ashamed to ask for votes in the coming Lok Sabha elections as, he alleged, it has failed on the development front as well.

6:15 PM

Sandeshkhali ‘victim' becomes BJP LS candidate, posters appear against her in Kolkata

Handwritten posters appeared in a few places in Sandeshkhali area denouncing the candidature of BJP Lok Sabha poll nominee Rekha Patra, an alleged victim of torture at the hands of arrested and now-suspended TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his aides. The BJP has pointed fingers at the TMC for this, while the ruling party of West Bengal rejected the charge. Patra, who is yet to join the BJP officially, was fielded from Basirhat Lok Sabha seat. Sandeshkhali is part of that constituency.

5:08 PM

Lok Sabha elections: Congress releases sixth list of candidates for Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu

4:40 PM

General Elections 2024: Skirmish between DMK, AIADMK over filing nominations

A fracas broke out between the office bearers of the AIADMK and DMK here on Monday when both sides demanded that the election officer accept the nomination of their candidate first. The argument took place in front of the returning officer for the Chennai North constituency when Tamil Nadu Minister PK Sekar Babu and AIADMK leader D Jayakumar urged the official to accept their party's nomination first.

4:37 PM

General Elections update 2024: BJP's Narayana Gowda is in touch with Cong, says cabinet minister

Amid murmurs of discord within BJP over ceding Mandya Lok Sabha seat to alliance partner JD(S), Karnataka Agriculture Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy on Monday claimed BJP leader and former Minister K C Narayana Gowda is in touch with the Congress. "Yes, we have spoken to Narayana Gowda, he is in touch with us. At the earliest he along with several supporters of veteran leader from K R Pete -- late Krishna, who were earlier with the Congress and due to various reasons had gone along with Narayana Gowda together, are likely to join us," Cheluvarayaswamy, who is in-charge Minister of Mandya district, said.

3:14 PM

BJP's Kurseong MLA Sharma to contest as independent candidate against party's Darjeeling LS nominee

BJP's Kurseong MLA Bishnu Prasad Sharma announced that he would contest as an independent candidate for Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat against the party's nominee Raju Bista. Sharma, while speaking to PTI over the phone, said he would remain within the BJP while contesting as an independent and party can take any disciplinary action it desires but he does not intend to sever ties with the party on his own.

2:20 PM

AAP's Arvind Kejriwal will become more dangerous after his arrest, says Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has come out in support of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over his decision to run the government from ED custody and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "afraid of Arvind Kejriwal, adding that the latter had become more dangerous after his arrest.

 

Comparing Kejriwal with the freedom fighters, Raut said that even during the freedom struggle, the leaders who went to jail came out stronger.

2:17 PM

Congress says BJP-led central government withholding funds for Karnataka

Congress general secretary in-charge, communications, Jairam Ramesh alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is constantly trying to "throttle" the finances of India's states. These  remarks came after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah alleged in a post on X that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is consistently denying the written word.

2:14 PM

Lok Sabha elections 2024 update: Cong drops 'pro-BJP' Jaipur nominee, Kangana to make poll debut

Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, chosen as the BJP candidate from Himachal's Mandi, said that she was "elated" to be nominated for the Lok Sabha elections. Congress, on Sunday, replaced its Jaipur nominee, Sunil Sharma, with former Rajasthan minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, following a massive social media outrage over Sharma's selection. 

12:31 PM

People fed up with BJP's hollow promises: SP leader Shivpal Yadav

Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav today stated that people are fed up with the BJP, which made "false and hollow" promises and have decided to vote for the SP. Yadav said, "Everyone is fed up with the BJP. Inflation, taxes, unemployment and corruption are at its peak. The promises BJP made were false and hollow. This time people will ensure victory for the SP candidates."

12:29 PM

Dempo will ensure victory for BJP from South Goa seat: CM Sawant

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has stated that the candidature of Pallavi Dempo will ensure BJP's victory from South Goa Lok Sabha seat. Dempo's name was announced by the BJP late Sunday night. "I extend my heartiest congratulations to Smt. Pallavi Dempo on her nomination as the @BJP4India Candidate for the South Goa Lok Sabha constituency. I am confident her fresh perspective and representation of the Nari Shakti under the dynamic leadership of Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji, coupled with diligence, commitment, shall ensure victory for BJP in South Goa," the CM said on X.

12:21 PM

He (Kejriwal) is a leader of a gang and only gangs run from jail: BJP leader on Delhi CM's arrest

Bhartiya Janata Party leader Dushyant Kumar on Sunday reacted to the statement made by the AAP leader Atishi that 'Kejriwal will run the government from jail', stating that "he is a leader of a gang and only gangs run from jail".

 

BJP General Secretary Dushyant Kumar told new agency ANI: "It is unfortunate that a Chief Minister is inside the jail and because of his stubbornness he wants to run the ministry from there. To date, this has not happened. This is an insult to the democracy. All proofs are against him and in spite of that he is very stubborn due to which he has to face these results. He (Arvind Kejriwal) is the leader of a gang. Only thieves run gangs from jail," he said.

11:40 AM

Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha leader G Janardhana Reddy merges his party with BJP

10:58 AM

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh take jab at Naveen Jindal as industrialist joins BJP

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh slammed industrialist Naveen Jindal, saying that the latter needed a "giant-size washing machine," after the former two-term MP joined the saffron party after resigning from the Congress. "When you need a giant-size washing machine, this had to happen. And after making ZERO contributions to the party in the last ten years, saying I am resigning from it is a big joke," Jairam Ramesh said in a post on 'X'.

10:32 AM

Lok Sabha elections 2024: BJP fields state chief Surendran against Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad

The BJP has fielded its state chief K Surendran in the Wayanad constituency against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Scholar and former vice-chancellor of Sree Sankara Sanskrit University, K S Radhakrishnan, and actor-turned-politician G Krishnakumar will contest from the Ernakulam and Kollam constituencies respectively.

10:20 AM

Goa Congress leaders called to Delhi to discuss names for state's two Lok Sabha seats

Congress leaders from Goa have been asked to assemble at Delhi by the party's central leadership to decide on candidates for the two Lok Sabha seats in the state. "The party is considering the names of leaders like Viriato Fernandes, Francisco Sardinha (sitting MP from South Goa seat), Girish Chodankar and Amit Patkar for South Goa seat. There is also the possibility of Alemao as he belongs to the minority community," he said.

10:18 AM

BJP names 4 LS candidates for Haryana in latest list

Fielding Naveen Jindal and Ranjit Singh Chautala who joined the party earlier in the day, the saffron party on Sunday named its candidates for four Lok Sabha seats in Haryana in its fifth list of nominees. The BJP has now announced its candidates for all 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state, six of whom are new faces.

9:36 AM

Arrest of Kejriwal to divert attention from electoral bonds scam: Kerala CM Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the electoral bonds scam is the biggest corruption ever witnessed in India and added the BJP government at the Centre arrested his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal to divert attention from the same.

Addressing the third consecutive rally organised here by the CPI(M) against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) on Sunday, Vijayan alleged the BJP-led Central government and the Sangh Parivar give scant regard to the rule of the law in the country.