LS polls highlights: Is there a conspiracy behind Naveen Babu's deteriorating health, asks PM Modi

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7:53 PM

LS polls: BJP wants '400 paar' to end reservation, alleges Arvind Kejriwal

AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday alleged that the BJP wanted 400 seats so that it can end the reservation and said the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are to save the country. Addressing a gathering of traders and businessmen in Jalandhar, Kejriwal said, "They are saying 400 seats. Somebody asked why do you need (so many seats). They say (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji wants to do something big. When inquired, it emerged that they want to end the reservation and change the Constitution. They have hatched dangerous conspiracies."

7:32 PM

TMC misusing administration to prevent opposition parties from campaigning: BJP leader Adhikari

Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday alleged that the Trinamool Congress was misusing the administrative machinery to deny opposition parties equal democratic rights during election campaigning. Accusing the South 24 Parganas district police of not granting permission to the BJP candidate from Jadavpur Lok Sabha seat to hold a meeting at Bhangar assembly segment, Adhikari asserted, "Police, under the control of TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, do not believe in ensuring a level-playing field for every contestant."

7:31 PM

TMC misusing administration to prevent oppn parties from campaigning: BJP leader Adhikari

Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday alleged that the Trinamool Congress was misusing the administrative machinery to deny opposition parties equal democratic rights during election campaigning. Accusing the South 24 Parganas district police of not granting permission to the BJP candidate from Jadavpur Lok Sabha seat to hold a meeting at Bhangar assembly segment, Adhikari asserted, "Police, under the control of TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, do not believe in ensuring a level-playing field for every contestant."

7:17 PM

LS polls: Proud that I am going to jail to save my country, says Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has to surrender on June 2 in the excise policy case at the end of his interim bail period, on Wednesday said he is proud going to jail to "save" his country. The AAP convener is out on an interim bail till June 1 following an order of the Supreme Court, which has directed him to surrender on June 2. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in March in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. "I am ready to go back to jail again on June 2. And I am proud that I am going to jail to save my country," Kejriwal said.

6:29 PM

LS polls: I am in good health, campaigning, says Naveen Patnaik to PM Modi

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said that he was in good health and campaigning for the Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections for the past one month. "He (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) has stated publicly earlier that I am his good friend. All he had to do was pick up a telephone and ask me about my health. But a number of BJP people from Odisha and Delhi are spreading rumours about my health. Let me assure the PM that I am in perfect health and I have been campaigning in the state for the last one month," Patnaik said.

6:20 PM

LS polls: 'I want to ask RSS if they too think PM Modi is God's avatar,' says Kejriwal

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his "sent by God" remark, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday asked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to clarify their stand on the issue. This comes after PM Modi, in an interview said that he has been "sent by Parmatma (God)." In an interview with ANI, Kejriwal said, "There is a lot of rage in public against BJP. People are fed up with inflation and unemployment...people are not able to make ends meet, and their children are unemployed. They hope that the Prime Minister will resolve their issues. But when they open their television and listen to PM's speech, they find him hurling abuses."

5:36 PM

LS polls: Low voter turnout due to heatwave, says Haryana Chief Electoral Officer

The voter turnout in Haryana was slightly lower this time than previous elections due to heatwave, state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anurag Agarwal said on Wednesday. The state registered nearly 65 per cent voter turnout for 10 Lok Sabha seats, which went to the polls in the sixth phase of general elections on May 25. Due to severe heatwave, the voter turnout was slightly lower than the previous election, Agarwal said, according to an official statement issued here.

5:08 PM

Had there been any achievement to show, PM would not be talking about 'mujra, mangalsutra': Sibal

"What have they done for the last 10 years? Has the prime minister said during his speeches what he did during 10 years? What are their achievements," Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said in a press conference here. Sibal also hit out at PM Modi for his 'mujra' remark against opposition leaders saying had there been any achievement to show, he would not have been talking about "mujra, mangalsutra...vote jihad".

4:38 PM

BJP leader moves Kerala HC against CM Vijayan's daughter's alleged foreign bank accounts

BJP leader Shone George has filed a plea in the Kerala High Court, claiming that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter's now defunct company Exalogic "parked" huge sums in an account in Abu Dhabi and that Canadian company SNC Lavalin routed funds to the USA through it. Vijayan is accused of being part of the alleged corruption in awarding a contract to Canadian firm SNC Lavalin when he was Kerala Power Minister in 1996, which had allegedly caused loss to the state exchequer.

4:02 PM

NDA set towards 400 seat mark, BJP will bag more seats in UP as compared to 2019: Piyush Goyal

In an interview to Hindustan Times, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that the NDA was well within the target to cross the 400-seat mark in the Lok Sabha.

3:29 PM

'World didn't know Mahatma Gandhi till a movie was made about him': PM Modi

In an interview with television news channel ABP News, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday claimed that Mahatma Gandhi  was known across the word until Richard Attenborough's 1982 movie 'Gandhi' was made. Read here for more details.

3:26 PM

JMM-led alliance patronising forces indulging in 'love jihad, 'infiltration jihad' in J'Khand: Nadda

BJP chief JP Nadda today made a blistering attack on the ruling JMM-led alliance in the state and accused it of patronising forces indulging in 'love jihad', 'land jihad' and 'infiltration jihad'. "The government which rose to power on issues like 'jal, jungle, jameen' (water, forest and land) indulged in patronising forces active in 'land jihad and love jihad'. They (such forces) are manipulating tribal girls...It (government) is patronising 'jihad' by infiltrators. Sand and land loot is at its peak. Do you want such a government to continue," the BJP chief said at a poll rally in Deoghar.

3:25 PM

Percentage of 'crorepati' candidates has increased 2X since 2009

The percentage of ‘crorepati’ candidates has doubled from 16 per cent in 2009 to 29 per cent five years later, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). Read here for more details.

2:56 PM

Poor women in Himachal Pradesh will get Rs 10,000 every month: Priyanka Gandhi

At a rally in Kullu, Priyanka Gandhi said that if the INDIA bloc comes to power, poor women in the state will get Rs 10,000 every month --- Rs 8,500 as promised in the Congress manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls and Rs 1,500 promised by the party's government in Himachal Pradesh.

2:39 PM

Is there a conspiracy behind Naveen Babu's deteriorating health?: PM Modi

 "Nowadays all the well-wishers of Naveen Babu are worried. They are worried to see how Naveen Babu's health has deteriorated so much in the last year. Over the years, whenever people close to Naveen Babu meet me, they definitely discuss Naveen Babu's health. They tell me that Naveen Babu is no longer able to do anything on his own. People who have been close to Naveen Babu for a long time believe that there could be a conspiracy behind his deteriorating health. Is there a conspiracy behind Naveen Babu's deteriorating health? It is the right of the people of Odisha to know whether the lobby which is enjoying power in Odisha behind the scenes in the name of Naveen Babu is responsible for Naveen Babu's ill health," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while addressing a public gathering in Mayurbhanj, Odisha.

2:36 PM

Entire Odisha wants an Odia chief minister: PM Modi

Entire Odisha wants an Odia chief minister, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in apparent reference to BJD leader VK Pandian. If the BJP forms government in Odisha, the panel will inquire reason behind deterioration of Naveen Patnaik's health, PM Modi added. 

2:10 PM

Odisha is mineral-rich, Centre 'grabbing' benefits from state's minerals: BJD leader VK Pandian

"Yes, Odisha is mineral-rich and has huge wealth. But the benefits go to the Centre while Odisha is denied its rights. The Centre takes around Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 crore from coal mines and railway in Odisha but gives only Rs 4,000 crore. When we raise these issues, they try to divert the topic by talking about Ratna Bhandar of Shree Jagannath Temple and showing disrespect to the CM using abusive language," BJD leader VK Pandian said at a press conference in Balasore.  Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday had said that Odisha is rich in natural resources and mineral wealth, but its people are poor and had "blamed" Patnaik for not improving the condition of the state.

2:04 PM

Congress looted Rajasthan; Gehlot will be jailed soon: Rajasthan minister

Rajasthan's Education Minister Madan Dilawar today accused the previous Congress government of making crores of rupees by leaking exam papers and asserted that former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and state party chief Govind Singh Dotasra would soon go to jail for it. 

1:29 PM

2 dead after Fortuner in convoy of Brij Bhushan Singh's son hits bike

Two people, including a 17-year-old, were killed in Uttar Pradesh's Gonda today after a Toyota Fortuner SUV hit a bike. The SUV belongs to the convoy of Karan Bhushan Singh, BJP candidate from Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat and son of six-time MP and former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

1:24 PM

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Rahul, Akhilesh will blame EVMs for poll defeat, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday took a jibe at the Samajwadi Party and Congress, saying they have decided to blame electronic voting machines for their defeat in the Lok Sabha polls.At a public meeting, Shah also claimed that the BJP has crossed the majority mark in the first five rounds of polls. "The counting is on June 4. In the afternoon the two 'shehzade' (Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav) will hold a press conference and say we lost the election because EVM was defective," he said.

1:21 PM

Nobody will tolerate religion-based quota: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav

Hitting out at the Congress and other opposition parties, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said nobody will not tolerate reservation on religious lines as it is wrong. During the campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, the BJP has claimed the Congress wants to give reservation on the basis of religion.

The Congress has, however, said it provided reservation to certain sections of minority communities in states ruled by it “on the ground of social and economic backwardness," but not on the basis of religion.

1:06 PM

Why CBI, ED action against Suvendhu Adhikari, Tapas Roy stalled: Cong to PM

The Congress today asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether he was withholding Rs 7,000 crore of paddy procurement funds to West Bengal and if the CBI case against Suvendu Adhikari has got "washed away" in the BJP's washing machine. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh also asked if the prime minister prioritised his PR over vaccines and funds under the National Health Mission.

12:15 PM

Trinamool giving away rights of 'original' OBCs to Muslims by issuing false certificates, says PM Modi

Trinamool Congress giving away rights of 'original' OBCs to Muslims by issuing false certificates, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a rally in West Bengal's Kakdwip.

12:02 PM

People have seen development journey of past 10 years after 60 years of misery: PM Modi at Kakdwip rally

12:00 PM

Trinamool Congress is compromising national security by allowing unchecked infiltration: PM Modi

Trinamool Congress is compromising national security by allowing unchecked infiltration from Bengal's borders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the Kakdwip rally. PM Modi also said that he guarantees Indian citizenship to the members of the Matua community.

11:48 AM

SC denies interim bail to AAP Punjab MLA to campaign in Lok Sabha polls

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to grant ex-parte interim bail to AAP Punjab MLA Jaswant Singh to campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

11:41 AM

Lok Sabha polls 2024: BJP has done nothing for Chandigarh's development, says Congress leader Manish Tiwari

Congress leader and candidate from Chandigarh Lok Sabha constituency Manish Tiwari slammed the BJP, saying that the party has done nothing for the development of Chandigarh for the last ten years when it represented the constituency.  Manish Tiwari is the party candidate from Chandigarh Lok Sabha constituency.

10:51 AM

India will not run on personal law or Sharia law; it will run on principles of Constitution: Yogi Adityanath

"Congress and the parties of INDI alliance have made a mockery of the Constitution. Going against the sentiments of BR Ambedkar, the then Congress govt forcibly inserted Article 370 in the Constitution. The work of strangling the Constitution was done by Congress through Emergency...This country will run on the Constitution made by Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar. This country will not run on personal law or Sharia law," Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath told news agency ANI. 

10:45 AM

Samajwadi Party's Bhumihar leader Narad Rai exits party; vows to support BJP

Samajwadi Party's Bhumihar leader Narad Rai has announced his exit from the party and vowed to support the BJP. He also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday night in Ballia when Shah was in the constituency to support the BJP candidate, Neeraj Shekhar.

10:15 AM

Our party will try its best to help the NDA candidates win: RLJ chief Pashupati Kumar Paras

"We are an honest and trusted partner of the BJP-led NDA bloc. It's a different issue that we were not given a seat to contest, but our party will try its best to help the NDA candidates win in the last phase of elections in Bihar," Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party chief Pashupati Kumar Paras.