Highlights: BJP will ensure reservation for SC, ST, OBC; even if one BJP MP in Parliament, says Shah

From Congress' star campaigners list for Lok Sabha elections to PM Modi's roadshow in Ayodhya, catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

9:13 PM

Kanhaiya Kumar, Congress candidate from Northeast Delhi to file nomination on Monday

Kanhaiya Kumar, Congress candidate from the Northeast Delhi constituency, will file his nomination for the May 25 Lok Sabha elections on Monday. The former student leader will take out a procession from near Maujpur Metro Station to the election office to file his nomination. "We will take care of peace in the area. We will follow the traffic rules. If needed, we will shower flowers to express our happiness," Kumar said.

8:17 PM

If Modi returns to power, Constitution will be in danger: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge

In a scathing attack on the BJP-led government at the Centre, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday warned that a third term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi would spell disaster for the country's constitutional integrity and democratic fabric. Speaking at a rally in West Bengal's Sujapur in support of Congress candidates for Maldaha Uttar and Maldaha Dakshin Lok Sabha seats, Kharge accused Modi of promoting divisive politics fueled by hatred and polarisation. "If Modi comes to power again, the Constitution cannot be saved and democracy will be destroyed. India will be under the rule of a dictator," the veteran Rajya Sabha MP said.

8:05 PM

'CM jailed before polls to stifle his voice': Sunita Kejriwal calls for vote against 'dictatorship'

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita on Sunday alleged he was put in jail before the elections to "stifle" his voice and urged people to vote against "dictatorship" when the national capital goes to polls on May 25. Sunita held her third roadshow in the national capital in south Delhi in support of AAP candidate Sahiram Pahalwan on Sunday. She said her husband was put in jail since he built good government schools, mohalla clinics and promised to give Rs 1,000 to every woman in Delhi. "He has put in jail just before polls to stifle his voice. Dictatorship is at its peak. Please save this country. Please cast your vote irrespective of the heat," she added.

7:48 PM

Don't have children of my own, working for future of your kids: PM Modi at Etawah rally

Prime Minister lashed out at the "dynastic politics" of the Samajwadi Party and the Congress on Sunday, saying while the opposition alliance partners work only to benefit their own families, he is building a better future for the nation's next generations. Referring to himself and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he said, "We don't have children. We are working for your children." The prime minister was addressing a Lok Sabha poll rally here in the home district of Samajwadi Party (SP) founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, who died in 2022. The prime minister also said that he is laying the foundation to ensure that India remains a powerful nation for the next 1,000 years.

7:12 PM

Blue corner notice issued against Prajwal Revanna: Karnataka Home Minister Parameshwara

Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara on Sunday said a Blue Corner notice has been issued and Interpol's help is being taken to bring NDA's Hassan Lok Sabha candidate Prajwal Revanna, who is facing sexual harassment cases, back to India. A Blue Corner Notice is issued by the international police cooperation body to collect additional information from its member countries about a person's identity, location or activities in relation to a crime. The minister said the Special Investigation Team formed to probe the sex scandal will decide on how to bring Prajwal back.

6:36 PM

Talks between India and China going on 'well': Rajnath Singh on possible resolution of Eastern Ladakh row

The theaterisation process in the military is making progress as consensus is emerging among the three services on the ambitious initiative, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in first clear remarks reflecting forward movement in the mega reform initiative. In an exclusive interview to PTI, Singh said the talks between India and China are going on "well" for the resolution of the eastern Ladakh border row and hoped that a solution to the standoff will be found. Singh also said that India has been developing infrastructure along the frontier with China at a rapid speed, and asserted that the country's borders will remain safe.

5:45 PM

BJP will ensure reservation for SC, ST, OBC as there is even one BJP MP in Parliament: Amit Shah

Reservations for SC, ST, OBCs would not end as long as there is even one BJP MP in Parliament, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday. Addressing an election rally at Kagaznagar in Telangana, Shah alleged that Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy also forwarded a doctored video of the top BJP leader. This is a reference to the case over a 'doctored' video of Shah being circulated on social media.

5:40 PM

35 Naxalites, with three carrying cumulative reward of Rs 3 lakhsurrender in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district

A total of 35 Naxalites, three of them carrying a cumulative reward of Rs 3 lakh, surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Sunday, a senior police official said. 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old boy are among those who turned themselves in before the police, he said. These cadres were tasked with digging roads, felling trees to block roads and putting up posters and banners during shutdowns called by Naxalites, the official said.

5:14 PM

Will implement 'one-nation one poll' in next 5 years: Rajnath Singh at Andhra Pradesh rally

The NDA, if voted to power again at the Centre, will implement "one nation-one election" system across the country, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asserted on Sunday. Addressing a poll rally at Jammalamadugu in Kadapa district, he slammed the YSR Congress government in Andhra Pradesh and alleged that due to its corrupt practices, the state plunged into a debt of Rs 13.5 lakh crore. Hitting out at the YSRCP, Singh said people are fed up with the ruling party with the deteriorating law and order situation and assured that if the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is voted to power in Andhra Pradesh , the state will be liberated from "corruption."

4:40 PM

Around 100 SP workers booked for 'vandalising' Maharan Pratap statue in UP's Mainpuri

Around 90-100 unnamed Samajwadi Party workers have been booked in Mainpuri for allegedly vandalising a statue of Maharana Pratap and indulging in hooliganism, police said on Sunday. According to residents, the incident took place Saturday after the road show of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, who was seeking votes for his wife Dimple Yadav, the party's candidate from Mainpuri. Police took a suo motu cognizance of the incident and filed a case Saturday against 90-100 Samajwadi Party workers under charges of rioting, stoking religious hatred, disobeying orders of a public servant, and breach of peace, Kotwali Police Station SHO Fateh Bahadur Singh Bhadauria told PTI.

4:23 PM

PM Benjamin Netanyahu's Cabinet votes to close Al Jazeera offices in Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that his government has voted unanimously to shut down the local offices of Qatar-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera. Netanyahu announced the decision on X, formerly Twitter, but details on the implications of the step on the channel, when it would go into effect or whether it was permanent or temporary shuttered were not immediately clear. The decision escalated Israel's long-running feud against Al Jazeera. It also threatened to heighten tensions with Qatar, which owns the channel, at a time when the Doha government is playing a key role in mediation efforts to halt the war in Gaza.

3:43 PM

Arabs pushing for roadmap leading to Palestinian state within 3 yrs

Sixty foreign dignitaries from moderate Arab countries, convening at a conference in Saudi Arabia, jointly called upon the United States to chart a clear path towards the establishment of a Palestinian state within three years. This demand comes amidst growing frustrations over the protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a desire for tangible progress toward a lasting solution.

3:05 PM

Locomotive of Jammu-bound train detaches from coaches in Punjab

The locomotive of a Jammu-bound train detached from its coaches in Sirhind in Punjab on Sunday, officials said.

The incident occurred after the train departed from the Sirhind railway station and the locomotive travelled for three kilometres without its coaches, they said.

2:51 PM

Here's how Misa Bharti reacted to PM Modi's jibe at Rahul Gandhi

On PM Modi's 'Shehzada in Delhi and Bihar' remark, RJD leader Misa Bharti says, "It is PM Modi's upbringing with which name and word he wants to address whom, but he should consider that the person about whom he is using this word, has given 5 lakh government jobs to the youth of Bihar."

 

2:29 PM

Here's what CEC Rajiv Kumar had to say on India's ongoing election pricess

Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar says, "It's a matter of great pleasure and satisfaction that on our invitation, the international visitors from 23 countries, more than 75 in number, are here to witness, to do as a visitor our elections, to watch our elections. There are around ten or more chairmen and the chief equivalent of chief election commissioners of the different countries who are here. This is in line with our established policy of disclosing, working from the position of strength that we have nothing to hide. So we are inviting them. They are going to five cities and five states, and they will go even to the booths to see how the democratic festival is being transparently celebrated in India. The press is there, political parties are there, agents are there. That's why we have invited them to go and visit our policy... It is everybody's right, everybody's responsibility to come and vote. More of a right. We appeal again and again to the people to come in large numbers. Percentages in both the phases have been 66 and plus, which is a good percentage but surely, in phase three and onwards, voters will cross that also."

 

1:53 PM

DPCC interim President Devender Yadav takes charge as Delhi Congress President

A week after Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely resigned from his post,  DPCC interim President Devender Yadav took charge as Delhi Congress President today. Following his resignation as Delhi Congress chief, Lovely, on Saturday also resigned from the grand old party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

1:49 PM

LS polls: PM Modi to file his nomination from Varanasi seat on May 14

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be filing his nomination papers from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat on May 14, BJP's city president Vidyasagar Rai said on Sunday.

 

On May 13, Modi will hold a roadshow in the constituency, and preparations for it are underway, he added

1:28 PM

Woman killed, two injured in bus accident on Samruddhi Expressway in Buldhana

A woman was killed and two others were injured when a private bus rammed into the state transport bus they were travelling in on the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra's Buldhana district, police said on Sunday.

The accident occurred on the Chikhali-Mehkar road on Saturday morning, an official said.

The private bus was heading towards Mehkar from Surat (Gujarat) when it rammed into a state transport bus from behind, he said.

1:25 PM

Here's what Rahul Narwekar said over Constitution and democracy

 "Unfortunately, a person who has lived up to protecting the Constitution and democracy in this country is being accused of such baseless allegations...People who have always worked against the interest of the country...what else do we expect from such people...", says Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar

1:12 PM

Lok Sabha elections: Congress MLA from Bina joins BJP in presence of CM

12:45 PM

Lok Sabha elections: MP CM Mohan Yadav takes a dig at Rahul Gandhi, here's what he said

"... He (Rahul Gandhi) himself does not know what he is going to do. From 2004 to 2014, the Congress government was running well but as soon as Rahul Gandhi was launched, that government fell... In 2019, he was launched again, he was also made the national president but only 52 (MPs) remained and he had to resign from the post", Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav says during a rally as he takes a dig at Rahul Gandhi

 

12:35 PM

NADA suspends Bajrang Punia for not giving dope samples, reports ANI citing sources

Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia has been suspended by the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Sports for failing to provide the agency with his dope samples.

 

12:17 PM

Congress' Jairam Ramesh slams PM Modi, says trying to give communal colour to OBC reservation

 "The Prime Minister is trying to give a communal colour to the OBC reservation given in 1994... We did not make religion the basis. We gave reservations given economic and social backwardness... After 1994, there have been 4 BJP chief ministers in Karnataka... Narendra Modi has been the Prime Minister for 10 years. Atal Bihari Vajpayee has been the Prime Minister for 6 years and this issue has been raised after 30 years... Some Muslim castes have also been included in the OBC list and the Prime Minister himself is taking credit for it... From April 19, the Prime Minister has only one issue... because he knows that 'dakshin Bharat me saaf, uttar Bharat me half'... The answer to the lies will be found only through votes," says Congress' Jairam Ramesh

 

12:01 PM

Here's what Yogi Adityanath had to say over Farooq Abdullah's statement

"INDI alliance has been in controversy since its formation, the controversial statements of its leaders are nothing new. This is an alliance of selfishness, hence they continuously give such statements which please the enemies of India and create a situation of disunity in the country... This is an alliance of family-based parties, be it Congress, National Conference or Samajwadi Party, their statements promote terrorism. Who all are playing with national security, insulting the martyrdom of the brave soldiers of India... This act of the INDI alliance is condemnable... The ground beneath their feet has slipped, hence in despair and hopelessness, these people are acting like this. They give statements to please the leaders of Pakistan who are giving statements in support of Rahul Gandhi and their leaders",says UP CM Yogi Adityanath

11:46 AM

Lok Sabha elections: Here's what Shashi Tharoor said over BJP's 400 par claim

 "...My gut feeling is that they're (BJP) not going to cross very much beyond 200 (seats). Forget 400, forget 300, how much more than 200 remains in the phases yet to come. We're looking at an election in which the BJP will fall to a level where they won't be able to find enough allies...Given all of this, I think we have to be very clear that there is absolutely no realistic prospect for the BJP to come back with anything like the numbers they are suggesting, not even close...", says Congress MP Shashi Tharoor

11:45 AM

FSSAI clarifies on reports claiming that it allows 10 times more pesticide residue in herbs & spices

Here's what the FSSAI said as it clarified on social media reports which claimed that it allowed 10 times more pesticide residue: 

• India has one of the most stringent standards of MRL in the world
• MRLs of pesticides are fixed differently for different food commodities based on their risk assessments

11:30 AM

Congress releases list of 40 star campaigners for LS polls for Maharashtra; check who's on the list

As the voting for phase 3 of Lok Sabha elections is scheduled to take place on May 7, Congress has released a 40-star campaigner list today for Maharashtra. The list includes Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and KC Venugopal among other campaigners. 

 

11:17 AM

Ex-Pak minister's 'praise' of Rahul matter of 'grave concern'; Cong owes explanation, says Rajnath

Former Pakistani minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain's "praise" of Rahul Gandhi is a matter of "grave concern" and the Congress must explain the "deep love" for its leader from a country that always attempted to destabilise India, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said.

 

11:05 AM

IAF convoy attack in Poonch: Here's what Congress MP Tharoor had to say

"We don't play politics with terrorism. As far as we are concerned, any terror attack is an attack on our nation not just on the ruling party or the government. For us, we all stand with the Air Force, our brave soldiers and with all those who are trying to protect the integrity of our country. We certainly hope that the government could manage the situation better and that I'm sure they're taking the necessary steps to go after those who committed this heinous crime. As far as we're concerned, we don't want to play politics over the lives of our soldiers...", says Congress MP Shashi Tharoor over the attack of an Indian Air Force vehicle convoy by terrorists in Poonch

10:58 AM

Maximum temperature in Delhi likely to be 41 Deg C

Delhi on Sunday recorded a minimum temperature of 22.7 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season's average, according to the India Meteorological Department.

 

The department has predicted strong surface winds during the day and a maximum temperature of 41 degrees Celsius.