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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday file his nomination in the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat. He will later hold a rally in Jharkhand following the completion of the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, which recorded a 67.25 per cent voter turnout.
With three more phases of polling left, here are the biggest updates in the Lok Sabha elections 2024 and politics today.
Phase 4 of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 has 67.25% voter turnout
The Election Commission announced that the fourth phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024, encompassing 96 parliamentary constituencies, recorded a voter turnout of 67.25 per cent. This phase covered seats across nine states and a Union Territory (UT), with voting commencing at 7 am and concluding at 6 pm on Monday.
West Bengal had the highest turnout at 78.37 per cent, followed by Madhya Pradesh at 70.98 percent, Jharkhand at 65.2 percent, Uttar Pradesh at 58.05 percent, and Bihar at 57.06 per cent.
This phase witnessed polling for all 25 seats in Andhra Pradesh and 17 seats in Telangana, along with 13 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 11 in Maharashtra, eight in West Bengal, eight in Madhya Pradesh, five in Bihar, four in both Jharkhand and Odisha, and one seat in Jammu and Kashmir.
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PM Modi to file nomination
PM Modi will be filing his nomination papers in Varanasi, marking his bid for a third consecutive term from the constituency.
The Prime Minister led a six-km-long road show in Varanasi on Monday, accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He spent the night at the BLW guesthouse in the city and is scheduled to participate in a ceremonial dip in the holy Ganges on early Tuesday morning before formally submitting his nomination papers.
The Varanasi seat is slated for polling in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections on June 1.
Cremation of BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi
Veteran BJP leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi died on Monday night, succumbing to cancer. He was 72.
His mortal remains are scheduled to arrive at his residence in Rajender Nagar, Patna, on Tuesday morning, followed by his cremation later in the day.
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and numerous other top leaders from across party lines expressed their condolences and paid tribute to the late Sushil Modi.
Uddhav Thackeray rejects reconciliation with BJP after 'nakli santaan' comment
During the final phase preparations for voting in Maharashtra's 13 seats, Uddhav Thackeray, Chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), staunchly dismissed any possibility of reconciliation with the BJP. He said this to the ‘Times of India’ in an interview.
Thackeray criticised PM Modi's recent remarks and spoke on the importance of public impact over political maneuvering.
In response to Modi's statement, "Uddhav Thackeray is not my enemy," Thackeray the statement indicates confusion in the Prime Minister’s mind.
"There is no possibility of reconciliation with someone who has referred to me as 'nakli santaan' (fake child) or labeled Shiv Sena as 'nakli Shiv Sena' (fake Sena)," he asserted.
Thackeray reiterated that his doors remain "100 per cent shut" for "the 40 traitors" who defected from the party, referring to Eknath Shinde's faction of Shiv Sena. He stated that if his party returns to power, investigations into irregularities under the Shinde government would be pursued.
Thackeray also vowed to scrutinise the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, alleging that rules were being tailored to benefit the Adani group.
Abhijit Gangopadhyay calls police charge sheet an 'overaction'
Former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who resigned from his position to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Tamluk on a BJP ticket, has moved the High Court alleging police “overaction”. Gangopadhyay's petition comes after the police registered a case under Section 307 (attempt to murder) against him. The matter was mentioned before Justice Jay Sengupta, who directed that the petition be heard on Tuesday.
Fresh charge sheet to be filed against BRS leader K Kavitha
A court in Dehi is set to consider a fresh charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case on Tuesday. The charge sheet names Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha and four others as accused. Special Judge for ED and CBI cases, Kaveri Baweja, adjourned the matter for May 14, after it was scheduled to be taken up for cognisance on Monday.
JD(S) MLA H D Revanna to be released from jail today
Janata Dal (Secular) MLA H D Revanna is expected to be released from prison on Tuesday, following a grant of bail by a special court for elected representatives. Revanna was granted bail in connection with a case of kidnapping, which is linked to allegations of sexual abuse involving his son and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna.
H D Revanna was arrested on May 4 by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). He had been ordered by a court to give a bail bond of Rs 5 lakh.
Hemant Soren hearing in SC set for May 17
Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, citing the precedent set in the money laundering case involving Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, sought interim bail from the Supreme Court on Monday to campaign in the Lok Sabha elections.
Soren, who was arrested on January 31 in connection with a money laundering case related to an alleged land scam, resigned as the Jharkhand chief minister prior to his arrest.
Initially inclined to list the matter for May 20, the top court rescheduled it for May 17 after Sibal and senior advocate Arunabh Chowdhury, also representing Soren, expressed concerns about potential prejudice due to a longer delay in the proceedings, considering the ongoing election.
Election rallies today
PM Modi's rally in Jharkhand:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address a massive rally in Koderma, Jharkhand, on Tuesday afternoon, rallying support for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the elections.
J P Nadda's visit to Amethi:
BJP national president J P Nadda will be visiting Amethi, where he will hold a public meeting at Munshiganj in support of BJP candidate and Union minister Smriti Irani. Irani is contesting against Congress's Kishori Lal Sharma in the constituency.
Rajnath Singh and Adityanath's rally in Lucknow:
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will jointly address a public meeting in Lucknow, mobilizing support for their party ahead of the elections.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge rally in Uttar Pradesh:
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is scheduled to hold a rally in Chauri Chaura near Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. Senior leaders of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are also expected to address the rally. Kharge will further hold another rally in Maharajganj.
Akhilesh Yadav’s rallies in Jalaun and Jhansi:
Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav will address rallies in Jalaun and Jhansi on Tuesday. He will first address an election meeting in Jalaun in support of SP candidate Narayan Das, followed by a rally in Jhansi in support of Congress candidate Pradeep Jain later in the afternoon.
