Lok Sabha Elections 2024 | Highlights on May 14, 2024

Among all parties, the BJP has submitted the highest number of advertisements related to the Lok Sabha polls for approval, sources at the office of the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer said.

To seek approval for about 2,084 political advertisements in the city, the BJP submitted nearly 517 applications to the poll body from March 13 till May 8, data accessed by PTI showed. The Congress has put 118 applications for 349 political advertisements. The Aam Aadmi Party submitted six applications for an equal number of advertisements related to the Lok Sabha elections. Read the report here.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has claimed that the BJP is losing ground across the country and will not win more than 230 seats. Mr. Kejriwal, while addressing an audience in a roadshow for party candidate Sushil Gupta in Pehowa, Haryana, said, “On March 16, elections were announced. On March 21, they sent me to jail. This means they did not want Kejriwal to campaign. They are scared of Kejriwal.”

“In the entire country, the situation is turning against them. BJP is losing badly … In Haryana, Rajasthan they are losing; in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Bihar, UP, West Bengal, Delhi, and Punjab, their seats are coming down. Nowhere there is an increase in their seats,” he said.”They claim they will win 400 seats. Today I can tell you in writing that they are not winning more than 230 seats,” Mr. Kejriwal said. He also asked the public to throw the BJP-led alliance from power, and with it, Modi’s “dictatorship.” - PTI

In an exclusive interview to The Hindu’s Nistula Hebbar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the NDA has provided a strong, stable government for the last 10 years and that the government will be voted back due to its record. “In 2014, the voter wanted to replace the UPA and bring us. In 2024, we are being voted back on our record, and I feel this is for the first time that a government in India will get a positively affirmative vote based on hope,” he said.

Amit Shah Interview: We will win seats in all southern States, says Amit Shah

The Hindu's Nistula Hebbar interviews Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Varanasi on Lok Sabha elections and Article 370.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has said that if Narendra Modi becomes the Prime Minister again, elections will not be held in the country. 

Addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj in support of Congress candidate Virendra Chaudhary, Mr. Kharge claimed that Mr. Modi had not fulfilled many of his promises. 

“The Prime Minister lies. Modi is a liar and I am saying it again and again that Modi is the chief of liars (‘jhoothon ka sardar’),” he said. “If this man [Modi] comes again [as PM], there will be no elections. There will be no candidates of Dalits, tribals, backward classes or women,” he said.Terming the elections as an ideological battle, Mr. Kharge said, “We are not fighting against any individual person be it Modi or Yogi. This is not a personal fight.” 

“They ask what we have done in 70 years. If we did not do anything, you could not become the PM of a democracy. You became PM as we (Congress) made the Constitution and saved democracy. You are trying to finish that democracy, break the Constitution. This will not happen. Dalits, tribals, backward classes, farmers and intellectuals of the country will not let you break the constitution,” he said. - PTI

Activist Manoj Jarange has warned that the Maratha quota agitation will be restarted from June 4, when the results of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections will be out. A rally will be organised on June 8 to press the Maratha community’s demand for reservations in government jobs and admissions to educational institutes, he said.

“We want reservation for our kids.....We have been given 10% reservation (under the economically backward category) which is of no use. This has been proved in the (ongoing) police recruitment,” he told reporters.Read the report here.

In a bid to encourage voting, some restaurants in Mumbai have announced that they will give a discount of 20% on the total dine-in bill value on May 20 and 21. 

The ‘Democracy Discount’ initiative is the hospitality fraternity’s way of encouraging citizens to go out and cast their votes, the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) Mumbai Chapter said in a statement. All participating restaurants will provide the discount to dine-in customers who are residents as per their voter ID and have cast their vote.

Mumbai will go to polls in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20, 2024. - PTI

The Election Commission of India has disposed of 90% of 425 complaints it received in the last two months and no major complaints were pending from parties, except the Congress and BJP.

It has expressed satisfaction with the overall conduct of the campaign during this period, saying that the campaigning has been “violence-free, less noisy, less cluttered and intrusive, and free of inducement and ostentatiousness.” 

This is the Commission’s second report on enforcing the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during the 2024 general elections. The first report was released on April 16, 2024.

“Approximately 425 major complaints, excluding canvassing-related or clarificatory complaints, have been filed by various political parties and candidates at the level of ECI and CEOs. Of these, action has been taken (or matter disposed) in 400 cases,” the ECI said in its report. “Approximately 170, 95, and 160 complaints were filed by Congress, BJP and others, respectively. Most of these complaints have been acted upon,” it said.

It said that 4,22,432 complaints were filed on the C-Vigil App as of May 14, 2024. Of these, action has been taken in 4,22,079 (99.9%) cases, and of these, 88.7% of complaints were resolved in an average time of less than 100 minutes.- ANI

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has said that her party will carve a separate State of Bundelkhand if voted to power. Addressing an election rally in Jhansi, Ms. Mayawati said, “There have been demands for carving a separate Bundelkhand state. If our government is formed (at the Centre), then we will take positive steps in this regard. Bundelkhand will definitely be made a separate state.” Bundelkhand is a hilly region spread across 13 districts in southwest Uttar Pradesh and northern Madhya Pradesh. Seven districts in Uttar Pradesh (Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Lalitpur, Jhansi, Jalaun, and Chitrakoot) and eight districts in Madhya Pradesh (Datia, Tikamgarh, Chhattarpur, Sagar, Damoh, and Panna) come in this region.

The BSP chief also claimed that it “would not be easy” for the current BJP-led NDA to return to power, provided “the elections are free and fair,” and the EVMs are not tampered with. She also alleged that the BJP has “politicised” all central agencies under it, just as its predecessor, Congress, had done.

Jhansi will vote in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls in the state on May 20. The BSP has fielded Ravi Prakash from the constituency.The BJP has fielded Anurag Sharma, its sitting Lok Sabha MP, while the Congress has given ticket to former Union minister Pradeep Jain ‘Aditya’. - PTI

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has claimed that there is no ‘lehar’ [wave] in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but only ‘zehar’ [poison] in his language. 

While addressing a press conference in Bhubaneswar, Mr. Ramesh said that the language of the “outgoing” prime minister indicates he is “tensed and confused”. “He (PM) has realised that farmers, youth, labourers, women and backward classes are upset with him. That’s why he talks about Hindu-Muslim, Muslim League, black money given to Congress in tempos and ‘mangalsutra’.

“There is no ‘lehar’ (wave) on the ground in favour of the PM but only ‘zehar’ (poison) in his language. This indicates that time has arrived for a change,” he claimed. The Congress is fighting this election to save the Constitution and democracy as ‘dhantantra’ (capitalism) is prevailing in the country, he said. - PTI

Reacting to the voter turnout in the Monday polling at the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, while DPAP chief Ghulam Nabi Azad remarked that the figures are not high enough to know whether the people are happy or angry with the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said it is a message that the people have not accepted the Centre’s decisions.

Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) president Mr. Azad on Tuesday said, “I had hoped that Kashmir will witness 80 to 90% turnout in view of what has been happening in the past seven to eight years. Article 370 was removed, statehood was snatched. So I thought the turnout will be high, like 90 to 95%.

“The increase of a few percent hardly matters as it happens in every constituency of India. That way, we can not know whether the people are angry or happy (with the abrogation of Article 370 and snatching of statehood). It is a new thing for me,” Mr. Azad told reporters while campaigning for his party candidate in Kulgam district.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on May 14 held a roadshow in Kurukshetra’s Pehowa campaigning for party candidate Sushil Gupta and attacked the BJP-led Centre over his jailing, claiming it is scared of him.

Addressing a gathering, Mr. Kejriwal said, “On March 16, elections were announced. On March 21, they sent me to jail. This means they wanted Kejriwal to not campaign. They are scared of Kejriwal.”

He told the crowds in Pehowa, “I have relations in Pehowa. You will ask how. In-laws of my younger brother and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann come from Pehowa.” “His (Mann’s) father-in-law Inderjeet Singh is with us today … From here, not even a single vote should go to BJP, which sent me to jail,” he said.

The AAP national convenor was granted interim bail till June 1 by the Supreme Court on Friday in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.

In a bid to address concerns of the Matuas over citizenship, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on May 14 assured the community that its members would get citizenship under the CAA and accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of spreading canards about it.

Addressing a rally at Matua community stronghold Bongaon, Mr. Shah said, “Mamata Banerjee can never stop the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act in Bengal as it is a law by the central government.”

“No power in the world can stop my refugee brothers from becoming citizens of India. This is the promise of Modi Ji. Mamata Banerjee must remember that citizenship falls under the exclusive authority of the Central government, not the State governments,” he said.

Addressing a poll rally in West Bengal’s Bongaon on May 14, Home Minister Amit Shah accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of allowing infiltration for vote bank politics but opposing the CAA.

“Mamata didi can never stop CAA implementation, the matter lies with Central govt,” Mr. Shah said at Bongaon rally, adding, “I assure Matua community there would be no problem in applying for citizenship under CAA.”

The Election Commission said on May 14 that top leaders of political parties should set “good examples” of campaign discourse expected of them in the ongoing Lok Sabha election.

Coming out with its second report on the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct since the March 16 announcement of the Lok Sabha election, the poll panel said it has disposed of over 90% of complaints and no major complaint from parties was pending, except some by the Congress and the BJP.

“With about two months completed since the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect, campaign by various political parties and candidates at constituency level has largely remained violence free, less noisy, less cluttered and intrusive, free of inducement...,” the commission added. - PTI

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on May 14 said he will campaign for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli.

“I’m going to Raebareli for (Lok Sabha) election campaigning in Uttar Pradesh. I won’t be here (Bengaluru) for two days, I’m leaving today. I have requested that no one should come (near my residence) to celebrate my birthday (May 15) and there should not be any celebrations,” Mr. Shivakumar said. 

The Raebareli seat had earlier been held by Rahul’s mother Sonia Gandhi, his grandmother Indira Gandhi and his grandfather Feroze Gandhi. - PTI

Rohita Rewri, former BJP MLA of Panipat City, on May 14 joined the Congress, with former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda claiming there is a wave in favour of the grand old party in the State.

Claiming there is a wave in favour of the Congress in the State amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Hooda said the party will win all the nine seats it is contesting, as well as the Kurukshetra seat, being fought by its INDIA bloc ally AAP. 

Speaking to reporters on the occasion, Rohita Rewri, who served as Panipat MLA from 2014-2019, said she left the BJP as she “did not get due respect”.

Actor Kangana Ranaut on May 14 filed her nomination from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat as a BJP candidate and hoped she would keep getting the opportunity to file nominations from the constituency in the future as well. “I hope this is not the first and last time for me and I get more opportunities to file nominations from Choti Kashi (Mandi) in the future as well,” Ms. Ranaut told PTI.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on May 14 said India’s journey of development and glory will continue uninterrupted under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and people of Varanasi will bless him with a record margin of victory again.

The senior BJP leader said in the 10 years, PM Modi has not only brought world-class development to Kashi (Varanasi) but also to the entire country.

“He has also enhanced India’s spiritual and cultural heritage. I pray to Baba Vishwanath and Ganga ‘Maiya’ that India’s journey of development and glory continues uninterrupted under Modi’s leadership. I am confident that this time again the people of Kashi will bless Modi ji with a record margin of victory,” Mr. Shah said. - PTI

BJP candidate from Mandi, Kangana Ranaut filed nomination from the parliamentary constituency on May 14. She was accompanied by her mother, Asha Ranaut, and sister, Rangoli Chandel.

“The people of Mandi and their love for me have brought me here. Women in our country are making a mark in every field but incidents of foeticide in Mandi were high a few years ago. Today, the women from Mandi are in the Army, the field of education and politics,” said Ms. Ranaut.

The Supreme Court on May 14 refused to entertain a plea seeking to bar Prime Minister Narendra Modi from elections for allegedly making hate speeches and violating the Model Code of Conduct during campaigning.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and S.C. Sharma asked the petitioner to approach the authorities concerned for the redressal of the grievance.

Congress candidate from the Chandigarh parliamentary constituency Manish Tewari on May 14 filed his nomination papers.

He was accompanied by the party’s Chandigarh unit president H.S. Lucky and other leaders.

Mr. Tewari is pitted against BJP candidate Sanjay Tandon from the lone Lok Sabha seat in the Union Territory. - PTI

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over “fake” guarantee and “incomplete” projects announced in 2014 for Jharkhand, where PM Modi will address a public rally in Giridih on May 14.

“The outgoing PM has repeatedly promised to build a medical college in Koderma, but the project is yet to materialise. The college was to be built on 70 acres of land and had 100 MBBS seats. The Prime Minister laid its foundation stone six years ago in 2018 and promised to complete the project again in 2019. Does the Prime Minister ever intend to fulfil his promise or is this another ‘Modi ki Fake Guarantee’ from the Bharatiya Jumla Party?,” said Mr. Ramesh on X.

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Forty-nine drones have been either shot down or recovered from along the India-Pakistan international border by the BSF in the 60 days of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) being in force for the ongoing general election in the country, latest data show.

Separately, the total recovery of these largely Chinese-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), originating from Pakistan and entering India’s Punjab territory and a few in Rajasthan, has seen an about 13 times rise since 2022 in the January-May period. 

The MCC came into force on March 16. - PTI

Days after he was booked for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct in the run-up to Lok Sabha polls, popular Telugu actor Allu Arjun said he went to the Nandyal district to support his friend and YSRCP constituency candidate S Ravi Chandra Kishore Reddy but isn’t affiliated to any political party.

On Saturday, the “Pushpa” star waved to a large crowd from a balcony with the YSRCP candidate and also posted a message on X in his favour. The Andhra Pradesh Police booked a case against the “Pushpa: The Rise” star on Saturday under IPC Section 188 the same day.

Arjun said he remains neutral and supports “my people” including Janasena Party founder and actor-uncle Pawan Kalyan, regardless of their political affiliations.

“Firstly, I want to clarify that I’m not affiliated with any political party. I remain neutral and support my people, regardless of their political affiliations. This includes my uncle Pawan Kalyan, whom I’ll always stand by, along with my friend Ravi and my father-in-law, Mr. Reddy,” the actor said in a statement.

- PTI

The Narendra Modi government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 is showing results in the poll percentage in Jammu and Kashmir and has enhanced people’s trust in democracy, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on May 14

The Home Minister’s remarks came a day after about 38% polling was recorded in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency where polling was held in the 4th phase of the general elections. 

Srinagar recorded 14.43% polling in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, 25.86% in 2014, 25.55% in 2009 and 18.57% in 2004.

The BJP’s Sonipat candidate Mohan Lal Badoli on May 14 claimed his party is going to win all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana and like last time the “so-called bastions” of the Opposition will be smashed.

Mr. Badoli (61), the sitting MLA from Rai Assembly segment in Sonipat, claimed the BJP is getting overwhelming support from the people who want to see Narendra Modi as prime minister for the third time. 

About Sonipat and Rohtak considered as bastions of the Congress and the Hooda family, he said, “You saw what happened last time. This time too, these so-called bastions will be smashed”. - PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 14 filed his nomination from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat after offering prayers at the Dashashwamedh Ghat and the Kaal Bhairav temple. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was among those present at the collectorate when PM Modi filed his papers.

He is eyeing a hattrick in the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat, which he had won for the first time in 2014.

In the tranquil village of Purba Jaynagar in Bongaon, nestled near the Bangladesh border, a palpable sense of disillusionment fills the atmosphere within the Matua community over CAA.

Seated outside his modest thatched-roof home in the village, 60-year-old Srikanta Sarkar reflects on his dream of a permanent homeland, free from persecution and discrimination — a hope that was briefly rekindled by the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in March.

However, his dream was swiftly dashed as complexities of the citizenship application process unfolded, demanding proof of residency in Bangladesh, a requirement Mr. Sarkar finds impossible to fulfil. - PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at Dashashwamedh Ghat on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi and boarded a cruise to Namo Ghat to visit the Kaal Bhairav Temple ahead of filling his nomination from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh on May 14. 

After performing Ganga Aarti and offering prayers to the River Ganga on the auspicious occasion of Ganga Saptami, the Prime Minister took a cruise trip to the Namo Ghat.

- ANI

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The fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 13 saw a voter turnout of 64.60% till 11 p.m. in 96 constituencies spread over 10 States and union territories. Incidents of violence and Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) malfunctioning were reported from some States. 

A total of 1,717 candidates were in fray in this phase and 17.7 crore electors were eligible to exercise their franchise. With this phase, voting process in 23 States and union territories and 379 seats has been completed. The last three phases in the seven-phase general elections are scheduled to be held on May 20, May 25 and June 1 and counting on June 4.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at the Dashashwamedh Ghat on the banks of the Ganga here on Tuesday before filing his nomination from the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.

He also performed aarti at the ghat amid chanting of Vedic mantras. Several Union Ministers, including Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, Chief Ministers of BJP and NDA-ruled States and leaders of the party are likely to accompany Mr. Modi to the collectorate for his nomination filing. 

PTI

Voting in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha for 13 seats in Uttar Pradesh ended on Monday amid accusation of irregularities by the Samajwadi Party (SP).

A voter turnout of roughly 58% was recorded with Dhaurahra (63.19%), Kheri (63.07%), Sitapur (61.17%) and Kannauj (61%), from where SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is contesting, recording turnouts of above 60%.

According to the Election Commission of India, Akbarpur recorded 57.66% polling, Bahraich 57.45%, Etawah 56.38%, Farrukhabad 58.90%, Hardoi 57.51%, Kanpur 52.49%, Misrikh 55.79%, Shahjahanpur 53.24% and Unnao 55.44%.

Mr. Yadav, who reached Kannauj after receiving complaints of irregularities, said, “As soon as I arrived, the BJP goons ran away.”

“The fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections has made it clear that now all the possibilities of the BJP forming a government in Delhi have faded. People have voted in favour of Samajwadi Party and INDIA bloc candidates. In this fourth phase, BJP left no stone unturned in spreading chaos, disorder and tarnishing the freedom and fairness of voting. BJP has not shown any faith in the democratic system,” the SP in a statement.

The BJP rubbished the allegations with Subrat Pathak, the BJP’s Kannauj candidate, saying that out of frustration, the SP leadership is peddling false charges. “Akhilesh ji is sensing defeat. It is a reflection of his frustration,” he said.

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Twenty-one out of the 88 candidates (24%) in the fray in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election in West Bengal have criminal cases against them, as per their affidavits filed before the Election Commission of India. 

The fifth phase, scheduled for May 20, will witness the highest percentage of candidates with declared criminal cases among the five rounds of polling in the State, according to a report by civil society organisation Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

On May 20, election will be held in seven Lok Sabha constituencies – Howrah, Hooghly, Arambagh, Serampore, Bongaon, Barrackpore, and Uluberia – spread across three districts in south Bengal. 

“Unfortunately, akin to the 2019 polls, the 2024 elections are not free of money and muscle power,” said Ujjaini Halim, the State coordinator of the West Bengal Election Watch, an initiative supported by the ADR to analyse candidate data for the ongoing Lok Sabha election. 

Isolated incidents of violence and scuffle between supporters of political parties marred the fourth phase of polling in West Bengal on May 13. Despite the deployment of about 569 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in this phase, there were attacks on the convoy of a candidate, scuffle among supporters of political parties and allegations of attacks on polling agents.

The average polling percentage across eight Lok Sabha constituencies was 75.66% till 5 p.m. It is likely to increase as the election continued till 6 p.m. Bolpur, a constituency reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates, recorded the highest polling at 77.77%. The lowest turnout of 69.43% was observed at Asansol, primarily an urban constituency. The polling figures for Krishnanagar was 77.29%, Ranaghat 77.29%, Bardhaman Durgapur 75.02%, Birbhum 75.45% and Baharampur 75.36% till 5 p.m. 

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Phase 4 of Lok Sabha polls sees 64.60% voter turnout

Lok Sabha elections phase 4: 62.9% voter turnout, incidents of violence, EVM malfunctioning, high-profile contests, and accusations of rigging.

Congress leader and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha candidate Rahul Gandhi recalled the association of the Gandhi family with the constituency saying the relationship goes back to the “time of Motilal Nehru”.

​Read the story here​