India General Elections: Highlights on May 30, 2024

The INDIA bloc will hold an informal meeting Saturday only to discuss the preparations for the counting day on June 4 and how its leaders and workers need to stay alert, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said.

He said Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has informed that she is busy with the polls that day and therefore, will not be able to attend.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here Thursday, Mr. Kharge said the meeting is being held for “our own sake” to train people and to give them information.

- PTI

Electioneering drew to a close in Bihar on Thursday, as the eastern state remained witness to intense campaigning by political heavyweights spanning over two months for 40 Lok Sabha seats with more than 7.6 crore voters.

Star campaigners, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, BJP president J P Nadda, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav canvassed for their party nominees in the politically crucial state.

On Thursday, campaign ended for eight Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, where the fate of more than 100 candidates will be decided by over 1.60 crore voters in the seventh and final phase of polls.

- PTI

Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee claimed that a survey by the West Bengal government is underway to assess the damage caused by cyclone ‘Remal’ and people whose houses were destroyed would get a compensation of ₹1.2 lakh each within a fortnight.

Addressing a gathering after a roadshow in the Diamond Harbour constituency in South 24 Parganas district, from where he is seeking reelection, the two-time MP, who has no stakes in the state government, claimed that the Mamata Banerjee administration would support victims without relying on others for assistance.

Several coastal areas of the district, including Kakdwip, Namkhana and Frazergunj, have reportedly suffered large-scale damage to properties and farmlands in the aftermath of the severe cyclone which made landfall late Sunday evening.

- PTI

In an apparent attack on Apna Dal (S) candidate Anupriya Patel, Samajwadi party President Akhilesh Yadav said the people of the Mirzapur constituency will teach a lesson to the “anti-reservation” party and its “selfish” allies.

“The people of Mirzapur are ready to teach a lesson to the anti-reservation BJP and their selfish allies by pulling the carpet from under their feet.

“The people of Mirzapur are asking the top leadership of Apna Dal (S), the ally party of the BJP government: ‘Why is Apna Dal (S) against reservation for the backward classes?’” Mr. Yadav said in a post on X targeting the sitting Member of Parliament from Mirzapur.

- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the opposition to make no mistake in understanding him as he can disclose “sins of their seven generations”, ending his Lok Sabha campaign with another onslaught on rivals in an election marked by acrimony from both sides.

Mr. Modi’s fierce attacks and sharp words, which have drawn outrage from critics and backing from BJP’s supporters, have been a running highlight of his campaign and it was no different in his last rally of the seven-phase elections.

- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaving for vivekanand rock memorial from the jetty to start 45-hour-long meditation at Kanniyakumari.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that the BJP would not return to power for the third consecutive term and alleged that the saffron camp does not care about the constitutional responsibilities that come with the prime minister’s chair.

Addressing the crowd at the beginning of a 12-km long road show crisscrossing the Jadavpur and South Kolkata Lok Sabha constituencies, Banerjee said “There is a possibility that, if the counting procedures are conducted properly, the BJP will not come to power this time.” “The chair of the PM is valuable and it has constitutional responsibilities. They don’t care about it. Every time before counting, he sits somewhere to gain publicity for 48 hours. He may meditate but why in the presence of cameras?” she said.

The TMC supremo was referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled meditation at Rock Memorial, a monument built in tribute to Swami Vivekananda, in Kanyakumari following the culmination of the Lok Sabha polls campaign.

- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended his whirlwind Lok Sabha poll campaign with a rally in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur, closing out his electioneering the way he began -- by focussing on a region where he has invested heavily over the years for the BJP to make a mark outside its strongholds.

Mr. Modi notched up a total of 206 public-outreach programmes, including rallies and roadshows, since the Election Commission (EC) announced the poll schedule on March 16.

The prime minister surpassed his nearly-145 public engagements on the stump during the 2019 polls by a big margin. The campaign period this time was of 76 days, compared to the 68 days in the polls held five years ago.

- PTI

Union minister Rajnath Singh said frequent elections are not good for the country and efforts will be made to install the “one nation, one election” system in the next five years.

Mr. Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) believe that the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls should be held simultaneously across the country.

“In five years, we will try our best to make provisions for one nation, one election,” the defence minister said, addressing a rally in support of Vijay Kumar Dubey, the BJP’s Lok Sabha poll candidate from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh.

- PTI

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday claimed it would be difficult for the BJP to win even 140 seats in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Taking a jibe over the NDA’s slogan of ‘Abki baar 400 paar’, Mr. Yadav said, “They have forgotten their slogan of crossing 400. People are so angry that they will make it difficult for the BJP to win even 140 seats.” Mr. Yadav attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he has started “stumbling due to anxiety”.

Accusing the BJP of neglecting farmers and waiving loans of only industrialists, Mr. Yadav said the loans of farmers will be waived after the INDIA bloc government is formed.

PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his election campaign in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur on May 30, for the final phase of the general elections, which are set for June 1.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is eying its third term in office, and Prime Minister Modi has extensively campaigned for his party across the length and breadth of the country.

Read the full story here

Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have got a tough fight in Varanasi had Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contested against him as INDIA bloc’s candidate, say Congress workers from the temple town.

The Prime Minister is likely to have a cakewalk in the third consecutive election he is contesting from the holy city of Varanasi, with INDIA bloc’s Ajay Rai apparently not in a position to spring any surprise even this time, they feel.

While Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has given the ticket to a local, Athar Jamal Lari, three Independents are also in the fray.

PTI

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari urged women in troubled Sandeshkhali region, as well as other areas of Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency, to blow conch shells as a signal if they see any suspicious activities before the June 1 election.

Speaking at a campaign rally in support of BJP candidate Rekha Patra, Mr. Adhikari voiced concerns about potential visits by “TMC-controlled state police” and others to intimidate residents into voting for the ruling party.

He advised residents to blow conch shells if they observe unfamiliar people entering their neighborhoods late at night and cautioned against accepting money from organisations linked to the TMC.

PTI

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday asserted that “something major” will take place, after Lok Sabha results are out, in Bihar where Chief Minister Nitish Kumar seemed to be “not going along well” with ally BJP.

Mr. Yadav, who lost the Deputy CM’s post as a result of Mr. Kumar’s abrupt return to the NDA in January this year, made the claim while interacting with journalists here.

“Ever since I made the prediction that chacha (uncle) will take a big decision after Lok Sabha polls, he has not been going out to campaign”, pointed out Mr. Yadav, referring to a claim he had made a couple of days ago.

PTI

The Delhi High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from contesting the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, saying the allegations levelled are “reckless” and “unsubstantiated”.

Justice Sachin Datta said the petition was tainted with malafide and obligue motives and such averments in a petition cannot be entertained.

The petition by captain Deepak Kumar alleged that Mr. Modi and his accomplices attempted to destabilise national security by planning a fatal crash of an Air India flight in 2018 which the petitioner commanded as a pilot.

PTI

Union Minister Rajnath Singh said frequent elections are not good for the country and efforts will be made to put in place “one nation, one election” system in the next five years.

Mr. Singh said the Prime Minister and the party believe that the frequent elections are not good and that Lok Sabha and Assembly elections should be held together across the country.

“In five years we will try our best to make provisions for one nation, one election,” the Defence Minister said addressing a poll meeting in support of BJP candidate from Kushinagar, Vijay Kumar Dubey.

PTI

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, addressing a press conference at party headquarters, slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his comments that Richard Attenborough’s film let the world know about Mahatma Gandhi. “Once the PM has free time after June 4, he can ready Gandhi ji’s autobiography and ‘My Experiments with Truth’... He took Congress’ name in 232 times in 15 days of speech. He referred to himself over 700 times. But he didn’t mention even once about inflation and unemployment,” Mr. Kharge said. 

He added, “He (Mr. Modi) linked the Congress manifesto with a particular community. This not only violated the model code of conduct but also lowered the dignity of his office. PM used 421 references about Mandir and Masjid. PM is now considering himself to be a avataar of God. We believe that people will give a mandate for a new alternative government on June 4. INDIA bloc will form a government.”

In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh accused him of lowering the dignity of public discourse and the gravity of the office of the PM by giving “hateful speeches” during the poll campaign.

In an appeal to voters of Punjab ahead of the seventh-phase of Lok Sabha polls on June 1, Mr. Singh asserted that only the Congress can ensure growth-oriented progressive future where democracy and Constitution will be safeguarded.

The senior Congress leader also hit out at the BJP government for imposing an “ill-conceived” Agniveer scheme on the armed forces.

PTI

Time has come for a full majority government at the Centre after decades, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoked Guru Ravidas to say that he was the inspiration for working towards the welfare of the poor.

Addressing a rally on the last day of campaigning for the seven-phase Lok Sabha poll, Mr. Modi said the country witnessed unprecedented development during the last ten years.

“Welfare of poor is my government’s top priority. And in this big inspiration is of Guru Ravidas,” he said. The Prime Minister also said that his wish is for Adampur airport, which serves Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur, to be named after Guru Ravidas.

PTI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the BJP of insulting the people of Odisha as one of its leaders recently claimed that Lord Jagannath is a devotee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The BJP has insulted every individual of Odisha as one of its leaders claimed that Lord Jagannath is a devotee of PM Modi,” Mr. Gandhi said.

BJP’s Puri Lok Sabha candidate Sambit Patra had recently made the remark.

-PTI

The Congress set the narrative during the Lok Sabha polls with a sharp campaign that was devoid of “ agar-magar, kintu parantu” and pushed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the “back foot”, senior party leader Jairam Ramesh said on Thursday.

Asked if the Congress was able to reach out to people more successfully than compared to that in the 2014 and 2019 polls, he said the Bharat Jodo Yatra was transformative and gave connectivity to Rahul Gandhi and collectivity to the organisation.

“This was taken forward, given a structure, five themes, different guarantees, were announced in different places. I think our narrative was stronger, sharper, clearer, there was no ‘ agar magar, no kintu parantu’. I think this is what the future of the Congress is -- we have to have ideological clarity, we have to be very clear in what we believe in and what we communicate,” the Congress general secretary said.

-PTI

Shiromani Akali Dal MP and candidate from Bathinda Lok Sabha seat, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, on Thursday exuded confidence in winning the general elections with a larger margin as compared to the previous elections.

Hitting out at the opposition, Ms. Badal said that the people are disappointed with Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), adding that in the last seven years they have made promises but never fulfilled them.

“In the last 7 years, Congress and the AAP alliance have made promises but never fulfilled them. People are disappointed with this alliance. During the Akali Dal government, they were getting the benefits of schemes. Now, people are feeling cheated,” she said.

“The AAP was formed two years ago. The people have seen Congress and the AAP. The BJP is not even getting the chance to campaign in the villages. I am sure that I will get more votes than the last time,” the SAD leader added.

-ANI

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan raised serious concerns about the condition and treatment of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, stating that access to his residence, Naveen Niwas, is heavily restricted.

Mr. Pradhan claimed that only one person is allowed to enter Naveen Niwas, describing the restrictions as extreme. “As per my information, no one is allowed to enter Naveen Niwas except one person (V.K. Pandian). Not even a leaf can move without his permission. There is no telephone in his room, nor is there any Odia channel in his room. I say with responsibility that the Odia employee at Naveen Niwas himself is saying that, What condition has been made of the Chief Minister of Odisha?,” Mr. Pradhan said.

Mr. Pradhan assured that changes are imminent, stating, “Nothing to fear, on June 10 BJP government will be formed. PM Modi has said that a committee will be formed and within a year it will be assessed as to who is responsible for the health of Naveen Babu.”

-ANI

Congress leader and candidate from Mandi, Vikramaditya Singh, hit out at actor-tuned politician and BJP leader Kangana Ranaut, asserting that she has no dedication or understanding about the issues of Himachal Pradesh.

“There are 14 lakh daughters in Himachal Pradesh. So many of them studied and became IAS, IFS, etc. Some of them are into sports as well, and this lady (Kangana Ranaut) is also one of them. But when it comes to Himachal, she has no connection to Himachal’s issues, understanding, or history; she has no dedication or understanding about the issues,” Singh told ANI on Wednesday.

Hitting out at Kangana Ranaut, the Congress leader said, “She also doesn’t have time, does she have a roadmap? If you have a roadmap, to fulfil it, you will have to go to the ministry, meet officials, and observe the situation. But she says that she will go back to Mumbai after June 4 as her films are pending. This is not a 9-to-5 job.”

-ANI

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K. Selvaperunthagai on Wednesday, May 29, 2024 strongly condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned visit to Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanniyakumari on May 30, where he is expected to meditate. He said this would infringe on the rights of tourists who will be barred from visiting the memorial for three days.

In a statement, Mr. Selvaperunthagai charged that Prime Minister’s visit to Kanniyakumari after the conclusion of the campaign for Lok Sabha 2024 is meant to gain a ‘political advantage’ in the 57 constituencies, which are going to the polls in the final phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Read more

A massive controversy erupted on Wednesday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to form a special committee to investigate the reasons behind the reportedly “deteriorating health” of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who instead insisted that he was in perfect health.

Addressing a public meeting in Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha constituency, Mr. Modi said, “Nowadays, all well-wishers of Mr. Patnaik are deeply concerned. They are worried by how sharply Odisha CM’s health has deteriorated over the past year. Whenever people close to him meet me, they often discuss his health.” Read more

After Delhi Customs detained two people, one of whom claimed to be the personal assistant to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in a case of alleged gold smuggling, the Congress leader distanced himself from any alleged wrongdoing on Thursday and said that the law must take its own course.

Mr. Tharoor, in a post on X, said that the detained person is a former member of his staff who has been rendering part-time service to him. He also extended his support to the authorities in their efforts to take any necessary action.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also said that when the INDIA ‘janbandhan’ parties will get the people’s mandate, then some NDA parties may join the coalition and the Congress high command will have to decide whether to include them in the alliance or not.

Asked whether post-polls doors will remain open for NDA allies such as JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, the Congress leader said, “Nitish Kumar is the master of ‘palti (volte-face)‘.

“Naidu was with the Congress in alliance in 2019. I would say when INDIA janbandhan parties will get the people’s mandate, then not only INDIA parties but also some NDA parties may join the coalition,” he said.

“The high command of the Congress, Kharge ji, Rahul ji, Sonia ji, will have to decide whether to include them in the INDIA bloc,” he said.

-PTI

The INDIA bloc will get a “decisive mandate” in the Lok Sabha polls and may take even less than 48 hours to decide on its prime ministerial pick, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Thursday, asserting that it stands to reason that the party which gets the maximum seats in the alliance will be a “natural claimant” for its leadership.

“I don’t think it will take even 48 hours (to decide on the PM pick). Within a few hours the leader of the janbandhan (will be picked). It stands to reason that the party that gets the maximum seats in the ‘janbandhan’ will be a natural claimant for the leadership of the janbandhan,” he said.

-PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a near two-day meditation exercise at the famed Vivekananda Rock Memorial here, and the district has come under a thick security blanket following the high profile event.

All arrangements, including heavy security, are in place for Mr. Modi’s 45-hour stay at the famed, mid-sea memorial, named after the revered Hindu saint.

Mr. Modi will meditate at Rock Memorial, a monument built in tribute to Swami Vivekananda, here following the culmination of the Lok Sabha polls campaign later today, BJP leaders had said. The PM had undertaken a similar exercise in a Kedarnath cave after the 2019 poll campaign. Read more

BJP leader Sanjay Tandon who is making his Lok Sabha election debut from the Chandigarh parliamentary seat said his opponent and senior Congress leader Manish Tewari is a “political tourist” and will look for a new constituency in 2029 to fight polls from.

Tandon, who has been the Chandigarh BJP President for 10 years, exuded confidence that the party will secure a hat-trick of wins from the constituency which will go to polls in the seventh phase on June 1. “Manish Tewari is a political tourist... In 1991, he went to Kanpur to contest election... even before he reached the constituency people objected and he was sent back to Delhi from the airport itself,” Tandon told PTI in an interview.

“Since then he has been behaving like this only. He goes to a constituency, tries to play with the system there. He has been elected twice from two different constituencies. The question that comes to the mind of people in Chandigarh is why did he leave Ludhiana?” he asked.

-PTI

Ahead of the voting in Himachal Pradesh, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Satpal Singh Satti has alleged ‘discrepancies’ in the poll affidavit of Congress party’s Hamirpur candidate Satpal Raizada, and demanded a probe into his loan waiver.

Mr. Satti has claimed that the Congress leader’s assets increased from ₹10 crore to ₹15 crore between 2022 to 2024, while his loan amount came down to zero.

The BJP leader alleged that there has been a “loan scam” under Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and the Kangra Bank is also involved in this.

-ANI

Amid fervent election campaigning, the Union Territory of Chandigarh is set for a direct battle between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) joint candidate fielded by Congress for the 2024 Parliamentary election — in which the stakes for the BJP that is fighting to retain the seat, are high, even as the Congress is giving a spirited fight to the incumbent to wrest the seat. 

The BJP has won the lone Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat in the years 2014 and 2019. The voting for the Union Territory would held on June 1 during the last phase of the Lok Sabha election.

Read the full story here.

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan said that people who only care about “mutton parties” will not understand why the military recruitment scheme has been launched.

“These people (INDIA bloc) will not understand such schemes (Agniveer). People who only care about mutton parties, who come to Bihar and instead of discussing on Biharis, focus on who will treat whom with mutton, will not understand such schemes that has been brought about to strengthen our youth. After June 4, all these people will be throwing mutton parties for one another,” Paswan said speaking to ANI while responding to Rahul Gandhi’s remark on scrapping the Agniveer scheme.

In this election, neither communalisation nor developmental promises drive the Opposition’s campaign, particularly the BJP’s campaign, against the BJD government; instead, it is the issue of Odia ‘asmita (self-pride)’. A bureaucrat-turned politician, V.K. Pandian, the most trusted aide of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, has been at the receiving end, writes Subhankar Naik.

Read the full column here.

Nine Lok Sabha constituencies in Kolkata, its nearby suburbs, and the Sundarbans are going to the polls in the last phase of elections in West Bengal, scheduled on June 1. 

The region is considered a bastion of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), and the State’s ruling party had won all the nine seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. In fact, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has never won eight of the nine seats, the only exception being Dum Dum, where BJP leader Tapan Sikdar won in the late 1990s.

As in the rest of the State, the TMC’s campaign was centred around the Chief Minister and Mr. Abhishek Banerjee. Ms. Banerjee has held roadshows in and around Kolkata, walking several kilometres on foot. For the BJP, the Prime Minister held several rallies, including one roadshow in north Kolkata.

Read the full story here.