Lok Sabha elections updates on April 2, 2024 | Election Commission transfers 8 DMs, 12 SPs across 5 States

Odisha’s Chief Electoral Officer Nikunja Bihari Dhal said political parties will be advised against conducting rallies, processions and public meetings between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. keeping the predictions about heatwave in mind.

As India Meteorological Department projected that heatwave episodes could surge by 2.5 times in the next three months, conducting elections in Odisha, a State highly susceptible to heatwaves, might pose a challenge. However, Mr. Dhal exuded confidence on readiness to tackle the situation.

- Satyasundar Barik

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad to contest Lok Sabha polls from Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, the party said. 

- Peerzada Ashiq

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on April 2 issued transfer orders for top officials in five States namely Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The poll body also appointed special observers in the states of West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar which have a population of more than 7 crore.

Both steps have been taken to ensure a level playing field during the upcoming elections.

The decision on the transfers was taken as part of the regular review by the Commission during a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, the ECI said in a statement in New Delhi.

Senior CPI(M) leader in Jammu and Kashmir M.Y. Tarigami accused the BJP of resorting to dictatorship and said his party would not contest in the Lok Sabha seats in the Union territory to consolidate votes and get rid of “tyrants”. 

“We will not contest (the Lok Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir) directly. Our political approach in today’s times would be to defeat the BJP, to stop them from forming government. They have already done a lot of damage to Jammu and Kashmir,” he told PTI. “We also appeal to other political parties to ensure that votes do not get divided. We hope we get rid of the tyrants soon,” he said. -PTI

Exuding confidence about the BJP’s ‘400 paar’ (400-plus) target, senior party leader Amit Shah said there is no match between the NDA led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the INDIA bloc. He believed the BJP would win all 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka. There is no match between the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led INDIA alliance, he said, accusing the Opposition bloc of rampant corruption and scams. There is also no match between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who never takes leave, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who travels abroad as summer sets in, he added.

“In the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, there is BJP and NDA under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on one side — and we are in the election fray under Mr. Modi’s leadership — while on the other side, there is this alliance of ‘ pariwarwadis’ (dynasts) and ‘ brashtacharis’ (corrupt) — the INDIA alliance,” Mr. Shah said.Read the story here.

The JD(U) has released a campaign song for the Lok Sabha polls. The song ‘Badha badha ho, lada lada ho (march ahead and fight) Nitish Kumar’ focused on the State’s CM Nitish Kumar and praised him for taking charge of the State and “bringing back the honour that had been lost”.

The song highlighted the developmental works done by the Mr. Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar. As part of the seat-sharing arrangement in the NDA, the BJP is contesting on 17 seats, JD-U 16, LJP-R of Chirag Paswan five and the HAM-S of former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi and the RLM of former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha one each.

The Lok Sabha elections for the 40 seats in Bihar will be held in seven phases on April 19, 26, May 7, 13, 20, 25, and June 1. - PTI

The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) has released its list of 40 star campaigners in Maharashtra ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Sharad Pawar, Anil Deshmukh, Jitendra Avhad, Supriya Sule, Jayant Patil are some of the star campaigners. - ANI

The Pattali Makkal Katchi, which has a strong vote bank in the northern and western regions of Tamil Nadu, sprung a surprise by announcing it would join the National Democratic Alliance and contest in 10 Lok Sabha seats when it was widely expected to stay with the AIADMK with which it has been in alliance since 2019 Lok Sabha elections. 

In this exclusive interview, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss tells Udhav Naig why the party decided to join the NDA, focussing on 2026 State Assembly elections, dreaming of a State Government without DMK and AIADMK and the need to present a viable alternative to the people of Tamil Nadu.

For this Lok Sabha poll, I was never in favour of an alliance with the AIADMK: Anbumani Ramadoss

PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss discusses party's decision to join NDA and focus on 2026 State Assembly elections.

The Congress has released its first list of Assembly candidates for Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Y.S. Sharmila Reddy will contest from Andhra Pradesh’s Kadapa, M.M. Pallam Raju will contest from Kakinada. - PTI

The ECI has asked Odisha Chief Secretary to transfer eight IAS and IPS officers and directed submission of compliance report by 5 PM on Tuesday.

The second meeting of the BJP’s newly formed Election Manifesto Committee is likely to be held on April 4, the ANI has reported.

The news agency cites sources who said that the BJP’s manifesto for the seven-phased Lok Sabha elections is likely to be titled ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’, his campaign pitch for the electoral contest. The inaugural meeting of the BJP’s manifesto committee was held on Monday under the leadership of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, with the discussions revolving around the suggestions and feedback the party received from the public. -ANI

Since the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) announced its seat-sharing deal in Bihar on March 29, many in the Congress felt that the party had been short-changed by the RJD. This sentiment came out in the open after Anil Kumar Sharma, former Bihar Congress president, resigned from the party on Sunday.

“The RJD leadership does not treat the Congress as a partner, but as a beggar. I fail to understand the reasons to keep supporting the RJD, which, in Bihar, is seen as a reactionary casteist party and promoter of ‘Jungle Raj’. It seems that the Congress party has entered into a permanent agreement with the RJD,” he told The Hindu’s Amit Bhelari. 

​Read the story here.​

Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that the Congress is so engrossed in appeasement that it can never think of the national interest at an election rally in Rudrapur. “Congress is so engrossed in appeasement that it can never think of the national interest. It is this Congress which promotes infiltrators. But when BJP, through CAA, gives Indian citizenship to those who believe in India,” he said. 

“The prince of the royal family of Congress has announced that if the country elects Modi Government for the third time, it will be on fire. Those who ruled the country for 60 years, remained out of power for 10 years, are now talking about setting the country on fire,” he said in a veiled attack on Rahul Gandhi. - The Hindu BureauRead the story here.

Ajay Kumar Nishad, BJP’s sitting MP from Bihar’s Muzaffarpur, joined the Congress days after the saffron party denied him a ticket. 

He joined the Congress at the AICC headquarters in Delhi in the presence of the party’s state president Akhilesh Prasad Singh, AICC in-charge of state Mohan Prakash, party’s MP from Kishanganj Mohammad Javed and AICC head of media and publicity department Pawan Khera.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off the BJP’s Lok Sabha poll campaign in Uttarakhand by addressing a rally in Rudrapur. Ahead of the rally, Mr. Modi exuded confidence that the people of the State have resolved for the victory of the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. 

“Along with Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, the people of the country have once again resolved for the victory of the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. The blessings of all our family members are with us for the accomplishment of this resolution,” he posted.

The BJP has named 112 candidates for the Odisha assembly polls which will be held alongside the Lok Sabha elections. The party’s state unit president Manmohan Samal will contest from Chandabali while its former chief Suresh Pujari, an MP in the outgoing Lok Sabha, will fight from Brarajarajnagar.

The Odisha assembly has 147 seats and the BJP has emerged as the main challenger to the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal. In 2019, the BJD won 112 seats, and the BJP won 23 seats. The Congress is the third major party in the State.

The BJP and the BJD were in talks for an alliance but the negotiations fell through over seat-sharing arrangement. - PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a joint meeting with JD(S) and State BJP leaders to improve coordination and resolve potential issues among the alliance partners.

JD(S)‘ H.D. Kumaraswamy, G.T. Devegowda, veteran BJP leaders B.S. Yediyurappa, B.Y. Vijayendra and Radha Mohan Das Agarwal and other leaders from the two parties were part of the meeting. 

Mr. Shah is scheduled to meet party leaders and workers from various parts of the State and will also hold a road show in Channapatna, under the Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha constituency, where Mr. Kumaraswamy’s brother-in-law and eminent cardiologist C.N. Manjunath is contesting the polls on a BJP ticket. Mr. Kumaraswamy will also take part in the roadshow.

As per the seat-sharing deal for the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP will contest in 25 constituencies and the JD(S) in the remaining three in the State. -PTI

The Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) has written to the Election Commission stating that it will abstain from the Lok Sabha election. The organisation has been demanding a separate state carved out of Nagaland. 

In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner through the chief electoral officer of the North Eastern State, the ENPO, the apex body of seven Naga tribes of the region, said its members have collectively decided not to take part in the parliamentary polls.

“The people of eastern Nagaland under the aegis of ENPO had on March 19, 2024, reaffirmed its commitment to the “Chenmoho Resolution”, wherein it was further reaffirmed and resolved not to participate in any central and state elections against the failure to settle the creation of frontier Nagaland territory (FNT) as offered and assured by the Ministry of Home Affairs on December 7, 2023 to be settled before the announcement of Model Code of Conduct to the Lok Sabha 2024 by the ECI,” the ENPO letter said. The ENPO has been demanding a separate state since 2010, claiming that the six districts in the eastern part of Nagaland have been neglected for years.

Polls to the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland will be held on April 19. The Nagaland Cabinet and legislators have recently appealed to the ENPO to take part in the elections. - PTI 

The controversy around Katchatheevu, a barren islet about 14 nautical miles off Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram district, refuses to die down. 

This time around, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue of ‘ceding’ Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka in 1974. In a post on X, he claimed that the Congress “callously gave away Katchatheevu”. The Congress and the DMK issued rebuttals and the BJP has countered them. 

The controversy has persisted for decades, but will it have an electoral impact in Tamil Nadu?

Read the piece by T. Ramakrishnan here.

Senior AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi has claimed that the BJP plans to break the the party by sending all its leaders to jail. From the turnout at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, they have realised that the party will not break by arresting Chief Minster Arvind Kejriwal. “We are not scared of the BJP.. we are the soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal and the followers of Bhagat Singh. We will fight till the end to save our nation,” she said. - The Hindu Bureau

AAP’s Atishi claims she’s being pressurised to join BJP else will be arrested in a month

Arvind Kejriwal Arrest: Atishi warns of BJP arrests, ED raids on AAP leaders, Kejriwal in custody, AAP vows to fight back.

Exuding confidence in securing her Krishnanagar Lok Sabha seat with a bigger margin, senior TMC leader Mahua Moitra feels that her victory would be a fitting response to the “conspiracy” to expel her from Lok Sabha last year and tarnish her reputation through raids and summons by central agencies in a cash-for-query case. 

Ms. Moitra, who was re-nominated by the TMC from the same Krishnanagar seat after being expelled last year, accused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of acting as “political agents of the saffron camp”.

Ms. Moitra said the Election Commission has “lost its independence” since commissioners are handpicked by a selection committee where the Centre has two-thirds majority.

“There is no doubt about my victory. It is about how big the margin will be, which will be decided on June 4. I live here and have been among my people for the past five years and even before that as an MLA. So there is a very strong connection, and frankly, there is no election mode as such here,” she said. - PTI

The Congress has announced Kadiam Kavya, daughter of former Telangana Deputy CM Kadiam Srihari, as its nominee from Warangal in the Lok Sabha polls.

The AICC announced the candidature of Kadiam Kavya on Monday night.

Kavya and Srihari, who is a sitting BRS MLA, joined the Congress on Sunday in the presence of Chief Minister and state Congress president A Revanth Reddy. -PTI

Former Union Minister and Sultanpur MP Maneka Gandhi on Monday said that there was no doubt about her contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls but deciding on the constituency led to delay in announcement of her candidature.

Read the full story here.

On March 22, during an election campaign speech in Rajkot in Gujarat, Union Minister and Rajkot Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Parshottam Rupala unwittingly triggered outrage when he praised the Dalits at the expense of the Kshatriyas or Rajputs.

As clips of the speech went viral on social media, the Rajputs, who are descendants of royal or princely families in Saurashtra, began to protest. This was the region where more than 100 large and small princely states existed at the time of independence.

The protests show the community’s frustration at being sidelined in the BJP.

Read the piece by Mahesh Langa here.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was on a two-day visit to Rajasthan, arrived in Jodhpur on April 1 to review the Bharatiya Janata Party’s preparedness for the Lok Sabha election.

Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, a two-time MP from Jodhpur, is the party’s candidate for the third successive term in the parliamentary constituency.

Read the full story here.