Lok Sabha Elections 2024: EC reveals new details on electoral bonds

Congress MP Rajeev Shukla says, " After the declaration of election dates, the whole INDIA alliance is united and will strongly contest the elections...we discussed all the key issues (at the rally)." 

Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain says, " This was the concluding ceremony of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. The issues regarding which Rahul Gandhi was conducting the yatra, all parties of INDIA alliance have come forward against those issues." 

Rahul Gandhi said, "There is a word 'Shakti' in Hinduism. We are fighting against a Shakti. The question is, what is that Shakti. The soul of the King is in the EVM. This true. The soul of the King in the EVM and every institution of the country, in ED, CBI and Income Tax department."

"A senior leader from Maharashtra left Congress and cried in from of my mother and said 'Sonia ji, I am ashamed that I don't have the power to fight this Shakti. I do not want to go to jail.' Thousands of people have been threatened like this," he added. 

Speaking at the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said, "You (Rahul Gandhi) have Gandhi in your name and the BJP is scared of it."

"Today, I can see people with different thoughts and ideas here, let me tell you this is 'India.' The election is all set to begin; the public has the most powerful weapon of the Constitution and that is the 'vote'," she added. 

The Election Commission of India has revealed fresh data on the financial transactions of political parties through the now-quashed electoral bonds scheme. Reports suggest that the disclosed data encompassed crucial details such as the issuance dates, number of bonds, denominations, and the respective State Bank of India (SBI) branches involved in the transactions. 

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EC makes public new details on electoral bonds purchased by people, redeemed by parties. "The Election Commission of India has today uploaded the data received in digitized form from the registry of the Supreme Court on electoral bonds on its website," Election Commission of India said in a statement.

After the announcement of dates for the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghosh on Sunday termed the upcoming elections as a "moment of truth".

"Why are these elections necessary? These elections are a moment of truth for us. Can we stick to one party, one leader, one language, one religion, one dress? Or do we want to preserve our federal, multi-faith and multi-cultural diverse democracy?" she said.

Wrapping up his 10,000-kms-plus two-phase march at the birthplace of the grand old party in Mumbai, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday asked India is a country of 'Mohabbat' (love) "then why is hatred being spread?"

"We say that the BJP spreads hatred but there has to be a basis to this hatred...The reason for hatred is injustice. In this country every day injustice is being against the poor, farmers, Dalit, women & youth," he said.

"There are a maximum of 5 per cent of people who get justice. For them, the courts, government, and all other institutions work for them. But if we look at the other 90 per cent of the population, they have been suffering due to injustice," he added.

Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said on Sunday that neither Narendra Modi will become prime minister nor the NDA will win 400 plus seats in the Lok Sabha elections.

"In UP, they will struggle to win even 40 seats because of the price hike and corruption," Tiwari told the news agency PTI. 

"...A mega rally of the INDIA bloc will be organised today at Chhatrapati Shivaji Park in Mumbai. More than two lakh people will be attending it. The rally will be attended by all the leaders of the INDIA alliance and the CMs of various states...The INDIA alliance will sound its poll bugle from here," Congress leader Charan Singh Sapra told the news agency ANI. 

As the election season continues to heat up, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Sunday issued the ninth summons to Delhi Chief Minister  Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, asking him to appear before it on Thursday, March 21.

The ED's ninth summons comes a day after Arvind Kejriwal was granted bail by the additional chief metropolitan magistrate of Rouse Avenue Court against arrest for skipping summons issued to him by the probe agency in the Delhi liquor policy money laundering case.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hypothesised that only 5 per cent of people in India end up getting justice. Rest, he said, have been suffering injustice.

"There are a maximum of 5 per cent of people who get justice. For them, the courts, government, and all other institutions work for them. But if we look at the other 90 per cent of the population, they have been suffering injustice."

Shiv Sena (UBT) Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut said in Mumbai: "If there was no Congress the country would not have got independence, the country would not have got leadership & we would not have made progress in science and technology...There are a lot of such things that the BJP will never understand because they do not think for the country. They only think about the businessmen..."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, on Sunday (Mar 17) where he will attend a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National General Secretary Vinod Tawde, a day prior. 

This will be the first NDA meeting in the state ahead of the upcoming elections. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo N Chandrababu Naidu and JanaSena Party chief Pawan Kalyan will also reportedly attend the meeting. 

The members of the alliance, last week, finalised the seat-sharing formula ahead of the elections following an hours-long discussion. 

Out of the 175 seats, TDP will contest for 144 seats for the assembly polls, Jana Sena Party for 21 seats, and BJP for 10 seats. 

Addressing the media, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said the elections will start on April 19th and continue till 1 June.

Chief Election Commissioner said that the elections for the 18th Lok Sabha will be held in seven phases.

Click here to know the important dates and facts for the Lok Sabha polls 2024...