Excise Policy Case: Officials take Arvind Kejriwal to ED headquarters - Video

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reacted to Arvind Kejriwal's arrest. 

he said, "Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest is highly objectionable. This action is part of the effort to shut down the opposition voices at the stage of the election process. This shows the cowardice of those who fear the democratic process."

CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury wrote, "Strongly condemn the arrest of Delhi CM, Shri Arvind Kejriwal by the ED. It’s the second sitting CM of the INDIA bloc to be arrested. Clearly, Modi and the BJP are in panic over people’s rejection in the ongoing elections."

"All opposition leaders who defected and joined the BJP are protected and patronised. They are the ‘Satya Harishchandras’! These arrests will only cement people’s desire to defeat BJP, defend democracy and Indian Constitution," Yechury added. 

Former Chattisgarh CM and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel said, "Those who do not join BJP will go to jail. Dictatorship is at its peak. Remember, ego is God's food. We are all united against dictatorship." 

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said, "Those who are themselves imprisoned in the fear of defeat, what will 'they' do by imprisoning someone else? BJP knows that it will not come to power again, and due to this fear, it wants to remove the opposition leaders from the public by any means at the time of elections, arrest is just an excuse. This arrest will give birth to a new people's revolution."

"We condemn the situation of terror that has been established. A meeting will be held to plan the strategy for the future," says Delhi MCD Mayor Shelly Oberoi. 

Enforcement Directorate (ED) team on Thursday (Mar 21) evening arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from his residence after an hour-long questioning.

Enforcement Directorate officials are conducting a search operation at Delhi CM Arvind, news agency ANI reported citing sources. 

Delhi Minister Imran Hussain says, "It's very unfortunate. It's a conspiracy to stop the AAP and Arvind Kejriwal. People of Delhi love Arvind Kejriwal and they'll respond to the BJP."

AAP workers stage protest outside the residence of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha said, "We are waiting for the next step of the BJP govt and what ED does today. People have given the mandate to Arvind Kejriwal to run the govt and he will continue to do so. Even if Arvind Kejriwal will be jailed, 'Sarkar Jail Se Chalegi'."

BJP National Vice President Baijayant Jay Panda said, "Mr Kejriwal started his political career with the campaign called 'India Against Corruption', where he promised to put up authorities to crack down corruption which he has not done. He is known for doing drama, lying, taking u-turns and not living up to the commitments he made." 

Delhi minister and AAP leader Atishi said, "It is clear that the ED and their masters, the BJP, do not respect the courts. Had this been the case, they would not have come to raid the residence of Arvind Kejriwal today itself. This is a political conspiracy and they are here to arrest Arvind Kejriwal." 

Rapid Action Force (RAF) present outside the residence of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

Enforcement Directorate team is present at Arvind Kejriwal's residence for questioning.

Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj says, "The way police are inside the house of the CM and no one is allowed to enter it seems, the CM house has been raided. It seems, there is preparation to arrest the CM."

ED officials reach Arvind Kejriwal's home after HC refuses relief to Delhi CM in liquor policy case.

Complete story: 9 from Tamil Nadu constituencies, Annamalai to contest from Coimbatore

- Discussion on all seats of Madhya Pradesh completed today
- According to sources, former Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Digvijay is sure to contest the elections.
- Will contest Lok Sabha elections from Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh
- This list of candidates of Madhya Pradesh will be released tomorrow day after tomorrow
- Till now the list of 10 candidates of Madhya Pradesh has been released.

As Congress bank accounts frozen, party leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi says, "We are fighting against hatred-filled 'Asura-shakti' "

Alleging misuse of state resources for the poll campaign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress on Thursday complained to the Election Commission against "Modi Parivaar" and "Modi ki Guarantee" advertisements and sought their immediate removal and action against those behind it.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said that the Aam Aadmi Party will soon declare the names of the candidates for the remaining five seats in the state.

"In the next five days, the candidates for the remaining five Lok Sabha tickets will be announced by the Aam Aadmi Party," said the Chief Minister. 

Murshidabad, West Bengal: Yusuf Pathan, former cricketer and Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate from Berhampore said, "I am grateful to Mamata Didi (CM Mamata Banerjee) for giving me the opportunity to serve you. I hope that the way you people have given me love for the last many years when I used to play for KKR...today when I came here and saw you, today I can see that love very closely. I want this love to always remain.''

"Accounts (of the opposition) are being frozen because BJP is at the forefront of donation theft. This is not even a donation, this is extortion... The people of the country have come to know that they (BJP) have extorted money from the vaccine companies as well... Opposition has received donations, BJP has done extortion," says SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.

India's main opposition party, Congress, slammed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the freezing of its bank accounts weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and called it a "criminal action" done by PM Modi and Home Minister, saying "There is no democracy in India today."

BJP president JP Nadda took to X and called Congress' statement during the press conference on Sunday "comical."

Congress is "conveniently blaming their irrelevance on ‘financial troubles’. In reality, their bankruptcy is moral and intellectual, not financial," said Nadda.

He added, "For a party which has looted from every sector, in every state and at every moment of history, to talk of financial helplessness is comical." 

Click here to read Congress' statement on freezing of its bank accounts

BJP leader and former Karnataka CM D.V. Sadananda Gowda holds a press conference in Bengaluru, he says, "I am upset with BJP as the election ticket (from Bangalore North seat) has been given to someone else in my place. Yes, I was invited to join the Congress party, but I will not join the Congress party...Narendra Modi should become Prime Minister again."

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to immediately halt delivery of 'Viksit Bharat' messaging over WhatsApp.

The election commission has also sought a compliance report from the ministry.  

The EC received several complaints that such messages are still being delivered on citizens' phones despite the announcement of the General Elections 2024 and the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) entering into force.

Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi claimed that the freezing of the Congress party's bank accounts is unprecedented and unconstitutional. 

"We are doing our very best to maintain the effectiveness of our electoral campaign. The issue of electoral bonds has been declared unconstitutional by Supreme Court. The finances of the principal opposition party are under a determined assault. This is unprecedented and unconstitutional," Sonia Gandhi said.

Congress party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, while sitting beside party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, claimed to a press briefing in New Delhi that a level playing field is absent during ongoing Lok Sabha polls. "For free and far elections, our party should be allowed to use its bank accounts," Kharge said while referring to the Income Tax row that the Congress party is currently embedded in. 

"They (Maha Vikas Aghadi) have been having meetings since 2.5 months but they haven't reached a decision yet. We made 80% of the decisions in just one meeting. We will decide the remaining 20% in the second meeting," Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis told reporters. 

In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the ECI seized a total of $1,800 (Rs 1.49 lakh) in cash in two separate cases at Chatrapatti and Otthakadi village in Madurai district on Wednesday, the news agency ANI reported.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh will on Thursday file his nomination from Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur constituency for the Lok Sabha elections. This constituency will go for voting during the first phase on April 19.

Ahead of filing his nomination, Union Minister Singh performed a prayer at his residence in Jammu. 

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha held a door-door campaign in the Golaghati constituency's Kanchmala gram panchayat on Thursday.

According to a report by the news agency ANI, Chief Minister Saha was seen talking to the area's residents about different schemes run by his government. 

The Indian government on Wednesday set up a 24x7 control room and launched a toll-free helpline number for the elections.

This initiative aims to curb the influence of black money in polls and monitor suspicious movements of cash, bullion, and other valuables within New Delhi during the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) period.