Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Updates April 4: Election summer enters its heated lap of rallies

Security heightened in Lakshadweep ahead of the Lok Sabha Election 2024 on 26 April. 

Hyderabad: Union Minister and Telangana BJP President G Kishan Reddy said, "Wherever we went, people wanted PM Modi to become Prime Minister again... 'Abki baar 400 paar' is not our slogan, now it has become people's slogan, they chant, 'Abki baar 400 paar, phir se Modi sarkar'... I am confident that BJP will win maximum seats not only in Secunderabad but also in Telangana ..."

Agartala: Tripura CM Dr Manik Saha says, "A large number from everywhere are joining (BJP). Congress and CPI (M) alliance, especially in Tripura, people will not accept it... Soon in the INDIA alliance only 'I' will be left..."

Rashid Alvi said, "Muslim League is a part of INDIA. Congress had and has an agreement with the Muslim League. It was included in the government during the UPA government. To say that it is being hidden is absolutely wrong. In Kerala, Congress has a pact with the Muslim League."

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Weeks after the Uttar Pradesh unit of the Congress party unanimously passed a resolution for the candidature from the Gandhi family in Amethi and Raebareli seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's husband Robert Vadra reacted if he will put his foot in the electoral race.

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On Congress leader Randeep Surjewala's remark on Hema Malini, BJP leader Shazia Ilmi said, "The kind of words used and the context in which it was used, for Hema Malini, clearly shows how anti-women the thinking of the Congress party is. The way Randeep Surjewala used that word and the way he insulted her is not just an insult to Hema Malini, it is an insult to women's power."

Samajwadi Party leader Sunita Verma filed the nomination from the Meerut Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday (Apr 4). She will contest against BJP's Arun Govil in the parliamentary seat.

On Uttar Pradesh's Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, Robert Vadra said, "...The people of Amethi expect me to represent their constituency if I decide to become a member of Parliament...For years, the Gandhi family worked hard in Rae Bareli, Amethi and Sultanpur...The people of Amethi are really troubled by the current Member of Parliament, they think they have made a mistake by electing her..."

At a public rally in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "How many leaders from the BJP and people from the RSS died and hanged in the freedom struggle. Our people were hanged, died, protested, beaten. Lakhs of people who left their houses for freedom were the people from Congress. Who in your house came forward to work for the country?"

"Did anyone from PM Modi or Amit Shah's forefathers, or any of the forefathers of the BJP or RSS have done something? You people were with petitioners when Mahatma Gandhi was fighting. You all were enjoying when our people were being beaten, be it Pandit Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi... We fought to give this country freedom, and now you are sitting on that chair," he added. 

PM Modi who is West Bengal's Cooch Behar said, "TMC govt here doesn't allow the implementation of Central schemes in West Bengal."

"To establish medical colleges is the identity of the BJP. We want to establish a medical college in every district in the country. But the TMC govt doesn't allow us to do this in West Bengal. Despite giving record amounts of money to West Bengal, many projects are not completed on time due to TMC," he added. 

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, state BJP president Bhabesh Kalita, and UPPL chief Pramod Boro took part in a roadshow in Udalguri during the nomination submission of Dilip Saikia, BJP candidate for Darrang-Udalguri Lok Sabha constituency.

On the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to campaign in West Bengal's Cooch Behar, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held her own political rally in the same district, where she criticised Modi's party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 

She likened the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to the head of a fish and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to its tail and said: "India is the world’s largest democracy. I will take care of Bengal. As long as I am here, they will not dare to touch the people of Bengal. Before elections, they are crying CAA".

She also questioned the logic of allowing a local priest to certify someone's citizenship and demanded to see the laws supporting this. 

"Now they are saying that even a priest can state that you are a citizen from here. Show me the law. There is a limit to lying and depriving people. How will a priest know that his parents were from Bangladesh? They will be asked to bring their (parents') birth certificates."

Banerjee warned that under the CAA, anyone registering would be considered a Bangladeshi and would lose all basic rights, including benefits and citizenship rights.

"As soon as you submit your name for registration, you will be declared a Bangladeshi. This means you will not get the benefits under Lakhishree, Kanyashee, you will not be able to vote, you will not have citizenship rights, government rights. Think yourself whether it is good or bad."

The Samajwadi Party (SP) made a significant move in the Meerut Lok Sabha seat by replacing Atul Pradhan with Sunita Verma as its candidate, gearing up to challenge the BJP's star candidate Arun Govil of 'Ramayana' fame. 

This change came after initial unease among local workers over the choice of nominee from the Meerut Lok Sabha seat forced the party to rethink its candidate, Bhanu Pratap Singh, who was then replaced by Atul Pradhan. 

Atul Pradhan, while accepting the decision, filed his nomination from the Meerut-Hapur constituency on Wednesday.

"The final decision has been made. There are a lot of twists and turns in politics and real life. I believe in accepting the decision of the party. I accept the decision of the national president of my party," he said.

Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh, accompanied by his wife Anita Singh and party workers, visited the Raj Ghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi after his release from Tihar Jail on bail in the Delhi Excise Policy case. 

Kerala BJP chief K Surendran has filed his nomination for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, for which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and CPI candidate Annie Raja have also submitted their nominations.

Kerala, known for its strong Congress presence, sends 20 MPs to the Lok Sabha. In the 2019 elections, Rahul Gandhi won from Wayanad by a significant margin of over 4.31 lakh votes, defeating LDF candidate PP Suneer. The NDA had fielded BDJ(S) leader Tushar Vellapally, who secured around 78,000 votes.

The Supreme Court of India has overturned the Bombay High Court's decision to cancel Lok Sabha MP Navneet Rana's caste certificate, which she used to contest the 2019 elections in a reserved category seat. 

The High Court had ruled that her certificate was obtained fraudulently with fabricated documents. However, the Supreme Court upheld Rana's certificate, stating that the scrutiny committee had duly considered the documents before making its decision. 

Reacting to the verdict, Rana said: "Those who raised questions about my birth got an answer today. I thank the Supreme Court. The truth always wins. This is a victory for those who walk on the path shown by Baba Saheb Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj."

"I have been working for the people of my region for many years. This is a big day for me and my constituency. This is the first time that voters in Amravati are getting a chance to vote for the nation-building, development and benefit of the nation,” she said.

“The people of my constituency are happier than me. They are happy that for the first time, the lotus symbol will appear on the ballot box. The people will directly support and vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi," she added.

Union Minister Smriti Irani, after a mega road show with Kerala BJP chief K Surendran in Wayanad, heavily criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging his ties with the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI). 

"I am shocked after coming here to Wayanad that even after the ban of a terror outfit like PFI, Rahul Gandhi is taking support from PFI's political leadership. Every candidate before filing his nomination needs to swear by an Oath of Allegiance to the Indian Constitution. Rahul Gandhi falsified his oath to the Indian Constitution when he took support from the political leadership of the PFI for his elections," said Irani.

She also claimed that Muslim League flags were hidden at a Congress rally, suggesting Rahul's association with the Muslim League.

"Muslim League flags were hidden in the Congress party nomination rally yesterday indicating that either Rahul Gandhi is ashamed of getting support from the Muslim League or when he visits North India and visits temples, he will not be able to hide his association with the Muslim League," she said.

"There is hugging in Delhi and begging in Kerala which needs to be explained. Why do the alliance leaders meet in Delhi and there seems to be no animosity, but when it comes to the seat of Wayanad, there is competition," she added.

The Delhi High Court has dismissed a plea seeking the removal of Arvind Kejriwal as Chief Minister after his arrest last month over corruption allegations.

Veteran Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Thursday  took oath as Rajya Sabha MP for the first time from Rajasthan, filling the seat that was earlier left vacant by former prime minister Manmohan Singh. 

Former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy filed his nomination for the elections. Kumaraswamy will be contesting elections from the Mandya constituency, which will witness voting on April 26. 

BJP's Lok Sabha MP Hema Malini on Thursday filed her nomination from Mathura constituency for the Lok Sabha elections. Mathura will see voting in the second phase of the elections on April 26. 

Former Congress leader Gourav Vallabh, who resigned from the party on Thursday, said that he stepped down due to the Congress' stand on the Ram Mandir issue.

“I am upset due to the Congress party’s silence when party leaders speak against the 'sanatan'. I am also upset with the party’s stand on the Ram Mandir issue,” Vallabh told the news agency PTI. 

Lok Sabha elections Live: Prime Minister Modi will kickstart his Lok Sabha elections campaign in the state of Bihar by holding a rally in Jamui. 

Sanjay Singh News: Sanjay Singh, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, has come out from Tihar Jail following bail granted by the Supreme Court in the Delhi excise policy case. Singh was released on Wednesday evening a day after being granted the bail. 

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Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan suffered a major jolt just two weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Twenty-two leaders of the LJP (Ram Vilas) have quit the party while expressing their anger at not getting tickets for the elections.

Former party MLA Satish Kumar asserted that the rebel LJP leaders will now support the opposition INDIA bloc.

Lok Sabha elections live: The ruling BJD in Odisha has announced the list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. The BJD candidates for the five Lok Sabha seats are Surendra Singh Bhoi (from Balangir), Manjulata Mandal (from Bhadrak), Parineeta Mishra (from Bargarh), Bhrugu Baxipatra (from Berhampur), and Dhanurjay Siddu (from Keonjhar). 

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE Updates: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be holding rallies in Bengal's Cooch Behar constituency on Thursday. Banerjee's rally is set to begin at noon while Modi's rally will start around 3 pm, a report by the news agency ANI said.