Lok Sabha Polls 2024: Top Updates May 17

JD(S) leader HD Revanna bail hearing has been adjourned to May 20 in the Special Court of People's Representatives. The leader has been on bail in the two cases filed against him, which includes a kidnapping case.

A show-cause notice was served by the Election Commission to BJP leader and former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Ganguly over remarks made against Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, which were criticised as "disgusting" and sexist. However, the BJP had claimed that the video as "fake".

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, in her FIR against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar, made serious allegations of assault. 

Maliwal had claimed that Kumar assaulted her in the drawing room of the Delhi CM's official residence on Monday morning (May 13) at a time when Kejriwal was present inside the house. 

Here's what she said in her FIR.....

In his address to a public meeting in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki, PM Narendra Modi says, "...Due to the One District One Product scheme of Yogi Ji, now I don't have to use much of my brain while I am going abroad in choosing gifts, I check the state website and take 5-6 things for gifts..."

On AAP MP Swati Maliwal's issue, TMC leader Shashi Panja said, "FIR has been registered against his (Arvind Kejriwal) PS Bibhav for doing inappropriate behaviour. Law will take its course..."

"I would also want to say that there have been two complaints against West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose but nothing is being done...He should have resigned from the post of the Governor until the investigation was done. Swati Maliwal filed her complaint and legal action will be taken but here in West Bengal, nothing happened..."

On AAP MP Swati Maliwal 'assault' case, BJP leader and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, "The fact that Swati Maliwal did not register a complaint in Police for 3-4 days (after the incident) means that there was pressure on her from high-level. There is reason to believe that there was enough pressure on her and probably continues on her."

On AAP MP Swati Maliwal 'assault' case, BJP leader and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, "...The women in Delhi are asking - can this CM (Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal) even provide security to the women in the city? Arvind Kejriwal is responsible for this incident..."

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal arrives at Tis Hazari Court in Delhi. An FIR was registered in connection with the assault on her yesterday after she filed a complaint with the Police. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar has been named in the FIR.

Congress leader Manickam Tagore said, "If fair elections happen they (BJP) will not cross 180 seats... BJP is going to be thrown out of power and their Plan B is to retire PM Modi and how Amit Shah saves himself from the sins he has committed when in power..."

"BJP is going to have the worst defeat that's why PM Modi is saying all these 'mutton, mangal sutra' kinds of things. In the evening he gives interviews in the morning he says something else. There is a problem with his balance. PM Modi is struggling with amnesia issues and he has a problem understanding what he says in public..."

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said "10-12 days are left for polls, you have to make us win all the 13 seats in Punjab. I have to surrender again on June 2. On June 4, when I will see the results of Lok Sabha elections, I will be really happy to see AAP winning all 13 seats in Punjab..."

On being asked if Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is protecting Bibhav, NCW chief Rekha Sharma said, "I think he (Arvind Kejriwal) has chosen his side. He does not want to be on Maliwal's side. He believes in Bibhav more than Swati Maliwal."
 

Supreme Court asks the counsel of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take instructions from the poll panel on an application seeking direction to immediately upload account of votes recorded at all polling stations after the close of polling of each phase in the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha election.

In his address to a public meeting in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki, PM Narendra Modi said, "...Due to the One District One Product scheme of Yogi Ji, now I don't have to use much of my brain while I am going abroad in choosing gifts, I check the state website and take 5-6 things for gifts..."

In his address to a public meeting in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki, PM Narendra Modi said, "...If SP and Congress come to power, Ram Lalla will be in a tent again and they will run a bulldozer on Ram temple. They should take tuition from Yogi ji, where to run a bulldozer and where you shouldn't."

On AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal's turmoil, NCW chief Rekha Sharma said,"...We have sent a notice to Bibhav but his wife did not accept it physically so we pasted that notice on his door. If by tomorrow he does not come then we will visit his residence and make sure that our team meets him. I am hoping that he will come tomorrow..."

Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a swipe at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, suggesting that the public will be reminded of the liquor 'scam' whenever they see Kejriwal campaigning for the AAP and the Congress in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

While responding to a question on whether the INDIA bloc will benefit from the interim bail of Kejriwal in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case, Shah, in an interview with ANI, said, "I think wherever he'll go for the poll campaign, the people will remember the liquor scam, even in Punjab. People will also see big bottles in front of them when they see Kejriwal."

Reacting to the Supreme Court's verdict granting Kejriwal interim bail in the case, Shah said, "I don't want to comment on the SC's verdict. But the way the leaders of AAP are claiming the court's decision as Kejriwal's victory, I want to explain this. What was their plea before the SC? They said that his arrest was illegal but the apex court dismissed it. Then they modified their plea and asked for bail; the court rejected that too. The Supreme Court said that as per your demand to campaign in elections, we are giving you interim bail and you have to surrender on June 1."

Amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in the country, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar at a news conference held in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow said that the INDIA alliance will register victory on around 300 parliamentary seats and that the NDA will manage about 200 seats.

''INDIA alliance is winning almost 300 seats and NDA will get around 200. We believe in collective leadership... We will win the elections and will come together to discuss and form the government and have a leadership," said DK Shivakumar.

He further stated, "Earlier also when UPA came in power, all the parliamentary members wanted Sonia Gandhi to be Prime Minister of the country. We also gave a letter to the APJ Abdul Kalam, then president of the country. But Sonia Gandhi decided that a Sikh man, an economist (Dr Manmohan Singh) must become the PM to save the country."

DK Shivakumar launched a scathing attack against the Bharatiya Janata Party and said that they need to be accountable for black money, farmers' income, and unemployment.

"BJP needs to first answer the people of India on this: Where is the black money it was supposed to bring back? Why hasn't the income of farmers doubled as BJP promised? Where are the 2 crore/year jobs promised to our youth?" DK Shivakumar pointed out.
Hailing the efforts of the Congress party he stated, "Congress Party on the other hand; introduced the 5 guarantees on the first day itself in Karnataka. Instructed its officials to implement the 5 guarantees in the first month only. The difference is clear. People see and vote for the one who delivers on promises, and that's why throughout India, people are supporting the Congress Party to lead them towards a brighter future."

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has dismissed the Opposition's claims that the BJP wants to win more than 400 Lok Sabha seats to amend the Constitution. He said that the BJP had the mandate to make changes in the Constitution for the past decade but never did so.

In an interview with ANI, Shah said that the party's aim to secure more than 400 seats is to bring stability to the country's political landscape.

"We have had the mandate to change the Constitution for the last 10 years, but we never did that. What do you think Rahul Baba and company would say, and the country will believe it? This country has given us a clear mandate, and the people of this country already know that Modi ji already had sufficient majority to change the constitution, but we never did that," Shah said.

"Yes, we want to win 400 seats in the LS polls to bring stability to politics in the country. We want 400 seats to protect our borders, to make India the third-largest economy in the world, and to ensure that a few poor people who are yet to get the benefits, and we have to fulfil it. We want 400 seats because clean water is yet to reach every household, and there is a lot of work to be done in the field of natural farming in this country. We want 400 seats because we want to provide free treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh to every senior citizen aged above 70 years of age," he further said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah in an interview highlighted the rise in voter turnout in Srinagar as a significant indicator of the success of the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. 

In a conversation with ANI, Shah pointed out that voter turnout in Srinagar has surged from 14 per cent in the past to nearly 40 percent now.

"I would like to tell those who raise questions on the abrogation of Article 370 that the rise in the voter turnout from 14 per cent in the past to 40 per cent (in Srinagar) is the greatest testament to the success of the decision," Shah stated.

Political parties have intensified poll campaigns ahead of the last three phases of the Lok Sabha elections. Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address public meetings in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki at 10:00 am, Fatehpur at 12 noon, and Hamirpur at 1:00 pm. From there, he will go to Maharashtra to address a rally at Mumbai's Shivaji Park.

- In Amethi, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah will hold a public rally at 1:30 pm. Home Minister will also address a rally in Odisha's Sundargarh at 3:30 pm. From there, he will go to Jharkhand to hold a roadshow in Ranchi at 5:15 pm.

- Also in Amethi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav will address a joint public meeting at around 12:30 pm.

They will the join Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi to jointly address a rally in Raebareli at around 3:00 pm. Akhilesh Yadav will then go on to hold a roadshow in Lucknow at around 6:00 pm.

- In Lucknow, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will address a public meeting.

- AAP Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will attend an MVA rally in Mumbai on Friday.

- Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will attend the Prime Minister's rally in Barabanki and then travel to Balrampur to hold a public meeting at 12:50 p.m. followed by another in Milkipur (Ayodhya) at 2:05 p.m.

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister will later travel to Bihar to address a rally in Chhapra at 4:15 p.m. In the evening, he will hold a public meeting in Lucknow at 7:00 p.m.

-  Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Ministers Swatantra Dev Singh and A.K. Sharma will campaign in Gonda.

- Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh will address a press conference in Delhi at 12.30 p.m.

- Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will campaign in Raebareli.