Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: BJP mounts pressure to demand Kejriwal's resignation

The following seat sharing formula has been agreed upon by the opposition MVA alliance in Maharashtra, sources say.

Shiv Sena (UBT) - 22 seats 
Congress - 16 seats 
NCP - 10 seats

Formal announcement can be expected today or tomorrow.

But this will be subject to changes if Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) joins the alliance (he was offered 4-5 seats), then here the parties will have to cut their few seats and give it to the VBA.

And VBA’s decision whether to join the MVA or contest alone will be announced by Prakash Ambedkar tomorrow morning around 11 am.

The meeting will be held regarding seat sharing in Bihar. Congress is adamant on 9 seats, while RJD does not want to give more than 6 seats to Congress.
 

The Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP), a regional outfit with pockets of influence in Chhattisgarh, released its first list of candidates for 10 of the 11 Lok Sabha seats in the state, a party leader said.

Candidates for 10 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh have been announced and discussion on the nominee for the remaining one seat Kanker (Scheduled Tribe reserved) was underway, the party’s president and MLA Tuleshwar Singh Markam told PTI.

The GGP has not yet won a Lok Sabha seat in the state.

A delagation of Bhartiya Janata Party met the Election Commission today, informed BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde. He said, "Our delegation met the Election Commission today...We mentioned the varied responses of the electoral officers in different states...The Election Commission will look into it." It was not clear what exactly was raised by the BJP and how did the ECI respond.

Congress candidate Jot Singh Gunsola filed his nomination papers from the Tehri Lok Sabha seat in Uttarakhand. 

Police detained Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva during the party's protest in which they were demanding the resignation of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

BJP was heading towards the Secretariat while protesting against Kejriwal who is in Enforcement Directorate custody in the Liquor Excise Policy case.

Police had to use water cannons at the BJP leaders who were protesting towards the Secretariat. 

BRS leader K Kavitha was sent to judicial custody till April 9 in the Delhi excise policy money laundering case. 
 

DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi filed her nomination from the Thoothukudi Parliamentary constituency in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu. 

Actress and  BJP candidate from HP's Mandi Lok Sabha seat Kangana Ranaut while reacting to Congress leader Supriya Shrinate's objectionable post said, "Every woman deserves dignity."

A massive protest is being held by the BJP at the ITO where its leaders are demanding Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's resignation, who has been currently kept in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate in the Delhi Liquor Excise Case. 

Speaking to ANI, State BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said, "The CM of Delhi is corrupt and dishonest and he has looted the people of Delhi. We are going to the Secretariat to demand his resignation... The government is not running from the jail. Just like AAP's character, the orders are also fake... Arvind Kejriwal has to resign."

Meanwhile, BJP leader Manoj Tiwari said, "After being arrested, it is now that Kejriwal has remembered that they could not provide water and sewer facilities to the people of Delhi... They are doing press conferences that they could not provide medicines in the hospitals. They have accepted today that they have put Delhi into a plight in last 9-10 years..."
 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to contest Lok Sabha elections alone in Indian state of Punjab and will not form an alliance with Shiromani Akali Dal, said BJP state president Sunil Jakhar. 

"This decision was taken based on the opinion of the people, party workers in the state. The works done by the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are not hidden from anyone," Jakhar said. 

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has intervened in a recent political controversy involving two female political leaders in India. The controversy in question involves Congress leaders Supriya Shrinate and actress Kangana Ranaut, who was recently announced as BJP's Mandi candidate for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Read more here

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is currently in Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody, has directed that there should be no shortage of free medicines at government hospitals and Mohalla Clinics in Delhi.

This direction, according to Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, was issued after the incarcerated leader received information about problems in laboratory tests available at Mohalla Clinics.

Bharadwaj said that Kejriwal's actions demonstrate show that despite being in custody, he remains concerned for the wellbeing of the people of Delhi. 

As per a New Indian Express report, three Jammu and Kashmir based political parties — J&K Apni Party, Democratic Party of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (DPAP), and Peoples Conference — are considering forming a 'third front'. 

If formed, they would contest one seat each in the Valley — Anantnag-Rajouri, Srinagar and Baramulla. 

The parties as per the report are critical of established political bloc sand aim to present themselves as an alternative to the National Conference, PDP, and Congress. 

Talks are ongoing, and if successful, they may contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. DPAP's Salman Nizami said that discussions are in the early stages, with a decision expected soon. 

"The talks are in the initial stage. The decision on the formation of the third front may be taken this week," he said.

If formed, the alliance would be led by Ghulam Nabi Azad and could impact the political landscape in the region, especially challenging the National Conference's dominance.

The Indian National Congress (INC) on Monday announced the candidacy of Prahlad Gunjal, a former BJP leader and close associate of former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, to contest against outgoing Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla from Kota in Rajasthan.

Gunjal, who joined the Congress last week, was named as the candidate as the party released its sixth list of five candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress also announced candidates for Ajmer, Rajsamand, and Bhilwara in Rajasthan, as well as Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu.

With this announcement, the Congress has now declared a total of 190 candidates for the upcoming seven-phase Lok Sabha elections, which commence on April 19.

Here's the list:

The United States on Monday said it is closely monitoring the arrest of Indian opposition figure Arvind Kejriwal and said it was advocating for a fair legal process.

Arvind Kejriwal, a prominent opposition figure and the Chief Minister of Delhi, was arrested by India's financial crime-fighting agency Enforcement Directorate (ED) on corruption charges that his political party denies, just a month before national elections.

"We encourage a fair, transparent, and timely legal process for Chief Minister Kejriwal," said a US spokesperson as reported by Reuters. 

This comes after India had summoned a German envoy on Saturday to express its displeasure over the German government's remarks about the arrest.

At a press conference on Friday, Sebastian Fischer, a spokesperson for Germany's foreign office, stated that "We assume and expect that the standards relating to independence of judiciary and basic democratic principles will also be applied in this case."

Aam Aadmi Party's Goa chief Amit Palekar has refuted claims suggesting that funds from Delhi's alleged excise policy-linked scam fuelled the party's campaign for the 2022 assembly polls in the state. 

Palekar, who led the party's campaign as the chief ministerial candidate, stated that there is no evidence to support the allegations of illicit money being sent to Goa, reports PTI. 

He emphasised that he and his party colleagues are prepared to face any inquiry by any agency and alleged that the Enforcement Directorate was fabricating evidence against AAP and lacks substantial proof of its allegations.