After meeting Haryana leaders, BJP working president JP Nadda met the party's president Amit Shah at his residence here during the wee hours of Friday.

BJP's Haryana in-charge and party General Secretary Anil Jain and party's new Organising Secretary BL Santosh were also present in the meeting.

The meeting comes in view of Haryana polls where BJP has <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/neck-to-neck-battle-for-bjp-and-congress-in-haryana-polls-may-lead-to-hung-assembly-257933">fallen short of seats</a> to form the government.

The leaders, along with Nadda, reached Shah's residence at 1 am and left at 2:10 am.

Few hours before this, Lokhit Party leader Gopal Kanda, the winning candidate from Sirsa assembly constituency in Haryana, was seen leaving Nadda's residence.

Kanda's brother Gobind Kanda had said that Haryana Lokhit Party is in touch with five more MLAs, who will extend their "unconditional support" to the ruling party.

It is to be noted that Kanda's party has secured one seat in the Haryana polls and the BJP has won 40 seats in the 90-member Haryana assembly and needs the support of six MLAs to cross the half-way mark to retain power in the state.

After Nadda and Kanda's meeting, BJP MP Sunita Duggal said that she has informed the party leadership about the willingness of other leaders to join BJP.

"I informed our senior leaders about the independent candidates and leaders from other parties, who are willing to extend their unconditional support to us. They are in contact with them," she said.&nbsp;

On Wednesday, after meeting their supporters, Gopal Kanda, Ranjit Singh, also an MLA, along with BJP MP from Sirsa, Sunita Duggal, left for the national capital from the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Haryana.

After meeting Haryana leaders, BJP working president JP Nadda met the party's president Amit Shah at his residence here during the wee hours of Friday. BJP's Haryana in-charge and party General Secretary Anil Jain and party's new Organising Secretary BL Santosh were also present in the meeting.

After meeting Haryana leaders, BJP working president JP Nadda met the party's president Amit Shah at his residence here during the wee hours of Friday. BJP's Haryana in-charge and party General Secretary Anil Jain and party's new Organising Secretary BL Santosh were also present in the meeting. The meeting comes in view of Haryana polls where BJP has fallen short of seats to form the government. The leaders, along with Nadda, reached Shah's residence at 1 am and left at 2:10 am. Few hours before this, Lokhit Party leader Gopal Kanda, the winning candidate from Sirsa assembly constituency in Haryana, was seen leaving Nadda's residence. Kanda's brother Gobind Kanda had said that Haryana Lokhit Party is in touch with five more MLAs, who will extend their "unconditional support" to the ruling party. It is to be noted that Kanda's party has secured one seat in the Haryana polls and the BJP has won 40 seats in the 90-member Haryana assembly and needs the support of six MLAs to cross the half-way mark to retain power in the state. After Nadda and Kanda's meeting, BJP MP Sunita Duggal said that she has informed the party leadership about the willingness of other leaders to join BJP. "I informed our senior leaders about the independent candidates and leaders from other parties, who are willing to extend their unconditional support to us. They are in contact with them," she said. On Wednesday, after meeting their supporters, Gopal Kanda, Ranjit Singh, also an MLA, along with BJP MP from Sirsa, Sunita Duggal, left for the national capital from the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Haryana.

JP Nadda meets Amit Shah as Haryana gets hung assembly

With the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/lok-sabha-polls-2019-counting-of-votes-to-take-place-on-thursday-fates-of-over-8000-candidates-to-be-decided-220612">counting of votes due on Thursday</a>, all eyes will be on Uttar Pradesh which offers a massive chunk of 80 parliamentary constituencies. The strategic significance of the state in deciding the fate of the incumbent central government could never be undermined.&nbsp;

The state has given 10 prime ministers since independence. Going by the exit polls predictions, the BJP-led <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/lions-share-of-uttar-pradeshs-seats-going-to-bjp-predict-exit-polls-219936">NDA is likely to get the lion's share of Uttar Pradesh</a>'s 80 Lok Sabha seats. Times Now-VMR said the NDA will get 58 seats in UP and C-Voter suggested 38 seats for the alliance. The poll of polls, a collection of various exit polls, predicted 43 seats for the NDA.

For Rahul Gandhi-led Congress, the pollsters painted a dismal picture giving just a couple of seats to the party in the state. The SP-BSP-RLD alliance is predicted to bag between 20 to 40 seats, pollsters said.&nbsp;

During the last Lok Sabha polls, the NDA registered a landslide win with 71 seats out of 80.&nbsp;

Along with its NDA constituents, the BJP won 336 out of 543 seats and formed the government at the Centre. It was for the first time in about three decades that a party won such a huge number of seats.

This time around, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/exit-polls-2019-pm-modi-returning-to-power-with-300-plus-seats-say-pollsters-219927">the exit polls show the BJP cornering over 300 seats</a> and form a government at the Centre comfortably. The party, along with its allies, is predicted to sweep a lion's share of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/bjp-in-countrys-hindi-heartland-exit-polls-spell-thumping-victory-for-party-in-madhya-pradesh-4-other-states-219985">Hindi heartland of the nation</a> including states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar as well as the national capital.&nbsp;

With the counting of votes progressing on Thursday, fates of some of the political bigwigs will be sealed who are contesting from the key constituencies of Uttar Pradesh.&nbsp;

Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a second term from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat where he is in the contest with Congress' Ajai Rai.&nbsp;

Amethi: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi is in a tough fight against BJP minister Smriti Irani.&nbsp;

Rae Bareli: Sonia Gandhi is in a straight contest with BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh.

Azamgarh: A traditional SP stronghold, Azamgarh will see a battle between chief Akhilesh Yadav and BJP's Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua.

Mainpuri: Another SP bastion, party patriarch is set to lock horns here with BJP's Prem Singh Shakya.&nbsp;

Lucknow: Union Home Minister is set to take on SP's Poonam Sinha and Congress' Acharya Pramod Krishnam.&nbsp;

Gorakhpur: Here, the fight is mainly among Madhusudan Tripathi of the Congress, Ravindra Shyamnarayan Shukla alias Ravi Kishan of the BJP and Rambhual Nishad of the SP.

Sultanpur: The seat will witness a close contest as the BJP's candidate is the Union minister Maneka Gandhi, who is replacing her son Varun Gandhi.

Congress candidate Sanjay Singh will give tough competition to Maneka Gandhi, as Congress has had a hold on this seat in 7 Lok Sabha elections against the BJP's 4 wins in this constituency.

Allahabad: Rita Bahuguna Joshi is BJP's candidate on the Allahabad seat.

Joshi is fighting against Congress leader Yogesh Shukla and SP's Rajendra Singh Patel.

With the counting of votes due on Thursday, all eyes will be on Uttar Pradesh which offers a massive chunk of 80 parliamentary constituencies. The strategic significance of the state in deciding the fate of the incumbent central government could never be undermined.

With the counting of votes due on Thursday, all eyes will be on Uttar Pradesh which offers a massive chunk of 80 parliamentary constituencies. The strategic significance of the state in deciding the fate of the incumbent central government could never be undermined. The state has given 10 prime ministers since independence. Going by the exit polls predictions, the BJP-led NDA is likely to get the lion's share of Uttar Pradesh's 80 Lok Sabha seats. Times Now-VMR said the NDA will get 58 seats in UP and C-Voter suggested 38 seats for the alliance. The poll of polls, a collection of various exit polls, predicted 43 seats for the NDA. For Rahul Gandhi-led Congress, the pollsters painted a dismal picture giving just a couple of seats to the party in the state. The SP-BSP-RLD alliance is predicted to bag between 20 to 40 seats, pollsters said. During the last Lok Sabha polls, the NDA registered a landslide win with 71 seats out of 80. Along with its NDA constituents, the BJP won 336 out of 543 seats and formed the government at the Centre. It was for the first time in about three decades that a party won such a huge number of seats. This time around, the exit polls show the BJP cornering over 300 seats and form a government at the Centre comfortably. The party, along with its allies, is predicted to sweep a lion's share of the Hindi heartland of the nation including states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar as well as the national capital. With the counting of votes progressing on Thursday, fates of some of the political bigwigs will be sealed who are contesting from the key constituencies of Uttar Pradesh. Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a second term from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat where he is in the contest with Congress' Ajai Rai. Amethi: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi is in a tough fight against BJP minister Smriti Irani. Rae Bareli: Sonia Gandhi is in a straight contest with BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh. Azamgarh: A traditional SP stronghold, Azamgarh will see a battle between chief Akhilesh Yadav and BJP's Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua. Mainpuri: Another SP bastion, party patriarch is set to lock horns here with BJP's Prem Singh Shakya. Lucknow: Union Home Minister is set to take on SP's Poonam Sinha and Congress' Acharya Pramod Krishnam. Gorakhpur: Here, the fight is mainly among Madhusudan Tripathi of the Congress, Ravindra Shyamnarayan Shukla alias Ravi Kishan of the BJP and Rambhual Nishad of the SP. Sultanpur: The seat will witness a close contest as the BJP's candidate is the Union minister Maneka Gandhi, who is replacing her son Varun Gandhi. Congress candidate Sanjay Singh will give tough competition to Maneka Gandhi, as Congress has had a hold on this seat in 7 Lok Sabha elections against the BJP's 4 wins in this constituency. Allahabad: Rita Bahuguna Joshi is BJP's candidate on the Allahabad seat. Joshi is fighting against Congress leader Yogesh Shukla and SP's Rajendra Singh Patel.

Lok Sabha election 2019: Results of high-stakes polls in Uttar Pradesh's 80 seats to seal Mahagathbandhan's fate 

The final result of the mega electoral exercise to elect the world's largest democracy will be announced on Thursday. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/lok-sabha-polls-2019-fate-of-724-women-candidates-to-be-decided-tomorrow-220590">Counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections</a> will begin at 8 am today and the clear picture of who will lead the nation for the next five years will emerge in the evening.&nbsp;

Over 8,000 candidates

More than 8,000 candidates were in the fray for 542 seats across the nation. 67.11 per cent of the 90.99 crore electors had cast their vote in the seven-phase elections.

Late result expected&nbsp;

It is suggested that the counting of votes and the announcement of results may get delayed due to tallying of voter-verified paper audit trail slips with EVM count. The exercise will take place for the first time.

The exercise will take place in five polling stations per assembly segment which effectively means that out of nearly 10.3 lakh polling stations, the EVM-VVPAT matching will take place in 20600 such stations, news agency PTI reported.&nbsp;

What happens in case of a mismatch?

In such a situation, the results based on paper slip count will be considered as final.

The entire exercise of EVM-Paper trail machine matching will take an additional four to five hours.

What exit polls say

With the final phase of polling of the seven-phased Lok Sabha elections coming to an end on May 19, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/exit-polls-2019-pm-modi-returning-to-power-with-300-plus-seats-say-pollsters-219927">exit polls predicted a thumping win for the Bharatiya Janata Party</a> in the Lok Sabha polls.&nbsp;

The party, along with its allies, is predicted to sweep a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/bjp-in-countrys-hindi-heartland-exit-polls-spell-thumping-victory-for-party-in-madhya-pradesh-4-other-states-219985">lion's share of the Hindi heartland</a> of the nation including states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar as well as the national capital.&nbsp;

Pollsters predicted a considerable loss for Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in terms of seat share in the state, though she is predicted to keep the majority. The BJP, which fared poorly in 2014 in the state is suggested to win seats in double-digit. &nbsp;

The opposition

The opposition has dubbed the exit polls as wrong with many leaders rubbishing what the pollsters have predicted.

Eminent opposition leaders like <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/chandrababu-naidu-calls-on-mamata-banerjee-discusses-formation-of-non-bjp-government-220201">Chandrababu Naidu, Mamata Banerjee</a>, Akhilesh Yadav, Sitaram Yechury and Mayawati among others were seen scurrying around this week to meet one another and discuss post-poll strategy.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/at-nda-meeting-pm-modi-expresses-concern-over-needless-controversy-over-evms-by-opposition-220526">NDA's resolution</a>

PM Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah held a meeting with Union council of ministers on Tuesday which was later on followed by a dinner for NDA allies hoster by Shah.&nbsp;

At the BJP-led ruling alliance meeting, which was attended by 36 parties, a resolution was passed, terming the 2019 general election decisive for the country and pledging to make India "strong, developed, prosperous and inclusive" by 2022 when India completes 75 years of its independence, party leader and Union minister Rajnath Singh told reporters.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/nifty-sensex-to-climb-a-bit-more-if-pm-modi-wins-decisively-poll-220553">Election result and stock market</a>

Analysts suggest the stock markets soar further if PM Modi makes a comeback for the second term.&nbsp;

The BSE Sensex index rose by its biggest amount in one day since September 2013 on Monday after exit polls showed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain power for a second consecutive term.

The final result of the mega electoral exercise to elect the world's largest democracy will be announced on Thursday. Counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections will begin at 8 am today and the clear picture of who will lead the nation for the next five years will emerge in the evening.

The final result of the mega electoral exercise to elect the world's largest democracy will be announced on Thursday. Counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections will begin at 8 am today and the clear picture of who will lead the nation for the next five years will emerge in the evening. Over 8,000 candidates More than 8,000 candidates were in the fray for 542 seats across the nation. 67.11 per cent of the 90.99 crore electors had cast their vote in the seven-phase elections. Late result expected It is suggested that the counting of votes and the announcement of results may get delayed due to tallying of voter-verified paper audit trail slips with EVM count. The exercise will take place for the first time. The exercise will take place in five polling stations per assembly segment which effectively means that out of nearly 10.3 lakh polling stations, the EVM-VVPAT matching will take place in 20600 such stations, news agency PTI reported. What happens in case of a mismatch? In such a situation, the results based on paper slip count will be considered as final. The entire exercise of EVM-Paper trail machine matching will take an additional four to five hours. What exit polls say With the final phase of polling of the seven-phased Lok Sabha elections coming to an end on May 19, exit polls predicted a thumping win for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha polls. The party, along with its allies, is predicted to sweep a lion's share of the Hindi heartland of the nation including states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar as well as the national capital. Pollsters predicted a considerable loss for Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in terms of seat share in the state, though she is predicted to keep the majority. The BJP, which fared poorly in 2014 in the state is suggested to win seats in double-digit. The opposition The opposition has dubbed the exit polls as wrong with many leaders rubbishing what the pollsters have predicted. Eminent opposition leaders like Chandrababu Naidu, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Sitaram Yechury and Mayawati among others were seen scurrying around this week to meet one another and discuss post-poll strategy. NDA's resolution PM Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah held a meeting with Union council of ministers on Tuesday which was later on followed by a dinner for NDA allies hoster by Shah. At the BJP-led ruling alliance meeting, which was attended by 36 parties, a resolution was passed, terming the 2019 general election decisive for the country and pledging to make India "strong, developed, prosperous and inclusive" by 2022 when India completes 75 years of its independence, party leader and Union minister Rajnath Singh told reporters. Election result and stock market Analysts suggest the stock markets soar further if PM Modi makes a comeback for the second term. The BSE Sensex index rose by its biggest amount in one day since September 2013 on Monday after exit polls showed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain power for a second consecutive term.

Lok Sabha polls 2019: Nation's next government to be decided as counting of votes to take place today

Ahead of the counting of votes, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday issued an alert to State Chief Secretaries and DsGP regarding the possibility of eruption of violence in different parts of the country on the counting day.&nbsp;

The Ministry has asked state authorities to maintain law and order, peace and public tranquillity, news agency ANI reported.&nbsp;

The authorities have further been asked to take adequate measures for the security of strong rooms and venues of counting of votes.&nbsp;

This is in the wake of calls given and statements made in various quarters for inciting violence and causing disruption on the day of the counting of votes.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/lok-sabha-polls-2019-counting-of-votes-to-take-place-on-thursday-fates-of-over-8000-candidates-to-be-decided-220612">The counting of votes of the seven-phased Lok Sabha polls</a>, that concluded on May 19, will take place tomorrow. More than 8,000 candidates were in the fray for 542 seats across the nation. 67.11 per cent of the 90.99 crore electors had cast their vote in the seven-phase elections.

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States/UTs were further asked to take adequate measures for the security of strong rooms and venues of counting of votes. This is in the wake of calls given and statements made in various quarters for inciting violence and causing disruption on the day of counting of votes. <a href="https://t.co/1A8T5cCgoO">https://t.co/1A8T5cCgoO</a>
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It is suggested that the counting of votes and the announcement of results may get delayed due to tallying of voter-verified paper audit trail slips with EVM count. The exercise will take place for the first time.

On Monday, the Election Commission had rubbished the reports of alleged EVM tampering stating that adding that visuals doing the rounds in sections of media "do not pertain to any EVMs used during the polls".

"Complaints of alleged movement of EVMs, purportedly to replace polled EVMs in strongrooms, doing rounds in sections of media. Would like to unambiguously clarify that reports are absolutely false. Visuals seen viral on media do not pertain to any EVMs used during the polls," the EC clarified.&nbsp;

On May 19, various exit polls predicted a thumping win for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha polls.&nbsp;

The party, along with its allies, is predicted to sweep a lion's share of the Hindi heartland of the nation including states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar as well as the national capital.&nbsp;

Ahead of the counting of votes, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday issued an alert to State Chief Secretaries and DsGP regarding the possibility of eruption of violence in different parts of the country on the counting day.

Ahead of the counting of votes, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday issued an alert to State Chief Secretaries and DsGP regarding the possibility of eruption of violence in different parts of the country on the counting day. The Ministry has asked state authorities to maintain law and order, peace and public tranquillity, news agency ANI reported. The authorities have further been asked to take adequate measures for the security of strong rooms and venues of counting of votes. This is in the wake of calls given and statements made in various quarters for inciting violence and causing disruption on the day of the counting of votes. The counting of votes of the seven-phased Lok Sabha polls, that concluded on May 19, will take place tomorrow. More than 8,000 candidates were in the fray for 542 seats across the nation. 67.11 per cent of the 90.99 crore electors had cast their vote in the seven-phase elections. States/UTs were further asked to take adequate measures for the security of strong rooms and venues of counting of votes. This is in the wake of calls given and statements made in various quarters for inciting violence and causing disruption on the day of counting of votes. https://t.co/1A8T5cCgoO — ANI (@ANI) May 22, 2019 × It is suggested that the counting of votes and the announcement of results may get delayed due to tallying of voter-verified paper audit trail slips with EVM count. The exercise will take place for the first time. On Monday, the Election Commission had rubbished the reports of alleged EVM tampering stating that adding that visuals doing the rounds in sections of media "do not pertain to any EVMs used during the polls". "Complaints of alleged movement of EVMs, purportedly to replace polled EVMs in strongrooms, doing rounds in sections of media. Would like to unambiguously clarify that reports are absolutely false. Visuals seen viral on media do not pertain to any EVMs used during the polls," the EC clarified. On May 19, various exit polls predicted a thumping win for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha polls. The party, along with its allies, is predicted to sweep a lion's share of the Hindi heartland of the nation including states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar as well as the national capital.

Lok Sabha polls 2019: Home Ministry alerts state authorities of possible violence on counting day

The fate of 724 women candidates in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls will be decided on Thursday when the results are announced. A total of 7,928 candidates were in the fray in the parliamentary polls.

The Congress had fielded the maximum of 54 women candidates. The opposition party was closely followed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had fielded 53 women candidates.

Among the other national parties, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) fielded 24 women candidates, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) 23, the CPI(M) 10, the CPI four, while one woman candidate was fielded by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

As many as 222 women contested the polls independently.

Four transgender candidates also contested the polls independently, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was the only party to field a transgender nominee.

According to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the National Election Watch, 100 (15 per cent) women candidates declared criminal cases against themselves, while 78 (11 per cent) declared serious criminal cases against their names.

Two women candidates declared cases in which they were convicted, four declared cases related to murder, 16 had attempt to murder cases against them, 14 were accused of crimes against women such as causing miscarriage without a woman's consent while seven had cases related to hate speech registered against them, the report said.

Of the 100 women candidates with criminal cases against them, 13 are from the BJP, while 10 from the Congress.

The ADR report said of the 716 women candidates analysed, 255 (36 per cent) were crorepatis. Of the 665 women candidates analysed during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, 219 (33 per cent) were crorepatis.

Among the major parties, the average worth of assets per candidate for the Congress's women nominees is Rs 18.84 crore, while for the BJP candidates, it is Rs 22.09 crore. The average worth of assets of the BSP's women candidates is Rs 3.03 crore, while for the TMC nominees, it is Rs 2.67 crore.

The average worth of assets of the CPI-M's women candidates is Rs 1.33 crore, while for the Samajwadi Party (SP) it is Rs 39.85 crore and for the AAP, Rs 2.92 crore.

The average worth of assets of the 222 Independent women candidates is&nbsp;Rs 1.63 crore.

Hema Malini, the BJP candidate from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, is the richest woman nominee in this election with assets worth Rs 250 crore, followed by Telugu Desam Party's (TDP) DA Sathya Prabha (Rs 220 crore) from Andhra Pradesh's Rajampet constituency and the Shiromani Akali Dal's Harsimrat Kaur Badal (Rs 217 crore) from Punjab's Bathinda, the affidavits showed.

Six women candidates -- all of whom contested the polls independently -- have declared zero assets in their self-sworn affidavits.

The ADR said 232 (32 per cent) women candidates declared their educational qualification to be between Class 5 and Class 12 pass, while 396 (55 per cent) declared having an educational qualification of graduate and above.

Thirty-seven women candidates have declared themselves to be just literate and 26 are illiterates. Two candidates did not give their educational qualification details.

The report further said 531 (74 per cent) women candidates declared their age to be between 25 and 50 years, while 180 (25 per cent) declared their age to be between 51 and 80 years.

While one woman candidate declared she was over 80 years of age, three did not disclose their age and one said her age was below 25 years, the report said.

The fate of 724 women candidates in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls will be decided on Thursday when the results are announced. A total of 7,928 candidates were in the fray in the parliamentary polls.

The fate of 724 women candidates in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls will be decided on Thursday when the results are announced. A total of 7,928 candidates were in the fray in the parliamentary polls. The Congress had fielded the maximum of 54 women candidates. The opposition party was closely followed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had fielded 53 women candidates. Among the other national parties, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) fielded 24 women candidates, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) 23, the CPI(M) 10, the CPI four, while one woman candidate was fielded by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). As many as 222 women contested the polls independently. Four transgender candidates also contested the polls independently, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was the only party to field a transgender nominee. According to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the National Election Watch, 100 (15 per cent) women candidates declared criminal cases against themselves, while 78 (11 per cent) declared serious criminal cases against their names. Two women candidates declared cases in which they were convicted, four declared cases related to murder, 16 had attempt to murder cases against them, 14 were accused of crimes against women such as causing miscarriage without a woman's consent while seven had cases related to hate speech registered against them, the report said. Of the 100 women candidates with criminal cases against them, 13 are from the BJP, while 10 from the Congress. The ADR report said of the 716 women candidates analysed, 255 (36 per cent) were crorepatis. Of the 665 women candidates analysed during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, 219 (33 per cent) were crorepatis. Among the major parties, the average worth of assets per candidate for the Congress's women nominees is Rs 18.84 crore, while for the BJP candidates, it is Rs 22.09 crore. The average worth of assets of the BSP's women candidates is Rs 3.03 crore, while for the TMC nominees, it is Rs 2.67 crore. The average worth of assets of the CPI-M's women candidates is Rs 1.33 crore, while for the Samajwadi Party (SP) it is Rs 39.85 crore and for the AAP, Rs 2.92 crore. The average worth of assets of the 222 Independent women candidates is Rs 1.63 crore. Hema Malini, the BJP candidate from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, is the richest woman nominee in this election with assets worth Rs 250 crore, followed by Telugu Desam Party's (TDP) DA Sathya Prabha (Rs 220 crore) from Andhra Pradesh's Rajampet constituency and the Shiromani Akali Dal's Harsimrat Kaur Badal (Rs 217 crore) from Punjab's Bathinda, the affidavits showed. Six women candidates -- all of whom contested the polls independently -- have declared zero assets in their self-sworn affidavits. The ADR said 232 (32 per cent) women candidates declared their educational qualification to be between Class 5 and Class 12 pass, while 396 (55 per cent) declared having an educational qualification of graduate and above. Thirty-seven women candidates have declared themselves to be just literate and 26 are illiterates. Two candidates did not give their educational qualification details. The report further said 531 (74 per cent) women candidates declared their age to be between 25 and 50 years, while 180 (25 per cent) declared their age to be between 51 and 80 years. While one woman candidate declared she was over 80 years of age, three did not disclose their age and one said her age was below 25 years, the report said.

Lok Sabha polls 2019: Fate of 724 women candidates to be decided on Thursday

Exit polls have been used for years to provide the pulse of India's political climate once voting is over.

Exit polls: Reliability, methodology and other things you need to know

Congress leader Sheila Dikshit and BJP's Sudesh Verma speak exclusively to WION on exit poll results which predict huge victory for BJP in the Lok Sabha polls.

BJP, Congress react to exit poll predictions

The exit polls have predicted a huge win for BJP-led NDA in the Lok Sabha elections 2019.

Exit polls 2019: 10 big takeaways

As the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/exit-polls-2019-pm-modi-returning-to-power-with-300-plus-seats-say-pollsters-219927">exit polls predictions</a> came out projecting the return&nbsp;of Prime Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/exit-polls-2019-pollsters-predict-bjp-to-make-a-clean-sweep-in-delhi-on-all-7-seats-219933">Narendra Modi-led NDA&nbsp;at the Centre</a> with close to 300 seats, politicians took to Twitter to express their opinion over the predictions.

Expressing disappointment over the exit poll, National Conference leader and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah said, "Time to switch off the TV, log out of social media".

“Every single exit poll can’t be wrong! Time to switch off the TV, log out of social media &amp; wait to see if the world is still spinning on its axis on the 23rd, " the leader tweeted.

Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien showed little reliance over the exit poll predictions and said he would wait for the&nbsp;verdict on&nbsp;the result day.

"Have 'Delhi media’ who masquerade as ‘national media’ lost their credentials and credibility? So-called Exit Polls will only confuse. We await the verdict of the people. Modi ji had called the number 300+ even before Phase 7. Are these numbers to match that? EVM manipulation?, " he tweeted.

Dubbing exit polls as "gossip", West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said she doesn't trust such surveys, as the "game plan" is to use them for "manipulation" of EVMs.

"I don't trust Exit Poll gossip. The game plan is to manipulate or replace thousands of EVMs through this gossip. I appeal to all Opposition parties to be united, strong and bold. We will fight this battle together," Banerjee said in a tweet.

Speaking on the exit polls, Captain Amarinder Singh said, "I have been watching exit polls from over 50 years now and I don't believe them to be correct. My guess is that we are going to do very well. &nbsp;It's not possible to be accurate about the results".

"I have had so much experience, but I, myself cannot guess how many seats are coming in our favour. In Punjab too, we are going to do much well as compared to what the exit polls are estimating".

Watch: TMC reacts to Exit Poll Predictions

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BJP leader&nbsp;Shahnawaz Hussain targetted the Congress president Rahul Gandhi saying he was looking for excuses even before the results were announced.

"Even before the #ExitPoll2019 is out, Rahul Gandhi has started attacking the #ElectionCommission . He knows that Congress is going to give a dismal performance in #LokSabhaElections2019 , just like 2014 &amp; is desperately looking for excuses, ".

The marathon seven-phased Lok Sabha polls concluded on Sunday, and shortly after that, exit polls are predicting that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/lions-share-of-uttar-pradeshs-seats-going-to-bjp-predict-exit-polls-219936">Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA</a> is coming back to power at the Centre with close to 300 seats.

While the Times Now-VMR exit poll says the BJP-led NDA will win 306 of the 542 seats and the UPA will settle at 132, Republic C-Voter says the NDA will win 287 seats and UPA 128. Others, which include regional parties, will get 120 seats according to Times Now-VMR and 87 according to Republic C-Voter survey.

The News18-IPSOS survey predicts Prime Minister Narendra Modi's return with 300 plus seats for NDA.

Times Now-VMR survey predicted that the BJP would emerge as the single largest party winning 262 seats, after the end of mammoth seven-phase polling for the 542 of the 543 parliamentary constituencies. The BJP, on its own, may fall short of majority by nine seats.

&nbsp;Watch: TRS reacts to Exit Poll Predictions

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The results will be announced on May 23 and the new government will be formed next week.

As the exit polls predictions came out projecting the return of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA at the Centre with close to 300 seats, politicians took to Twitter to express their opinion over the predictions.

As the exit polls predictions came out projecting the return of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA at the Centre with close to 300 seats, politicians took to Twitter to express their opinion over the predictions. Expressing disappointment over the exit poll, National Conference leader and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah said, "Time to switch off the TV, log out of social media". “Every single exit poll can’t be wrong! Time to switch off the TV, log out of social media & wait to see if the world is still spinning on its axis on the 23rd, " the leader tweeted. Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien showed little reliance over the exit poll predictions and said he would wait for the verdict on the result day. "Have 'Delhi media’ who masquerade as ‘national media’ lost their credentials and credibility? So-called Exit Polls will only confuse. We await the verdict of the people. Modi ji had called the number 300+ even before Phase 7. Are these numbers to match that? EVM manipulation?, " he tweeted. Dubbing exit polls as "gossip", West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said she doesn't trust such surveys, as the "game plan" is to use them for "manipulation" of EVMs. "I don't trust Exit Poll gossip. The game plan is to manipulate or replace thousands of EVMs through this gossip. I appeal to all Opposition parties to be united, strong and bold. We will fight this battle together," Banerjee said in a tweet. Speaking on the exit polls, Captain Amarinder Singh said, "I have been watching exit polls from over 50 years now and I don't believe them to be correct. My guess is that we are going to do very well. It's not possible to be accurate about the results". "I have had so much experience, but I, myself cannot guess how many seats are coming in our favour. In Punjab too, we are going to do much well as compared to what the exit polls are estimating". Watch: TMC reacts to Exit Poll Predictions × BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain targetted the Congress president Rahul Gandhi saying he was looking for excuses even before the results were announced. "Even before the #ExitPoll2019 is out, Rahul Gandhi has started attacking the #ElectionCommission . He knows that Congress is going to give a dismal performance in #LokSabhaElections2019 , just like 2014 & is desperately looking for excuses, ". The marathon seven-phased Lok Sabha polls concluded on Sunday, and shortly after that, exit polls are predicting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA is coming back to power at the Centre with close to 300 seats. While the Times Now-VMR exit poll says the BJP-led NDA will win 306 of the 542 seats and the UPA will settle at 132, Republic C-Voter says the NDA will win 287 seats and UPA 128. Others, which include regional parties, will get 120 seats according to Times Now-VMR and 87 according to Republic C-Voter survey. The News18-IPSOS survey predicts Prime Minister Narendra Modi's return with 300 plus seats for NDA. Times Now-VMR survey predicted that the BJP would emerge as the single largest party winning 262 seats, after the end of mammoth seven-phase polling for the 542 of the 543 parliamentary constituencies. The BJP, on its own, may fall short of majority by nine seats. Watch: TRS reacts to Exit Poll Predictions × The results will be announced on May 23 and the new government will be formed next week.

'Time to switch off TV': How politicians reacted to exit polls 2019

Watch this segment to know latest updates of Lok Sabha elections 2019.

Lok Sabha elections 2019: Watch latest election news

Kolkata remains tense with BJP accusing TMC of removing its posters. Kolkata Police has also denied permission to start Amit Shah's roadshow in the city from Sahid Minar Maidaan.

TMC supporters removed posters just before Amit Shah's rally, BJP claims

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/taxonomy/term/92505?page=119">Rashtriya Janata Dal </a>(RJD) leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, who is also the "grand-alliance" candidate from Vaishali, has claimed that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have been a voter from here, he (Modi) too would have voted for him."Some people are saying Modi-Modi. People are saying that if Modi would have been a voter from here, he would have voted for Raghuvansh Prasad Singh," RJD leader said on Friday while talking to ANI.

Asserting that election is a one-sided fight in favour of "grand-alliance", he said, "People have decided to vote for "mahagathbandhan". It will be wrong to say that there is a fight. It is one-sided. People from all party including good people from BJP and JDU are supporting me."

He also termed the recent decision of Central government to give reservation to the upper caste people as "dangerous". Meanwhile, NDA candidate from Vaishali, Veena Devi said that this election is a fight for the country.

''People want Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I am a local here. People know me from 18-20 years here. This election is a fight for the country," she said.

Vaishali will go to polls on May 19. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.&nbsp;

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, who is also the "grand-alliance" candidate from Vaishali, has claimed that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have been a voter from here, he (Modi) too would have voted for him.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, who is also the "grand-alliance" candidate from Vaishali, has claimed that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have been a voter from here, he (Modi) too would have voted for him."Some people are saying Modi-Modi. People are saying that if Modi would have been a voter from here, he would have voted for Raghuvansh Prasad Singh," RJD leader said on Friday while talking to ANI. Asserting that election is a one-sided fight in favour of "grand-alliance", he said, "People have decided to vote for "mahagathbandhan". It will be wrong to say that there is a fight. It is one-sided. People from all party including good people from BJP and JDU are supporting me." He also termed the recent decision of Central government to give reservation to the upper caste people as "dangerous". Meanwhile, NDA candidate from Vaishali, Veena Devi said that this election is a fight for the country. ''People want Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I am a local here. People know me from 18-20 years here. This election is a fight for the country," she said. Vaishali will go to polls on May 19. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.

If Modi was a voter from here, he would have voted for me: RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh

The stage is set as the national capital goes to Lok Sabha polls on Sunday where the incumbent BJP, Delhi's ruling AAP and the Congress are locked in a fight on all seven seats.&nbsp;

The Congress is looking to bounce back after ending up at the third spot in the 2014 elections.&nbsp;

The lead up to the polls has not been without drama, with allegations and counter-allegations flying, and it had all the trappings of a soap opera that could give the daily shows a run for their money.

The high-octane poll campaigning in the national capital ended on Friday but not before it saw a plethora of stars descending here to campaign for their respective parties.

If Hema Malini and Sunny Deol provided the Bollywood quotient to the saffron party's campaign, Raj Babbar and Nagma added the star quotient to the Congress. Prakash Raj, Swara Bhaskar and Gul Panag campaigned for the AAP.

From <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/gautam-gambhir-sends-defamation-notice-to-kejriwal-sisodia-atishi-demands-unconditional-apology-217366">Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal </a>being slapped to AAP's East Delhi candidate Atishi breaking down at a press conference over "derogatory pamphlets" to BJP's Udit Raj leaving the party and joining the Congress after being denied a ticket from northwest Delhi, the last two months been quite eventful and have kept everyone on their toes.&nbsp;

The seven seats will see 164 candidates battling it out of which 18 are women. Prominent among them are former chief minister Sheila Dikshit from northeast Delhi, BJP's incumbent MP Meenakshi Lekhi, who is contesting from New Delhi, and Atishi.

BJP's incumbent MP Manoj Tiwari is up against Dikshit for the Northeast Delhi seat and has already said that her entry has made the poll contest "one of the most interesting in the country". AAP's Dilip Pandey is also in the fray from the seat.

Other prominent candidates in the race include veteran Congress leader Sheila Dikshit, Olympian boxer Vijender Singh, who is making his electoral debut from South Delhi, Union minister Harsh Vardhan from Chandni Chowk, and cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir.

Voting will begin at 7 am on May 12 and it is scheduled to go on till 6 am.

The 48 hour-period from 6 pm Friday to 6 pm Sunday, known as the silence period, will also be observed as 'dry day'.

A total of 13,819 polling stations will be set up at 2,700 locations in Delhi, with one model polling station in each of the 70 assembly segments. Seventeen polling stations will be staffed only by women.

As many as 523 polling locations have been identified as critical and 60,000 personnel, including those of the Delhi Police, Home Guards and paramilitary, will be on their toes to ensure that there is no untoward incident.

The campaign got off to a slow start as alliance talks between the AAP and the Congress lingered on till the last days of nomination, but it gained momentum over the last fortnight with senior leaders drawing huge crowds at mega rallies and road shows in the national capital.

The campaign reached a crescendo in its last lap, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding a massive rally at the iconic Ramlila Maidan here, Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressing two public meetings, and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra taking out two roadshows in the city.

From trying to strike a personal chord with voters in parks at six am to holding door-to-door campaigns till late night, the candidates literally sweated it out in the oppressive heat as mercury crossed the 40-degree Celsius mark.

While the BJP's campaign revolved around the party's high-pitched nationalism narrative and the popularity of Modi, the Congress kept him in the crosshairs and sought to hard sell its minimum income guarantee scheme, Nyay.

The AAP, on the other hand, focus on the demand for full statehood for Delhi.

Candidates also tried to out-manoeuvre each other before the poll body. AAP candidates Atishi and Raghav Chadha sought rejection of nomination papers of their BJP rivals Gautam Gambhir and Ramesh Bidhuri, respectively.

Poll officers were also hard-pressed as several violations of the Model Code of Conduct were reported.

In a security breach, Kejriwal was slapped by a man during a roadshow in Moti Nagar and allegations of horse trading flew thick and fast as two AAP MLAs, Anil Bajpai and Devinder Sehrawat, crossed over to the BJP.

The campaigning also saw South Delhi BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri allegedly using a Hindi slur against Kejriwal. On a penultimate day, the AAP and the BJP sparred over a derogatory pamphlet that targeted Atishi.

The AAP alleged her rival Gautam Gambhir was behind it, a charge vehemently denied by him.

According to the summary of the electoral roll published on April 23, there are over 1.43 crore voters in Delhi, 78,73,022 male and 64,42,762 female, while 669 belong to the third gender.

While 2,54,723 voters are in the age group of 18 and 19, there is 40,532 electorate with a disability who would be provided pick up and drop facility.

Nearly 270 FIRs and daily diary (DD) entries were registered against political parties and others here till date for violation of the poll code.&nbsp;

The stage is set as the national capital goes to Lok Sabha polls on Sunday where the incumbent BJP, Delhi's ruling AAP and the Congress are locked in a fight on all seven seats.

The stage is set as the national capital goes to Lok Sabha polls on Sunday where the incumbent BJP, Delhi's ruling AAP and the Congress are locked in a fight on all seven seats. The Congress is looking to bounce back after ending up at the third spot in the 2014 elections. The lead up to the polls has not been without drama, with allegations and counter-allegations flying, and it had all the trappings of a soap opera that could give the daily shows a run for their money. The high-octane poll campaigning in the national capital ended on Friday but not before it saw a plethora of stars descending here to campaign for their respective parties. If Hema Malini and Sunny Deol provided the Bollywood quotient to the saffron party's campaign, Raj Babbar and Nagma added the star quotient to the Congress. Prakash Raj, Swara Bhaskar and Gul Panag campaigned for the AAP. From Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal being slapped to AAP's East Delhi candidate Atishi breaking down at a press conference over "derogatory pamphlets" to BJP's Udit Raj leaving the party and joining the Congress after being denied a ticket from northwest Delhi, the last two months been quite eventful and have kept everyone on their toes. The seven seats will see 164 candidates battling it out of which 18 are women. Prominent among them are former chief minister Sheila Dikshit from northeast Delhi, BJP's incumbent MP Meenakshi Lekhi, who is contesting from New Delhi, and Atishi. BJP's incumbent MP Manoj Tiwari is up against Dikshit for the Northeast Delhi seat and has already said that her entry has made the poll contest "one of the most interesting in the country". AAP's Dilip Pandey is also in the fray from the seat. Other prominent candidates in the race include veteran Congress leader Sheila Dikshit, Olympian boxer Vijender Singh, who is making his electoral debut from South Delhi, Union minister Harsh Vardhan from Chandni Chowk, and cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir. Voting will begin at 7 am on May 12 and it is scheduled to go on till 6 am. The 48 hour-period from 6 pm Friday to 6 pm Sunday, known as the silence period, will also be observed as 'dry day'. A total of 13,819 polling stations will be set up at 2,700 locations in Delhi, with one model polling station in each of the 70 assembly segments. Seventeen polling stations will be staffed only by women. As many as 523 polling locations have been identified as critical and 60,000 personnel, including those of the Delhi Police, Home Guards and paramilitary, will be on their toes to ensure that there is no untoward incident. The campaign got off to a slow start as alliance talks between the AAP and the Congress lingered on till the last days of nomination, but it gained momentum over the last fortnight with senior leaders drawing huge crowds at mega rallies and road shows in the national capital. The campaign reached a crescendo in its last lap, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding a massive rally at the iconic Ramlila Maidan here, Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressing two public meetings, and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra taking out two roadshows in the city. From trying to strike a personal chord with voters in parks at six am to holding door-to-door campaigns till late night, the candidates literally sweated it out in the oppressive heat as mercury crossed the 40-degree Celsius mark. While the BJP's campaign revolved around the party's high-pitched nationalism narrative and the popularity of Modi, the Congress kept him in the crosshairs and sought to hard sell its minimum income guarantee scheme, Nyay. The AAP, on the other hand, focus on the demand for full statehood for Delhi. Candidates also tried to out-manoeuvre each other before the poll body. AAP candidates Atishi and Raghav Chadha sought rejection of nomination papers of their BJP rivals Gautam Gambhir and Ramesh Bidhuri, respectively. Poll officers were also hard-pressed as several violations of the Model Code of Conduct were reported. In a security breach, Kejriwal was slapped by a man during a roadshow in Moti Nagar and allegations of horse trading flew thick and fast as two AAP MLAs, Anil Bajpai and Devinder Sehrawat, crossed over to the BJP. The campaigning also saw South Delhi BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri allegedly using a Hindi slur against Kejriwal. On a penultimate day, the AAP and the BJP sparred over a derogatory pamphlet that targeted Atishi. The AAP alleged her rival Gautam Gambhir was behind it, a charge vehemently denied by him. According to the summary of the electoral roll published on April 23, there are over 1.43 crore voters in Delhi, 78,73,022 male and 64,42,762 female, while 669 belong to the third gender. While 2,54,723 voters are in the age group of 18 and 19, there is 40,532 electorate with a disability who would be provided pick up and drop facility. Nearly 270 FIRs and daily diary (DD) entries were registered against political parties and others here till date for violation of the poll code.

Triangular contest in Delhi as it goes to polls on Sunday

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Saturday accused the Congress of spreading rumours about the SP-BSP alliance and said he has faith in workers of both the parties that they will not pay heed to them.

"Recently, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/election-commission-issues-fresh-notice-to-sidhu-over-objectionable-comments-against-pm-modi-217655">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a> said Samajwadi Party is assisting other parties and is not with the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/election-commission-not-strict-against-leaders-using-derogatory-language-for-women-mayawati-217721"> BSP</a> and now we have come to know that the Congress is also spreading similar rumours," Yadav told reporters here.

"I want to say the SP-BSP alliance is strong. It is my appeal to the workers of both the parties to remain alert. We have faith in SP workers, the leadership and workers of the BSP that they will pay no heed to them," he said.

The SP chief said both the BJP and the Congress were the same in spreading rumours.

Referring to the language being used by BJP leaders in electioneering, he said such words should not be used.

"Our Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath says that others are the chiefs of 'goondas', but the biggest criminal of Bihar Rajan Tiwari is made to join the BJP clandestinely in Lucknow," he said.

Yadav also alleged that 'red cards' were being issued only to Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party leaders and workers and accused the BJP of conspiring to scare people against voting.

"Will red cards be issued to SP-BSP only? Is everyone in the BJP clean, is there no one with a criminal background who was issued a red card?" he asked.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Saturday accused the Congress of spreading rumours about the SP-BSP alliance and said he has faith in workers of both the parties that they will not pay heed to them.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Saturday accused the Congress of spreading rumours about the SP-BSP alliance and said he has faith in workers of both the parties that they will not pay heed to them. "Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Samajwadi Party is assisting other parties and is not with the BSP and now we have come to know that the Congress is also spreading similar rumours," Yadav told reporters here. "I want to say the SP-BSP alliance is strong. It is my appeal to the workers of both the parties to remain alert. We have faith in SP workers, the leadership and workers of the BSP that they will pay no heed to them," he said. The SP chief said both the BJP and the Congress were the same in spreading rumours. Referring to the language being used by BJP leaders in electioneering, he said such words should not be used. "Our Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath says that others are the chiefs of 'goondas', but the biggest criminal of Bihar Rajan Tiwari is made to join the BJP clandestinely in Lucknow," he said. Yadav also alleged that 'red cards' were being issued only to Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party leaders and workers and accused the BJP of conspiring to scare people against voting. "Will red cards be issued to SP-BSP only? Is everyone in the BJP clean, is there no one with a criminal background who was issued a red card?" he asked.

Akhilesh Yadav accuses Congress of spreading rumours about SP-BSP alliance

Watch this segment to know Lok Sabha elections related latest news.

In this segment of Gravitas, watch Who is winning the battle in Haryana for Lok Sabha election 2019.

IEW: Who is winning the battle in Haryana?

Watch WION exclusive with Kartikey Sharma in conversation with Union Cabinet Minister Nitin Gadkari. Watch video to know more.

2019 will not be a repeat of 1996, BJP will form the next govt under Modi: Nitin Gadkari to WION

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP president<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/chandrababu-naidu-to-participate-in-mamatas-poll-rallies-216723&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwio0eWnzZDiAhU_4nMBHXq4AIIQFjAAegQIAhAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2QLL5IjABggEooEjN3FCVT"> N Chandrababu Naidu</a> have held a closed-door discussion with his West Bengal counterpart<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/insult-to-indias-constitution-pm-modi-on-mamata-banerjees-do-not-consider-him-pm-remark-217332&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj-ouu5zZDiAhUi73MBHTegDVIQFjACegQIEBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw09G2kv8S3bnT40rycl5ZkQ"> Mamata Banerjee</a> in Kharagpur on future plans of the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance).

The meeting between Banerjee and Naidu took place for over 15 minutes late Thursday evening, according to a well-placed source in the Trinamool Congress.

The two leaders met and spoke about the future plans of the Mahagatbandhan. Naidu and Didi (Banerjee) also discussed the TDP leaders meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi Wednesday, a senior TMC member told PTI.

On whether Banerjee will be attending the proposed meeting of the opposition parties likely to be held on May 21, the TMC leader said that the date of the meeting was yet not decided.

It's not decided that the meeting will be held on May 21... It seems that it might be deferred by a couple of days and take place after May 23. Didi Maybe taking part in it, he said.

Naidu and Banerjee are believed to have also talked about the voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) issue and the probable voting percentage in the so far held five phases of polling in the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections, the TMC leader said.

Earlier, Naidu joined Banerjee at a campaign meeting of TMC at Kharagpur on Thursday where he spoke high about her and urged people to vote for Trinamool to oust the BJP from the power.

Later, Naidu participated and delivered a speech for TMC North Kolkata Lok Sabha constituency candidate Sudip Bandyopadhyay at Sithi in the city. Banerjee, who has floated the idea of a federal front of regional parties, has been playing an important role for unity of the anti-BJP bloc.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu have held a closed-door discussion with his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee in Kharagpur on future plans of the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance).

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu have held a closed-door discussion with his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee in Kharagpur on future plans of the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance). The meeting between Banerjee and Naidu took place for over 15 minutes late Thursday evening, according to a well-placed source in the Trinamool Congress. The two leaders met and spoke about the future plans of the Mahagatbandhan. Naidu and Didi (Banerjee) also discussed the TDP leaders meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi Wednesday, a senior TMC member told PTI. On whether Banerjee will be attending the proposed meeting of the opposition parties likely to be held on May 21, the TMC leader said that the date of the meeting was yet not decided. It's not decided that the meeting will be held on May 21... It seems that it might be deferred by a couple of days and take place after May 23. Didi Maybe taking part in it, he said. Naidu and Banerjee are believed to have also talked about the voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) issue and the probable voting percentage in the so far held five phases of polling in the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections, the TMC leader said. Earlier, Naidu joined Banerjee at a campaign meeting of TMC at Kharagpur on Thursday where he spoke high about her and urged people to vote for Trinamool to oust the BJP from the power. Later, Naidu participated and delivered a speech for TMC North Kolkata Lok Sabha constituency candidate Sudip Bandyopadhyay at Sithi in the city. Banerjee, who has floated the idea of a federal front of regional parties, has been playing an important role for unity of the anti-BJP bloc.

Mamata Banerjee, Chandrababu Naidu hold closed door meeting on Mahagathbandhan

Delhi Chief Minister <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/man-who-attacked-delhi-cm-kejriwal-expresses-regret-says-dont-know-why-i-slapped-him-217367&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjj69fAxZDiAhXJgI8KHeQ3AuUQFjADegQIDhAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw0qmtRx8bFQFYlp3Y0JcFdi">Arvind Kejriwal </a>on Friday said if the BJP comes back to power then the party president Amit Shah would be the Union home minister.

He said in a tweet people should think what will happen to a country who has Shah as the home minister. "Please think about that before voting," he tweeted.

With his tweet, he also tagged a post of a polling agency tracking Indian electoral trends which claimed<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/only-pm-modi-can-ensure-national-security-amit-shah-217248&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiVsubNxZDiAhXJvI8KHUU5CrIQFjADegQIDhAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw1KMMIuXWrRbXnmxfRdwDRS"> Amit Shah</a> is positioning himself for the role of the home minister if Modi returns, and said ex-Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Virmani and former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan can make a good finance minister.

Delhi goes to polls this Sunday in the sixth phase of parliamentary elections and the results will be declared on May 23.&nbsp;

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said if the BJP comes back to power then the party president Amit Shah would be the Union home minister. He said in a tweet people should think what will happen to a country who has Shah as the home minister.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said if the BJP comes back to power then the party president Amit Shah would be the Union home minister. He said in a tweet people should think what will happen to a country who has Shah as the home minister. "Please think about that before voting," he tweeted. With his tweet, he also tagged a post of a polling agency tracking Indian electoral trends which claimed Amit Shah is positioning himself for the role of the home minister if Modi returns, and said ex-Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Virmani and former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan can make a good finance minister. Delhi goes to polls this Sunday in the sixth phase of parliamentary elections and the results will be declared on May 23.

Amit Shah will be home minister if BJP returns to power: Arvind Kejriwal

The Congress decided to go it alone in Uttar Pradesh keeping its "long-term interests" in mind, says senior leader <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/no-party-will-get-majority-congress-will-forge-alliance-for-upa-plus-plus-govt-jyotiraditya-scindia-216994&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjjmYqewpDiAhUE63MBHbrWB3wQFjABegQIEBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw3rYga4N_H066-djHjbILwL">Jyotiraditya Scindia</a>, exuding confidence that the party will do much better than in 2014 in the state.&nbsp;

The Congress general secretary, in charge of the party's affairs for Uttar Pradesh (West), said the strategy was to build the party in the state and the results will show that fighting the elections on its own strength was the right decision.

After spending some time in Uttar Pradesh that sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha, Scindia is now concentrating on the Guna parliamentary constituency in <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/this-madhya-pradesh-village-threatens-to-boycott-polls-if-water-shortage-issue-not-resolved-216187&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiR_ueRwpDiAhVM63MBHVZxBTgQFjACegQIEBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw3cuJ15OUlvYhv-j6QTBw6U">Madhya Pradesh </a>as he seeks a mandate for a fifth term.&nbsp;

"This time we have decided to fight on our own strength in Uttar Pradesh and build the party in the state and you will see based on the results in UP that probably it was the right decision keeping the long term interests of the party in mind," Scindia told PTI in an interview.&nbsp;

"We will do a much better job this time around for the whole of UP... Let the voters decide," the 48-year-old added. He sidestepped a question on whether the BSP-SP-RLD 'mahagathbandhan' will harm the Congress' prospects in Uttar Pradesh.&nbsp;

"I think every party will emerge wherever it is the strongest. So, it's not a question of the 'mahagathbandhan' harming prospects of Congress party or vice versa. It really depends on which party has the strongest candidate and the strongest organisation, " he said.&nbsp;Politics, Scindia said, is the art of possibilities.&nbsp;

"At the end of the day, everything is possible in politics and you must persevere and you must make an effort. Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don't," the four-time MP said.&nbsp; On what will happen after May 23 (day of counting), he said we will see once the chips fall.&nbsp;

"It is too hypothetical to tell you what will happen."&nbsp;In 2014, the BJP walked away with 71 of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress won two seats, Apna Dal two and Samajwadi Party five seats.&nbsp;

Congress president Rahul Gandhi's sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is the Congress general secretary in-charge for UP (East).&nbsp;Scindia said the recently appointed Congress government in Madhya Pradesh had done a good job in delivering on pre-poll promises.&nbsp;

"The MP government has done an extremely terrific job. In a short period of time, they have accomplished so much. From farm loans waiver to increase the amount given to girls who are getting married, increasing pension amount, reducing electricity bills and others. Some very monumental decisions that were promised by our party before the polls are now in execution mode," he said.&nbsp;

Asked about reports on a spate of power cuts in Madhya Pradesh after the Kamal Nath-led government took over, Scindia said they are dealing with the legacy of the previous BJP government of the state and the promise of farm loan waiver is being executed properly.&nbsp;

"It is a legacy (electricity issue) they (BJP) have left us which we will have to fix. No one has a magic wand that will fix everything in 50 days. As far as farm loan waiver is concerned, what they (BJP) have not been able to do in 15 years we have done in 20 days... 27 lakh farmers have received it and balance will get as soon as the model code of conduct is removed," he said.&nbsp;

The Congress had promised before the 2018 assembly polls in the state that bank loans of farmers up to Rs 2 lakh will be waived after the Congress takes charge.&nbsp;Queried on the prospects of him being projected as the possible chief minister of the state during the elections last year, Scindia said he never hankered for a post.&nbsp;

"My pursuit in life is not power or position. My pursuit in life is the goal of development and progress for my people. For me, position and power are not important. Service is important.&nbsp;"Therefore, when my party has taken a decision that decision for me is paramount," Scindia said.

The Congress, out of power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003, unseated the Shivraj Singh Chouhan led government in November last year by winning 114 seats while the BJP secured 109.

The state has 29 Lok Sabha seats and in the last general elections, it won a total of 27 seats.&nbsp;The Congress won one more seat in a bypoll later that was held after the death of the sitting BJP MP from Ratlam.&nbsp;

The Congress decided to go it alone in Uttar Pradesh keeping its "long-term interests" in mind, says senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, exuding confidence that the party will do much better than in 2014 in the state.

The Congress decided to go it alone in Uttar Pradesh keeping its "long-term interests" in mind, says senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, exuding confidence that the party will do much better than in 2014 in the state. The Congress general secretary, in charge of the party's affairs for Uttar Pradesh (West), said the strategy was to build the party in the state and the results will show that fighting the elections on its own strength was the right decision. After spending some time in Uttar Pradesh that sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha, Scindia is now concentrating on the Guna parliamentary constituency in Madhya Pradesh as he seeks a mandate for a fifth term. "This time we have decided to fight on our own strength in Uttar Pradesh and build the party in the state and you will see based on the results in UP that probably it was the right decision keeping the long term interests of the party in mind," Scindia told PTI in an interview. "We will do a much better job this time around for the whole of UP... Let the voters decide," the 48-year-old added. He sidestepped a question on whether the BSP-SP-RLD 'mahagathbandhan' will harm the Congress' prospects in Uttar Pradesh. "I think every party will emerge wherever it is the strongest. So, it's not a question of the 'mahagathbandhan' harming prospects of Congress party or vice versa. It really depends on which party has the strongest candidate and the strongest organisation, " he said. Politics, Scindia said, is the art of possibilities. "At the end of the day, everything is possible in politics and you must persevere and you must make an effort. Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don't," the four-time MP said. On what will happen after May 23 (day of counting), he said we will see once the chips fall. "It is too hypothetical to tell you what will happen." In 2014, the BJP walked away with 71 of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress won two seats, Apna Dal two and Samajwadi Party five seats. Congress president Rahul Gandhi's sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is the Congress general secretary in-charge for UP (East). Scindia said the recently appointed Congress government in Madhya Pradesh had done a good job in delivering on pre-poll promises. "The MP government has done an extremely terrific job. In a short period of time, they have accomplished so much. From farm loans waiver to increase the amount given to girls who are getting married, increasing pension amount, reducing electricity bills and others. Some very monumental decisions that were promised by our party before the polls are now in execution mode," he said. Asked about reports on a spate of power cuts in Madhya Pradesh after the Kamal Nath-led government took over, Scindia said they are dealing with the legacy of the previous BJP government of the state and the promise of farm loan waiver is being executed properly. "It is a legacy (electricity issue) they (BJP) have left us which we will have to fix. No one has a magic wand that will fix everything in 50 days. As far as farm loan waiver is concerned, what they (BJP) have not been able to do in 15 years we have done in 20 days... 27 lakh farmers have received it and balance will get as soon as the model code of conduct is removed," he said. The Congress had promised before the 2018 assembly polls in the state that bank loans of farmers up to Rs 2 lakh will be waived after the Congress takes charge. Queried on the prospects of him being projected as the possible chief minister of the state during the elections last year, Scindia said he never hankered for a post. "My pursuit in life is not power or position. My pursuit in life is the goal of development and progress for my people. For me, position and power are not important. Service is important. "Therefore, when my party has taken a decision that decision for me is paramount," Scindia said. The Congress, out of power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003, unseated the Shivraj Singh Chouhan led government in November last year by winning 114 seats while the BJP secured 109. The state has 29 Lok Sabha seats and in the last general elections, it won a total of 27 seats. The Congress won one more seat in a bypoll later that was held after the death of the sitting BJP MP from Ratlam.

Going alone in UP for Congress's long-term interest, will do a good job this time: Scindia

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Congress North East Delhi candidate Sheila Dikshit holded a roadshow in Delhi on Wednesday. Watch this video to know more.

Priyanka Gandhi & PM Modi's war of words

Supreme Court of India dismisses second plea against Rahul Gandhi, Petition sought to debar Congress President from contesting elections. Watch this video to know more.

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Polling in 51 parliamentary constituencies across 7 states is being held in the 5th phase of Lok Sabha election 2019 Monday. The 5th phase of polling will decide the fate of several key leaders including Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union Minister Smriti Irani.

India Votes: 51 seats across 7 states go to polls

Watch Key battles in phase 5 of Lok Sabha elections 2019.

India Votes: Key battles in phase 5 of Lok Sabha elections 2019

Polling in 51 parliamentary constituencies across 7 states is being held in the 5th phase of Lok Sabha election 2019 Monday. The 5th phase of polling will decide the fate of several key leaders including Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union Minister Smriti Irani. Watch this video to know more.

India Votes: Is U.P. heading for a tight finish?

India Votes: Lok Sabha elections phase 5 voting underway

India Votes: Voting begins in Gandhi bastions

Violence took place in Shopian and Pulwama, Kashmir before 5th phase of LS polls. Watch this video to know more.

Clashes broke out in Shopian & Pulwama

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This segment of WION brings to you top stories of the morning from across the globe. Watch this video to get updated with the latest information.

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - May 6th, 2019