Lok Sabha Election 2024 Highlights: BJP fixes signage calling 'Sheesh Mahal-Corruption Ka Adda' near CM Kejriwal's residence

"Manifesto got prominence only after YSRCP came into power", he said, adding that "we have pasted manifesto in all govt offices to ensure its implementation"."99.9 percent promises implemented during 2019-2024", he added.

In the Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha constituency, a region known for altering political allegiance in every election, BJP candidate Dilip Ghosh faces a pivotal challenge to overturn this pattern and secure his political future. Since its establishment in 2009, Bardhaman-Durgapur has sent CPI(M), TMC and BJP representatives once each to the Lok Sabha in the three previous polls.

Voters were harassed by polling officials in Lok Sabha elections held in Kerala, he said.

Senior state Congress leader Muhammed Arif 'Naseem' Khan stepped down from the party's campaign committee, amid the Lok Sabha elections, citing the decision by the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) bloc not to field any minority candidate in the polls. He said the people and organisations associated with the minority community were upset over the bloc's decision not to put a Muslim face or leader on the ticket.

"My feedback from yesterday - excellent turnout in our strongholds, 2nd phase has been spectacular for BJP in Assam. Of the 5 seats that went to polls, we are winning 4 with a huge lead and in one seat for obvious reasons, it is a very very close contest," he said.

She said, "It has been said to us that after Wayanad's voting today, the Congress candidate will arrive here, but first he will visit Ram temple. They rejected the invitation to the Ram temple consecration ceremony, now they will go to the temple as they think that this might get them votes, which means now they will go to betray god as well..."

A senior TDP leader has said the priority of the party is to "rebuild" Andhra Pradesh and take the state out of the debt trap by getting rid of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) National Coordinator (Election) and ex-Rajya Sabha MP Kanakamedal Ravindra Kumar said Andhra Pradesh has suffered more losses during the Jagan Mohan Reddy government than during the creation of the two Telugu states in 2014 when resources were shared with Telangana.

Atishi, who is also a minister in the Delhi government, told a press conference that Sunita Kejriwal will seek votes and blessings for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from Delhi residents. "She will campaign for the party in Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat and Haryana. She will hold her first roadshow in East Delhi on Saturday and then another roadshow in West Delhi on Sunday," Atishi said.

As per EC's voter turnout app, Tripura accounted for maximum turnout at 79.6% while UP recorded the lowest at 54.8%. Manipur recorded the second highest turnout at 77.3%.The turnout was lower than 2019 in most of the states, with MP (six seats) recording the maximum drop by over nine percentage points this time. The turnout in MP was 58.3% compared to 67.6% last time. Similarly, it was 8.9 and 7.4 percentage points lower than 2019 in West Bengal (three seats) and UP (eight seats), respectively. Kerala recorded a drop of 7.5 percentage points. The 20 seats that went to polls on Friday recorded 70.3 % turnout compared to 77.8% in last polls. The five seats of Bihar recorded the second lowest turnout among the states at 55.7%, over 7 percentage points lower than 62.9% recorded in these seats.The drop was the lowest - just 0.6 percentage points - in Karnataka (14 of the total 28 seats), which recorded 68.4% polling compared to 69% in previous general elections. That gap is more than likely to be made up once updated figures come in.

Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine a tricky, yet interesting, issue raised by motivational speaker and author Shiv Khera - EC must treat the 'none of the above' (NOTA) option on EVMs as a fictional candidate, publicise its candidacy, and if NOTA gets the highest votes, then the candidates in the fray should be barred from contesting elections for five years.A bench of CJI D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra was initially reluctant to entertain Khera's PIL saying it was squarely in the policy domain. However, it agreed to entertain the petition after senior advocate Gopal Shankaranarayanan said BJP candidate in Surat got elected unopposed as others in the fray withdrew. Had BJP nominee contested with NOTA as a fictional candidate, then people's mandate would have been known, the counsel said.

As SC rejected all the petitions seeking 100% cross verification of EVM votes with their voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips, Congress distanced itself saying that it was "not a party, directly or indirectly" to the pleas in SC.

The nomination of former IPS officer Debasish Dhar, the BJP candidate from Bengal's Birbhum was cancelled on Friday. He claimed this was because he had not submitted "no dues certificate", and also said the reason was "baseless".Dhar moved Calcutta HC soon after but could not get immediate relief. His lawyers indicated they may move SC. Dhar, a 2010-batch IPS officer, had resigned from service to contest on a BJP ticket.

A criminal case was registered against BJP's Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya on Friday for allegedly seeking votes on the basis of religion. Karnataka's chief electoral officer said in a post on X that the case was filed at Jayanagar police station under Section 123(3) of the IPC "for posting a video on his X handle and soliciting votes on grounds of religion". Senior BJP neta CT Ravi, too, was named in a case for allegedly promoting hatred and enmity, EC said.

Barely 40 days after receiving their citizenship certificates from Jaisalmer district collector, five members of a Bheel family, who migrated to India from Sanghar district in Sindh province of Pakistan, cast their votes as Indian nationals for the first time in the parliamentary elections on Friday. A total 11 members of the extended Bheel family relocated to India in three batches between 2009 and 2011, fleeing persecution by local landlords in Sindh.

F our people, including a polling officer, died in Karnataka, while one person passed away in Rajasthan during Lok Sabha elections on Friday. Yashodamma, 55, a govt school teacher deputed for election duty at Megala Gollarahatti polling booth in Chitradurga district, collapsed inside the booth. She was rushed to a govt hospital where doctors declared her dead due to cardiac arrest.Meanwhile, three voters in Karnataka and one in Rajasthan also lost their lives during voting.

Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi kicked up a row when he said on Thursday that gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who died in judicial custody on March 28, was poisoned. At public meeting in Varanasi late Thursday, Owaisi referred to Mukhtar as a "martyr". Interestingly, AIMIM is part of PDM Nyay Morcha, a front floated by former Samajwadi Party ally Apna Dal (K) which is now contesting against SP-Congress alliance.

Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy on Friday likened PM Narendra Modi to a "cobra who will come back to bite" farmers for forcing his BJP-led govt to scrap the three farm laws in Dec 2021.Modi will not forget the "defeat", Reddy warned at a rally for governing Congress candidate Suresh Shetkar in Zahirabad LS constituency."Thousands of farmers fought against Modi and made him not only to retract the three laws but also compelled him to apologise to them. But he is like a 'Kala Nagu' (black cobra). He will hold a grudge and make farmers pay for their protests," Revanth said.The CM claimed Modi was seeking 400 seats with the intention of attaining a two-thirds majority and getting back at the farmers by making them slaves to corporate giants.

Speculation about CPM central committee member and LDF convenor EP Jayarajan preparing to join BJP flared up on polling day in Kerala after the politician admitted to meeting the saffron party's state in-charge Prakash Javadekar.Jayarajan said in Kannur on Friday that he didn't discuss politics with Javadekar when they met at his son's apartment on his grandchild's birthday recently. "He (Javadekar) was passing through when he dropped by for a friendly chat. TG Nandakumar (the alleged middleman) was with him. Could I have asked him to get out of our house?"

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray will, perhaps for the first time, vote for Congress, his political foe-turned-friend, a reflection of the churning Maharashtra's polity has undergone since 2019.A day after her nomination was announced for the Mumbai North Central seat, city Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad met Thackeray on Friday in his home. Extending support to Gaikwad, Thackeray said, "Shiv Sena (UBT) is with you in this election, you will also get my vote... We are going to vote on the hand of Congress this time. In that hand is our torch. Shiv Sena's mashaal is in the 'hands' of Congress. We are going to vote for it and you all will see it in the election results. Then we will blow the trumpet (the NCP-SP's poll symbol)," Thackeray said.

Anwar Naha, 53, an expatriate working in the UAE, cast his vote at a polling booth under Ponnani Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala’s Malappuram on Friday.He had arrived in a chartered ‘vote flight' from Dubai on Wednesday just to cast his vote. Naha said that as many as five chartered flights had been arranged from UAE alone for this election, facilitated by Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC) affiliated to the IUML. Apart from that, many expats had come home through mass bookings in normal flights.

PM Narendra Modi blamed Trinamool Congress on Friday for leaving nearly 26,000 families in Bengal without a livelihood by orchestrating an alleged hiring scam that forced Calcutta HC to scrap appointments made by the School Service Commission in 2016 and order some recruits to return their salaries with interest."Trinamool has played with the future of Bengal's youth. Not only have they lost their source of income because of the school recruitment scam, these youth have been saddled with loans they had taken to pay Trinamool functionaries," Modi said at a poll rally in Malda.

CM Eknath Shinde on Friday late night arrived in Kolhapur city to take review ahead of the PM Narendra Modi's public rally scheduled to take place at 5pm on Tapovan maidan in Kolhapur city on Saturday. After his arrival at Kolhapur airport at 10:30pm, CM Shinde went directly to the Tapovan maidan and took an overview of the ongoing works of erecting a massive pandal.Speaking to media, CM Shinde said, "Kolhapur is a historical city and there is enthusiasm among the people here for PM Modi's rally. Preparations are ongoing in full swing and this will be a record breaking rally. Voters from Kolhapur and Hatkanangle Lok Sabha constituencies and supporters of PM Modi will arrive in large numbers. We are sure that due to PM Modi's rally, both Sanjay Mandlik from Kolhapur and Dhairyasheel Mane will be victorious.

A voter turnout of 54.83 per cent was recorded in the eight parliamentary constituencies of Uttar Pradesh where voting was held in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Friday, according to the latest Election Commission figures. The constituencies that went to polls in this phase are Amroha, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh and Mathura.

Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh Navdeep Rinwa told reporters, "Polling was held peacefully... no reports of any untoward incident."

He added that in order to ensure free and fair polls, webcasting was done at 8,852 polling places and videography at 967.

The official also said that after the start of voting, a total of 48 ballot units, 48 control units and 208 VVPATs were changed by 5 pm.

According to the Voter Turnout app of the Election Commission of India (ECI), 64.02 per cent polling was recorded in Amroha, followed by 58.70 per cent in Meerut, 55.97 per cent in Baghpat, 49.65 per cent in Ghaziabad, 53.06 in Gautam Buddh Nagar, 55.79 in Bulandshahr, 56.62 per cent in Aligarh and 49.29 in Mathura.

Among the lakhs of voters in Gautam Buddh Nagar, Abhik Arya, who works in Germany, made it to Noida in time to cast his vote for the Lok Sabha election on Friday. Arya, who has been living in Munich for the last seven years and works in the hospitality sector there, said he has returned home after almost 18 months and deliberately planned the trip to coincide with the election date.

A voter of Noida's Sector 31, Arya and his sisters Abhisha (33) and Ankita (35) cast their votes at the Saraswati Balika Vidya Mandir on Friday afternoon.

"I have been living in Germany for work for the last seven years. I landed in Delhi around 7 am. When I was planning my vacation and travel home in India, I knew the elections were also around the corner so I had planned my schedule accordingly," Arya told PTI.

"I came home today and coordinated with my sisters so that we do not miss out on voting as a responsible citizen and to keep up the positive trend and to do our bit," Arya said.

The voting for the remaining part of the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha constituency ended peacefully for the second phase on Friday, officials said.

Voting was held for the remaining part of the Outer Manipur parliamentary constituency on Friday.

Police used drones for surveillance in the Ukhrul district prior to the second phase. Ukhrul comes under the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha Constituency.

"Our polling station has ended the polling around 5:47 pm. Right now we are packing the VVPAT. We are getting ready to dispatch at our office," Presiding Officer Leiyami Kasar told ANI.

The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) on Friday came out against union minister and BJP candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar for not casting his vote during the Lok Sabha polls, saying that his action was an insult to democracy. Earlier in the day, Chandrasekhar, who seeks his electoral luck from Thiruvananthapuram constituency, said he did not go to Karnataka to exercise his franchise as the seat he is contesting from was his top priority."I didn't go to cast vote. This is my top priority. It is my duty to be present here on the election day," he told reporters here.The BJP leader further said he didn't get time to transfer his vote to Thiruvananthapuram and would surely take necessary steps to exercise the franchise in the constituency in future elections.

An estimated 71.11 per cent of 77.26 lakh voters exercised their franchise till the end of polling in five Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam on Friday, election officials said. The final voter turnout, however, will be available on Saturday, they said.

No untoward incident was reported as polling, which began at 7 am, ended peacefully at 5 pm.

Darrang-Udalguri seat recorded the highest turnout of 73.22 per cent, followed by 72.80 per cent in Diphu, 71.88 per cent in Nagaon, 71.12 per cent in Karimganj, and 65.57 per cent in Silchar, they said.

Sixty-one candidates are in the fray in this phase.

BJP candidate from New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency Bansuri Swaraj said, "...People have faith in PM Modi, his leadership and therefore 'abki baar 400 paar'..."

Congress suspended Ameen Khan, former MLA, Sheo Assembly, and Balendu Singh Shekhawat, former Secretary of Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee from the party for 6 years with immediate effect after complaints of indiscipline & anti-party activities.

Some people, who are unable to walk and some admitted in the hospital, defied odds to cast their votes for the Lok Sabha polls in Noida on Friday. Among those who did this, some suffered from fracture in hands or legs, slipped disc while some had recently undergone surgeries.

These people found support in a free ambulance service through an initiative by local NGO Yuva Kranti Sena and industry body Noida Apparel Export Cluster (NAEC).

Saroj Mittal, 76, who lives in Sector 19, has been undergoing therapy for her knees since the last five years post slipped disc injury.

Mittal and her family were worried regarding how she would cast her vote.

"I cannot remember when I had not gone to vote. Voting is very important for every citizen. One should exercise their right to vote," the bed-ridden woman told PTI.

Banjarumale, an interior hamlet in Belthangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada district, recorded 100 per cent voting in the Lok Sabha election on Friday. This hamlet has 111 voters and each one of them turned up at the only polling booth, completing voting two hours before polling ended at 6.00 pm. The hamlet is inhabited by forest dwellers, tribal farmers and collectors of minor forest waste. Despite having no power or transport connectivity, the people survive in the forest using water from the perennial water sources in the hills of the Western Ghats.

Over 60 per cent turnout was recorded in polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats on Thursday in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan, according to the latest figures from the Election Commission. Polling had taken place in the first phase on April 19 for the other 12 parliamentary constituencies in the state, which sends 25 representatives to Parliament.

The by-election for the Bagidora assembly constituency in Banswara district was also held simultaneously on Friday. By 5 pm, 73.25 per cent voting took place.

Barring a few confrontations and complaints of fake voting in Barmer-Jaisalmer, polling was peaceful, officials said.

According to official data, 60.61 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the 13 constituencies of Barmer-Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Jalore, Chittorgarh, Banswara, Kota-Bundi, Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Udaipur, Rajsamand, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran.

Madhya Pradesh: EVMs and VVPATs machines are being sealed at a polling station in Chhatarpur as voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections concludes.

EVMs and VVPATs machines are being sealed at a polling station in Bhagalpur as voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections concludes.

The Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency recorded a voter turnout of 79.50 per cent till 5 pm on Friday, as polling remained peaceful so far, an official said. The voter turnout may cross 80 per cent as many voters were seen standing in queues at polling stations even after 5 pm, said Returning Officer (RO), Saju Vaheed.

Voters came out in large numbers to exercise their franchise since morning, he said.

"Queues were seen in almost all the booths till the last reports came in. Tribals, too, took part in voting in the interior areas amid tight security... The polling remained largely free, fair and peaceful," the official said.

"For Darjeeling, the polling percentage was 71.41 till 5 pm. For Raiganj, it was 71.87 per cent and for Balurghat, the polling percentage was 72.30. So, the poll percentage for the second phase at 5 pm was 71.84," said West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Aariz Aftab at a press conference in Kolkata.

Over 60 per cent turnout was recorded in polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats on Thursday in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan, according to the latest figures from the Election Commission. Polling had taken place in the first phase on April 19 for the other 12 parliamentary constituencies in the state, which sends 25 representatives to Parliament.

The by-election for the Bagidora assembly constituency in Banswara district was also held simultaneously on Friday. By 5 pm, 73.25 per cent voting took place.

Barring a few confrontations and complaints of fake voting in Barmer-Jaisalmer, polling was peaceful, officials said.

"Gratitude to the people across India who have voted today. The unparalleled support for NDA is going to disappoint the Opposition even more. Voters want NDA’s good governance. Youth and women voters are powering the strong NDA support," wrote PM Modi in a post on X.

Bihar deputy CM Samrat Choudhary said, "The PM is the leader, their (RJD) leader is convicted even Rahul Gandhi is out on bail. Their leader (Lalu Yadav) cannot go to many places as he is convicted and should have been in jail if he hadn't given the excuse of disease. Our leader is the son of a poor and people have made him the PM..."

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: "Rewa has reported the least polling percent of 48.67 per cent. Previously, the overall polling percentage was 67 per cent. As of right now, it is around 58 per cent," says Madhya Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Anupam Rajan at a press conference in Bhopal.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: “The second phase of polling took place in eight constituencies in Uttar Pradesh today. We recorded almost 53 per cent voting till 5 pm. We arranged for webcasting at 8,852 places covering 50 per cent polling stations,” said UP Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa.

Congress leader Mohammed Arif (Naseem) Khan writes to party president Mallikarjun Kharge and quits as a star campaigner of the party for the remaining phases of the Lok Sabha polls.

"MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) has not nominated a single Muslim candidate in Maharashtra. I am upset with the party's unfair decision...," he wrote.

Amid polling for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections, Samajwadi Party candidate from Mainpuri constituency Dimple Yadav said that Samajwadi Party and the alliance are performing well and all regional parties across the country are winning against the BJP.Dimple Yadav is contesting from the Mainpuri seat, and earlier her daughter Aditi Yadav, campaigned for the party in Mainpuri and urged the people to vote for the party.Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Friday that the fight for the removal of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), currently used in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, is a 'long' one.

The Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency recorded a voter turnout of 79.50 per cent till 5 pm on Friday, as polling remained peaceful so far, an official said.

The voter turnout may cross 80 per cent as many voters were seen standing in queues at polling stations even after 5 pm, said Returning Officer (RO), Saju Vaheed.

Voters came out in large numbers to exercise their franchise since morning, he said.

"Queues were seen in almost all the booths till the last reports came in. Tribals, too, took part in voting in the interior areas amid tight security... The polling remained largely free, fair and peaceful," the official said.

Former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said, "I am fully confident, the Opposition (Congress) is out of the race... The voting will be good and BJP will break all previous records. We will win all 10 seats in Haryana..."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds a roadshow in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. CM Yogi Adityanath is also present.