India general elections 2024 | Highlights on May 13, 2024

The Congress claimed the BJP’s graph is on a “relentless downward trajectory” and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign is getting”more desperate”.

“With four phases of the elections now concluded... Mr. Modi’s farewell is now exactly three weeks away,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.

“The BJP’s graph continues on it is relentless downward trajectory: South mein Saaf; North, West, aur East mein Half,” he said, claiming that the BJP will be wiped out in southern States and its strength will reduce to half in other regions.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will again form the government and asserted even Lord Ram wants his “ardent devotee” to win.

He addressed rallies in Barabanki, Banda and Rae Bareli, from where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is contesting the Lok Sabha elections.

“Only ‘ Ramdrohis’ (traitors to Ram) or Pakistanis are opposing Modi ji,” Mr. Adityanath said at a public meeting in Rae Bareli constituency.

PTI

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said Rahul Gandhi has embarked on the path of truth, and will always walk on this path.

Addressing an election rally on the mela ground in Maharajganj, Mr. Priyanka praised her elder brother and said, “In politics and in life, the person who speaks the truth and does not shy away from the truth, always has importance in the society. People look at him with respect.” 

Speaking in his presence on the stage, Ms. Priyanka said, “My brother will always speak the truth … Even in childhood, if while playing any kid would say bad words to someone else or do injustice, he would always fight for him. My brother has always fought for justice. Never backed down.” 

It would be difficult to find such a “fearless and big-hearted” person in the country, “especially in politics,” she said about her brother.

PTI

Union Minister Anurag Thakur described Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as the “biggest liar in the country” and alleged the AAP national convener has deceived the people of the national capital and Punjab.

Mr. Thakur, who is seeking a fifth term in the Lok Sabha from the Hamirpur seat in Himachal Pradesh, urged people not to vote for the AAP.

“Today, the entire country has seen the true face of Arvind Kejriwal. These people are contesting only 22 seats and are deceiving the entire nation with false promises and deception. Last time also, they made big promises but did not fulfil a single one,” Mr. Thakur said.

PTI

RJD president Lalu Prasad’s eldest daughter Misa Bharti filed her nomination from the Patliputra Lok Sabha seat, which she seeks to wrest from her father’s former confidant Ram Kripal Yadav, who is now in the BJP.

Ms. Bharti was accompanied by Mr. Prasad, besides her mother and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and other senior party leaders during the filing of nomination papers.

This is the third time in a row that Ms. Bharti will be trying her luck against Mr. Yadav in the seat covering rural areas of Patna district.

PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi did not attend the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya as he feared losing his “Bhendi Bazaar” vote bank.

The mention of Bhendi Bazaar is significant given it is a Muslim-dominated area in south Mumbai. He also asserted that despite the Congress’ Opposition to the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), the BJP Government will introduce the common law.

Mr. Shah addressed election rallies in Dhule district in north Maharashtra and Vasai, where he accused Congress of not removing Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir because of appeasement politics.

PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will file his nomination from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat on May 14. Varanasi is the stronghold of the Bharatiya Janata Party and PM Modi. He won the seat twice- the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress has pitted Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai against PM Modi in Varanasi. This is the third time Ajay Rai will face PM Modi in a Lok Sabha contest. 

Voting in Varanasi will be held on June 1 in the seventh phase. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, PM Modi won the seat with over 6,74,664 votes and commanded a vote share of 63.6%. In 2014, PM Modi contested two Lok Sabha seats - from Gujarat’s Vadodara and Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi.

ANI

Pune City Congress chief Arvind Shinde on May 13 claimed that someone already voted in his name at a polling booth in the Rasta Peth area of Pune city during the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls. 

He said that when he reached the voting booth at Saint Mira’s English Medium School in Rasta Peth on Monday, he was surprised to find that although his name was on the voters’ list someone had already cast the vote. 

Mr. Shinde said that after finding out he raised an objection about this and was later allowed to vote using the ‘tender vote’ process through ballot papers.

ANI

A voter turnout of more than 62% was recorded till 5 p.m. on May 13 in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha polls in 96 constituencies spread over 10 States and Union Territories amid incidents of violence in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.

According to the Election Commission, a voting percentage of 62.31 was recorded till 5 p.m. The voting will continue till 6 p.m.

Jammu and Kashmir witnessed the lowest voting percentage till 5 p.m. with 35.75% of voters exercising their franchise, while West Bengal recorded the highest with 75.66%.

PTI

Over 54% of around 95 lakh voters in five Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar exercised their franchise till 5 p.m. on May 13, officials said.

Voting began at 7 a.m. in Begusarai, Ujiarpur, Samastipur, Munger and Darbhanga constituencies in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections and will continue till 6 p.m.

According to the Election Commission data, 56.36% of voters exercised their franchise in Samastipur, 54.93% in Ujiarpur, 54.28% in Darbhanga, 54.08% in Begusarai and 51.44% in Munger till 5 p.m.

PTI

Telangana recorded an approximate voter turnout of 61.16% till 5 p.m. for 17 Lok Sabha seats in the State, according to an Election Commission app.

Polling which began at 7 a.m. ended 6 p.m., barring a few places where it concluded early.

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West Bengal on May 13 recorded a voter turnout of 75.66% in the eight Lok Sabha constituencies till 5 p.m., an election official said.

The Bolpur (SC) Lok Sabha constituency registered the maximum polling of 77.77% followed by Ranaghat (SC) with 77.46%, he said.

Bardhaman-Purba recorded 77.36% of polling while Krishnanagar (77.29%), Birbhum (SC) (75.45%) Baharampur (75.36%), Bardhaman-Durgapur (75.02%), and Asansol (69.43%), he added. Polling in the eight constituencies started at 7 a.m. and will continue till 6 p.m.

PTI

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes in dictatorship and the Opposition will teach him a lesson in the elections.

Addressing an election rally in Jharkhand’s Latehar for Congress’s Chatra candidate KN Tripathi, he alleged former CM Hemant Soren was put behind bars for not parting ways with the INDIA bloc.

“We believe in democracy and he believes in dictatorship. We will teach him a lesson,” Mr. Kharge said. “PM Modi is an RSS weapon and we are fighting against RSS ideology propagated by him,” he added.

PTI

A voter turnout of 63.14% was recorded till 5 p.m. in the four Lok Sabha constituencies in Jharkhand where polling was held on May 13, officials said.

Voting started at 7 a.m. in Singhbhum, Lohardaga, Khunti and Palamu seats amid tight security measures, marking the first phase of elections in the eastern State. Polling was peaceful in all the four seats, officials added.

PTI

Citing its order in the money laundering case involving Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his former Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren sought from the Supreme Court interim bail to campaign in the Lok Sabha elections.

Mr. Soren was arrested on January 31 in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam after he resigned as the Jharkhand Chief Minister.

PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a six-kilometre-long roadshow in Varanasi on May 13, a day before he is scheduled to file his nomination papers from the Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh.

Mr. Modi garlanded a statue of noted educationist and social reformer Madan Mohan Malviya at the Malviya Chauraha in the Lanka area here before beginning the roadshow.

He was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. According to sources in the BJP, Mr. Modi will also take a dip in the Ganga.

Eminent lawyer Prashant Bhushan predicted the BJP will not get past the 200-seat mark in the ensuing parliamentary elections since there is a “very strong nation-wide sentiment” against the party and a significant chunk of people consider it a “threat to democracy”.

Significantly, Mr. Bhushan also maintained that Congress ought to be leading the opposition INDIA bloc in Parliament if it managed to dislodge the NDA from power and not Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress.

Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks on ‘mutton, mangalsutra and buffaloes’, Mr. Bhushan alleged that the PM has realised that the election was slipping away from his grasp and that’s why “he was giving out incendiary speeches out of desperation”.

PTI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Monday his family has always worked for the people of the Rae Bareli parliamentary constituency, unlike Prime Minister Narendra Modi who works in the “interest of Adani and Ambani”.

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A voter turnout of more than 52% was recorded till 3 p.m. on May 13 in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls in 96 constituencies spread over 10 States and Union Territories amid incidents of violence in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal as well as reports of poll boycott in some Uttar Pradesh villages.

There were also reports of EVMs malfunctioning at some booths in West Bengal and Odisha. According to the Election Commission, a voting percentage of 52.60 was recorded till 3 p.m. The voting which started at 7 a.m. will continue till 6 p.m.

Jammu and Kashmir witnessed the lowest voting percentage till 3 p.m. with 29.93% of voters exercising their franchise, while West Bengal recorded the highest with 66.05%. Among other States, Andhra Pradesh recorded 55.49% polling, Bihar 45.23%, Jharkhand 46.42%, Madhya Pradesh 59.63%, Maharashtra 42.35%, Odisha 52.91%, Telangana 52.34% and Uttar Pradesh 48.41%.

PTI

Around 59.63% of voter turnout has been recorded by 3 p.m. on eight seats of Madhya Pradesh that are polling in the fourth phase. The highest 63.08% polling was witnessed in Dewas, while lowest turnout was recorded in 48.04% in Indore, as per the Election Commission data.

“Around 45.23% of more than 95 lakh voters in five Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar have exercised their franchise till 3 p.m. on May 13,” officials said.

“Voting for the five Lok Sabha seats in Bihar to decide the fate of 55 candidates began at 7 a.m. in Begusarai, Ujiarpur, Samastipur, Munger and Darbhanga and will continue till 6 p.m.,” a senior official said.

More than 47.61% of voters have exercised their franchise in Darbhanga, 47.24% in Samastipur, 46% Ujiarpur, 43.55% in Munger and 42.57% in Begusarai till 3 p.m. “Approximately 95.85 lakh electors are eligible to exercise their franchise across 5,398 polling stations,” the official said.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh is seeking re-election from Begusarai where his primary opponent is CPI’s Awadhesh Rai. - PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, calling them “slaves of appeasement” and said that he will not allow the reservation of Dalits and backward classes to be looted.

The Prime Minister also said that the ongoing Lok Sabha elections are the election of resolve for a developed India, adding that he is working 24/7 for the year 2047.

Addressing a public rally in Bihar’s Saran on May 13, PM Modi said, “Modi will not allow the reservation of Dalits and backward classes to be looted. Both the RJD and the Congress parties are slaves of appeasement. Congress party is saying that they will X-ray your property... They will snatch it and distribute it to strengthen their vote bank. Congress leaders say that Muslims have the first right on properties.”

Taking a jab at the INDIA bloc, Prime Minister Modi said, “The leaders of the INDI alliance are dreaming that their government will be formed at the Centre. These people have decided that there will be five Prime Ministers in five years.” - PTI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge will visit Odisha on May 15 and May 16, respectively to address election rallies.

Briefing media persons in Bhubaneswar, AICC in-charge of Odisha, Ajoy Kumar on May 13 said Mr. Gandhi is scheduled to address an election rally in Bolangir on May 15. “He will arrive at Bhubaneswar airport at around 11 a.m. and then directly proceed to Bolangir to address a public meeting at around 11.30 a.m.,” Mr. Kumar said.

Mr. Kharge would address a public meeting in Kandhamal Lok Sabha constituency on May 16. “The Congress president is also scheduled to address a press conference on the same day in Bhubaneswar,” he said.

Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh is also scheduled to address a press conference in Bhuvaneswar on May 14. This will be the second visit of Mr. Gandhi to Odisha during the current elections. - PTI

Union Minister Anurag Thakur and Congress candidate Vinod Sultanpuri filed their nominations for Hamirpur and Shimla (SC) Lok Sabha seat, respectively on May 13.

Mr. Thakur was accompanied by senior BJP leaders and his brother Arun Dhumal, the chairman of the Indian Premier League as he submitted is nomination papers. The senior BJP leader is seeking a fifth term in the Lok Sabha from the Hamirpur seat in Himachal Pradesh.

In Shimla, sitting MLA from Kasauli Vinod Sultanpuri filed his nomination from Shimla (SC) Lok Sabha seat. The Congress candidate was accompanied by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, party’s State unit chief Pratibha Singh and Cabinet Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, among others.

Talking to media person after Sultanpuri submitted his papers, Mr. Sukhu said all four Congress candidates contesting Lok Sabha polls in the State have filed their nominations. - PTI

“A voter turnout of 30.85% was recorded till 1 p.m. on May 13 in 11 of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, where polling is under way in the fourth phase of the general election,” the State electoral office said.

Polling began at 7 a.m. and will end at 6 p.m. in Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Raver, Jalna, Aurangabad, Maval, Pune, Shirur, Ahmednagar, Shirdi, and Beed constituencies.

According to the authority’s data, the tribal-dominated seat of Nandurbar recorded 37.33% voting, while Jalna saw 34.42% turnout until 1 p.m.

Beed saw 33.65% polling, followed by Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar at 32.37%, Raver at 32.02%, Jalgaon at 31.7%, Shirdi at 30.39%, Ahmednagar at 29.45%, Maval at 27.14%, Shirur at 26.62% and Pune at 26.48%. Marathi actors Subodh Bhave, Sonali Kulkarni, and singer Arya Ambekar exercised their franchise. - PTI

Telangana recorded an approximate voter turnout of 40.38% till 1 p.m. on May 13 as polling was under way for 17 Lok Sabha seats in the State, according to an Election Commission app.

Polling which began at 7 a.m. will end by 6 p.m., barring at a few places where it will conclude two hours earlier. “No law and order problems had been reported till around noon,” State Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj said.

He said the voter turnout is higher by 3-4% compared to the polling percentage reported till around 1 p.m. in the last Legislative Assembly elections. “We are hoping that our poll percentages will be quite good compared to 2019 Parliament elections,” he said. He said an enquiry is going on into some complaints that have been received. - PTI

BJP’s Khunti candidate Arjun Munda, the Union Tribal Affairs Minister, said he was confident that the people of the country would vote for his party and make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister once again. He voted along with his wife Meera Munda at a booth in Khelarisai in Kharsawan.

His rival Kalicharan Munda of the Congress also exercised his franchise and claimed that he would win by more than 50,000 votes this time. JMM Singhbhum’s candidate Joba Manjhi also exercised her franchise. - PTI

“A voter turnout of around 44% was recorded till 1 p.m. in the four Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand where polling was under way on May 13,” officials said.

Voting started at 7 a.m. in Singhbhum, Lohardaga, Khunti and Palamu seats amid tight security measures, marking the first phase of elections in the eastern State. It will continue till 5 p.m.

Singhbhum registered a voter turnout of 43.83% till 1 p.m., while Khunti recorded 47.41%, Lohardaga registered 43.46% and Palamu recorded 41.85%. Much enthusiasm was witnessed among voters, especially in the Maoist-hit areas in Singhbhum, Palamu and Lohardaga. In some of these places, people voted after decades. 

Chief Minister Champai Soren voted along with his family at his ancestral village Jilinggora. “I voted in my village today ensuring my participation in this grand festival of the world’s largest democracy,” he said. - PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a six-kilometre-long roadshow in Varanasi on Monday evening, a day before he files his nomination from the Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh.

“Before he files his nomination on May 14, Mr. Modi will also take a dip in the Ganga,” sources in the BJP said.

“The Prime Minister is seeking a third consecutive term from the seat that will go to polls on June 1 in the seventh and last phase of the general elections More than 5,000 ‘ matrashaktis’ (women) will walk in the roadshow,” the sources said and added that Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, Ministers and legislators will also participate in the event.

“The roadshow will be held from Malviya Chauraha in Lanka to Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham,” they said. It will pass through Sant Ravidas Gate, Assi, Shivala, Sonarpura, Jangambadi, Godaulia. The sources said that Mr. Modi will be staying the night at the BLW guesthouse. - PTI

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered a detailed inquiry into alleged attack by the YSRCP sitting MLA Annabathuni Sivakumar on a voter who was in queue to cast his vote at Polling Station number 115 of Ithanagar in Tenali Assembly Constituency in Guntur district on Monday (May 13) morning.

A video of the incident went viral in the State, as soon as the incident happened. In that video, Mr. Sivakumar was seen slapping the voter. Reacting to that, the voter also slapped the MLA on his face. Following which, the YSRCP cadre attacked the voter.

Around 34.44% of over 95 lakh voters in five Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar have exercised their franchise till 1 p.m. on May 13, officials said.

Voting for the five Lok Sabha seats in Bihar to decide the fate of 55 candidates began at 7 a.m. in Begusarai, Ujiarpur, Samastipur, Munger and Darbhanga and will continue till 6 p.m., a senior official said. 

Union Minister Giriraj Singh is seeking re-election from Begusarai where his primary opponent is CPI’s Awadhesh Rai. Mr. Singh had defeated former JNU students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in the same seat.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 13 lashed out at the Opposition INDIA bloc, calling its leaders “cowards” who were “scared of Pakistan’s nuclear power”.

Addressing an election rally in Muzaffarpur Lok Sabha constituency of Bihar, Mr. Modi made an apparent reference to a recent statement of National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, without mentioning him by name. 

The remarks come in the backdrop of comments by Mr. Abdullah about Pakistan having atom bombs and not wearing bangles. 

“If Pakistan does not wear bangles, we will make the country wear these. I knew they did not have foodgrains. Now, I come to know they do not even have adequate supply of bangles,” the PM said. - PTI

A voter turnout of over 24% was recorded in the first four hours of polling on May 13 in 96 constituencies spread over 10 states and Union Territories in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections amid reports of violence in Andhra Pradesh and poll boycott in some villages of Uttar Pradesh.

There were also reports of malfunctioning of EVMs in some booths of West Bengal and Odisha.

According to the Election Commission, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed the lowest voting percentage till 11 a.m. with 14.94% voters exercising their franchise, while West Bengal recorded the highest with 32.78%.

- PTI

The BJP is making efforts for a better voter turnout in the fourth phase of polling for eight Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh underway on Monday compared to the previous three phases, state party president V.D. Sharma said.

Talking to reporters at the state BJP headquarters here, Sharma said he expects polling in the eight seats to go up to 75-80%.

As per poll authorities, 64.76% voter turnout was recorded in 21 out of the total 29 Lok Sabha constituencies in MP which went to polls on April 19, 26 and May 7.

- PTI

Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Monday assured people that the “guarantees” listed by the party in its Lok Sabha poll manifesto will change their circumstances in this “difficult time”.

In a video message, which was shared by the Congress on social media, she said women of the country are facing tough times in the wake of a “severe crisis” and the party’s ‘Mahalakshmi scheme’ for them will help change their lives.

“My dear sisters, women have made a huge contribution, from the freedom struggle to the creation of modern India. However, today our women are facing a crisis amid severe inflation. To do justice to their hard work and penance, the Congress has come up with a revolutionary guarantee,” Sonia Gandhi said.

- PTI

Security forces thwarted an attempt by Maoists to obstruct voter access to polling booths by felling a tree and blocking a road leading to remote Sonapi and Morangponga areas of West Singhbhum district, officials said.

“We received reports of Maoists blocking a road with a felled tree near Sonapi to hinder voters from reaching booth numbers 24 and 25 in Chotanagar police station area, which collectively accommodate 1,522 voters. We ensured that voters were able to cast their ballots, resulting in a turnout of 50.94% and 15.43% respectively in these two booths by 10:30 am,” West Singhbhum deputy commissioner and district election officer Kuldeep Chaudhary told PTI.

A voter turnout of 17.51% was recorded till 11 a.m. on Monday in 11 of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra where polling is underway in the fourth phase of the general election, the state electoral office said. 

Polling began at 7 a.m. and will end at 6 p.m. in Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Raver, Jalna, Aurangabad, Maval, Pune, Shirur, Ahmednagar, Shirdi, and Beed constituencies, an official said.

As per data shared by the authorities, the tribal-dominated seat of Nandurbar recorded 22.12% voting, while Jalgaon saw 16.89% turnout till 11 a.m.

- PTI

Delhi High Court dismisses a plea seeking action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for alleged communal speeches during the Lok Sabha elections campaign at Banswara, Rajasthan in April, saying the plea was “misconceived” and without merit.

The Srinagar Lok Sabha registers 15.08% voter turnout till 11 a.m., crosses the total poll percentage of 14% recorded in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

A voter turnout of 27.12% was recorded till 11 a.m. on Monday in Uttar Pradesh where polling is underway in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in the fourth round of the seven-phase general elections.

Polling began at 7 a.m. and is scheduled to end at 6 p.m.

Till 11 a.m., Uttar Pradesh recorded 27.12% polling, according to Election Commission (EC) figures.

- PTI

A day after conducting road show in Patna and offering sewa (service) at gurdwara Harmandir Sahib in Patna city, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday addressed a public meeting in Hajipur (reserved) constituency and slammed Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress parties over “appeasement, corruption and reservation” issues.

PM Modi is also scheduled to address public meetings at Muzaffarpur and Saran constituencies later in the day.

“Appeasement has been biggest political weapon for RJD-Congress and their priority is not you (people) but their vote bank”, slammed PM Modi while reminding people about the recent statement given by RJD chief Lalu Prasad. “He (Mr Prasad) recently said that Muslims should be given reservation, full reservation. They (RJD-Cong) donot care about constitution and Baba Saheb Ambedkar but I guarantee you…this is Modi’s guarantee that as long as I’m alive no one can rob you off your rights. They cannot snatch your reservation”, PM Modi asserted.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav was among the early voters. He exercised his franchise in Ujjain, his home town, along with his family members.

- PTI

An average voter turnout of 32.38% was recorded till 11 a.m. on Monday in eight Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh where polling was underway in the fourth and last phase of general elections in the state, officials said.

Among the eight seats, Dewas recorded 35.83% polling, Ujjain 34.25%, Mandsour 34.12%, Ratlam 34.04%, Dhar 32.62%, Indore 25.01%, Khargone 33.52% and Khandwa 31.87%, as per official figures.

- PTI

Around 22.54% of over 95 lakh voters in five Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar have exercised their franchise till 11 a.m., officials said.

Voting for the five Lok Sabha seats in Bihar to decide the fate of 55 candidates began at 7 am in Begusarai, Ujiarpur, Samastipur, Munger and Darbhanga and will continue till 6 p.m., a senior official said.

Over 23.69% of voters have exercised their franchise in Samastipur, 22.85% in Munger, 22.79% in Ujiarpur, 22.73% in Darbhanga and 20.93% in Begusarai till 11 a.m.

- PTI

Around 23.28% voter turnout has been recorded in four Lok Sabha constituencies and 28 Assembly segments in Odisha till 11 a.m., officials said.

Long queues of people were seen in front of all the 7,303 booths where peaceful polling is underway, they said.

Voting started at 7 a.m. in Berhampur, Koraput, Nabarangpur, and Kalahandi parliamentary constituencies along with 28 assembly segments within the jurisdiction of these Lok Sabha seats.

- PTI

NDA fights for social justice, 60% Union ministers from OBCs, SCs, STs, PM Modi said at a rally in Bihar’s Hajipur.

Kidnapping, extortion flourished during RJD rule in Bihar, Mr. Modi said.

During NDA rule, 3,300 km of national highways and 400 railway overbridges built in Bihar, he said.

- PTI

Vote for NDA to help form strong govt at Centre, PM Modi said at a rally in Hajipur, Bihar.

RJD, Congress indulging in politics of appeasement, Mr. Modi said

RJD leader convicted in fodder scam says Muslims should be given reservation, he added.

- PTI

An approximate voter turnout of 10.35% was recorded in the first two hours of polling on Monday in 96 constituencies spread over 10 states and Union Territories in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections amid complaints of EVM malfunctioning in West Bengal.

Voting is also progressing in all 175 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh and 28 legislative assembly seats of Odisha.

According to the Election Commission, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed the lowest voting percentage till 9 a.m. with 5.07% voters exercising their franchise, while West Bengal recorded the highest with 15.24%.

- PTI

Three generations of the Abdullah family cast their vote in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, with National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah appealing to people to turn out in large numbers to exercise their franchise.

NC president and former J-K chief minister Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah and his two grandsons and first-time electors Zahir and Zamir cast their vote at the polling station at the Burn Hall School.

“We have two first-time voters with us. It is for the first time that three generations of our family are voting together,” Omar Abdullah, also a former chief minister, said.

- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Takhat Sri Harimandir Ji Patna Sahib in Patna City.

Elaborate security arrangements had been put in place in view of the PM’s visit.

Takhat Sri Patna Sahib also known as Takhat Sri Harimandir Ji, Patna Sahib, is one of the five takhats of the Sikhs, located in the state capital. The construction of the takhat was commissioned by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the 18th century to mark the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh.

- PTI

Odisha unit of BJP accused BJD of producing ‘deepfake’ video of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who was allegedly isolated by his close-aide.

Odisha’s top BJP leadership is currently holding press conference at Bhubaneswar

A voter turnout of 11.67% was recorded till 9 a.m. on Monday in Uttar Pradesh where polling is underway in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in the fourth round of the seven-phase general elections.

Polling began at 7 a.m. and is scheduled to end at 6 p.m. Till 9 a.m., Uttar Pradesh recorded 11.67% polling, according to Election Commission (EC) figures.

- PTI

Odisha recorded around 9.23% voter turnout in the first two hours of polling in four Lok Sabha constituencies and 28 Assembly segments on Monday, officials said.

Voting started at 7 a.m. in Berhampur, Koraput, Nabarangpur, and Kalahandi parliamentary constituencies along with 28 assembly segments within the jurisdiction of these Lok Sabha seats.

Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are being held simultaneously in Odisha.

- PTI

6.45.% polling recorded in Maharashtra till 9 a.m. in 11 constituencies of the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections

Uttar Pradesh Minister Jitin Prasada cast his vote at a polling booth in Shahjahanpur.After casting his vote, Uttar Pradesh Minister Jitin Prasada said, “People of Shahjahanpur are coming out and voting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

I am very confident that the turnout will improve and go further. And you will see tremendous support in the favour of BJP....” he added further.

Mr. Prasada is an MLC in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and a minister in the Yogi Adityanath government. He had switched sides from the Congress earlier. Jitin Prasada had been a minister in the UPA government. This time he has contested the Lok Sabha election from Pilibhit where he was given the ticket ahead of sitting MP Varun Gandhi.

- ANI

Till 9 a.m. vote percentage on five seats in Bihar where elections are going on has been 10.18%.

Voting is going on in five seats - Begusarai, Mumger, Samastipur, Ujiyarpur and Darbhanga.

Five-time MP and leader of opposition in the outgoing Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary faces a tough battle as his constituency of Berhampore goes to the polls today. 

Mr. Chowdhary faces cricketer and TMC candidate Yusuf Pathat as well as Nirmal Kumar Saha of the BJP. On Monday, the Congress MP arrived at one of the polling booths to take stock of the situation.

Speaking to reporters Mr. Chowdhury said that he was competing with the BJP and the Trinamool had unnecessarily nominated Yusuf Pathan from Berhampore.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “We are going to win and there is no doubt about that. I am extremely confident. Some isolated incidents have taken place at about 4-5 places. We are also going to file a complaint. I am competing with BJP and TMC, not with any individual. TMC should not have nominated Yusuf Pathan from here, he has been unnecessarily nominated from here.”

- ANI

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday urged people to cast their votes in large numbers in the fourth round of the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls and help the INDIA bloc form government at the Centre.

In a post on X, Mr. Gandhi appealed to the electorate not to be distracted and vote on issues that concern it.

“Today is the fourth phase of voting. After the first three phases, it has become clear that on June 4 an INDIA (bloc) government is going to be formed,” he said.

“Remember, your one vote will not only protect your democratic rights but will also change the fate of your entire family,” Mr. Gandhi said as polling was underway in 96 parliamentary constituencies across 10 states and Union Territories.

- PTI

Former Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik on Monday expressed surprise over the name of his wife Madhubala having been deleted from the voters list.

ACM Naik, 75, along with his wife and son Vineet, 43, went to exercise their franchise at polling booth 26 at Sapling School Baner Road in Pune on Monday morning as soon as voting began.

“While I and my son were able to vote, my 72-year-old wife’s name was found deleted from the voters list. When we brought this to the attention of the official there, he said that there was nothing he could do to help,” ACM Naik told PTI.

Former Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, BJP chief in Telangana G. Kishan Reddy, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, popular Telugu actors Chiranjeevi, Allu Arjun and Junior NTR were among the prominent persons who exercised their franchise in the Lok Sabha elections in Telangana on Monday.

Venkaiah Naidu, along with his wife, voted at a polling station in Jubilee Hills here. He appealed to citizens to cast their votes.

Kishan Reddy, who cast his vote at Kachiguda here, appealed to the electorate to turn up in large numbers to exercise their franchise.

- PTI

In Shirur, Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit are locked in a bitter war by proxy as Pawar senior’s candidate, NCP (SP) leader Dr. Amol Kolhe is pitted against the former MP of Shirur, businessman Shivajirao-Adhalrao Patil, who is Ajit Pawar and the Mahayuti’s candidate. As a political novice in 2019, Dr. Kolhe — an actor who achieved local celebrity with his portrayals of 17th century Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji and his son, Sambhaji, in two wildly popular Marathi serials — had emerged as a ‘giant killer’ in Shirur by trouncing Mr. Adhalrao-Patil, who was then with the undivided Shiv Sena.

At the time, it was Ajit Pawar who had run Dr. Kolhe’s campaign. After the NCP split, as Dr. Kolhe stayed on with Sharad Pawar, Mr. Ajit Pawar had openly vowed to defeat the actor-politician, imputing he was a political lightweight who had allegedly wanted to resign from his parliamentary post as his acting schedules were interfering with his work as MP.

Speaking to reporters before casting his vote, Dr. Kolhe said: ““Ajit Pawar will not be voting in Shirur, but the self-respecting public of this constituency will be voting and deciding the outcome of this contest. There is not the slightest doubt in my mind that I will be sent again to Parliament.”

A key seat in this phase is the Ahmednagar (now renamed Ahilyanagar) Lok Sabha seat which has the BJP’s Sujay Vikhe-Patil, the Mahayuti’s candidate square-off against the MVA’s Nilesh Lanke, who is from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). 

Much more than a Lok Sabha fight, this contest typifies the epic, decades-old rivalry between the Vikhe-Patil and Pawar clans. Prior to casting his vote, Sujay’s father, senior BJP leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, said both Mahayuti candidates from the two LS seats in Ahmednagar district - Sujay Vikhe (Ahmednagar)and Sadashiv Lokhande (the reserved Shirdi seat) - would win by handsome margins. 

“It is only on social media where it is said these contests would be close run things. The ground reality is completely different,” said Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, who was once a tall Congress leader in the State before he joined the BJP. 

In 2019, just before the Lok Sabha election, it was Sharad Pawar’s refusal to give up the Ahmednagar seat to its ally, the Congress, that had compelled Sujay Vikhe-Patil to seek a ticket from BJP. Sujay won the 2019 election with a huge margin of nearly 3 lakh votes.

Political parties in India should take the education sector seriously as a country’s economy is directly linked to its education, chancellor of the prestigious Vellore Institute of Technology Govindasamy Viswanathan has said.

In an interview with PTI, he said there is a need to spend 6% of the nation’s GDP on the education sector as it is vital to achieve the goal of India being a developed nation by 2047.

“The per capita income of India in 2023 is USD 2,600. Those states which are good in education like the southern states or the western states are all above the national average,” he told PTI.

Polling is underway in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency where 24 candidates are in the fray, officials said on Monday.

Voting began at 7 am. People were seen lining up outside polling stations to exercise their franchise in some areas of the constituency, according to the officials.

Polling in the Srinagar seat is being held in the fourth round of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections.

This is the first major election in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. The article was revoked in 2019, leading to the bifurcation of the state into Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

- PTI

Urging people to vote in large numbers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it is everyone’s duty to strengthen India’s democracy.

With assembly polls also being held in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha alongside the Lok Sabha elections across the country, Modi appealed to voters to turn up at polling booths in record numbers.

He said on X, “I am sure people in these constituencies will vote in large numbers and the young voters as well as women voters will power this surge in voting. Come, let’s all do our duty and strengthen our democracy!”

- PTI

Polling began Monday morning for eight Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh in the fourth and last phase of general elections in the state, an official said.

Polling began at 7 am and will end at 6 pm in Ratlam, Dhar, Khargone, Dewas, Ujjain, Mandsaur, Indore and Khandwa constituencies, the official said.

Polling for the fourth phase is being held across 18,007 polling stations in the eight constituencies.

- PTI

Voting in four Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand began morning amid tight security measures, marking the first phase of elections in the eastern state, poll officials said.

Voting started at 7 am in Singhbhum, Lohardaga, Khunti and Palamu seats, and will continue till 5 pm.

Of these, Singhbum, Lohardaga and Khunti are ST-reserved and Palamu is reserved for Scheduled Castes.

In Maoist-affected Singhbhum, polling parties and material were air-dropped in 126 polling stations, they said.

- PTI

The Pune seat is set for a fascinating contest: the BJP (Mahayuti) has fielded former city Mayor Murlidhar Mohol against the Congress’ (MVA) Ravindra Dhangekar, an MLA who was give the parliamentary ticket after his resounding win in the Kasba by-election last year.

Prior to casting his vote, Mr. Mohol, speaking to reporters said: “More than who is in front of me, I have focused on how I can reach out to the citizens of Pune. I have consciously refrained from making any ad hominem attacks against my rival candidates. The citizens of Pune are highly-educated and aware, and they vote solely for development and other issues. I will urge Punekars to strengthen democracy by coming out in large numbers and vote.”

The Pune seat, long a bastion of the Congress since 1951, has slipped out of the party’s hands with the drift into political oblivion of Congressman Suresh Kalmadi. The BJP has reigned supreme here since the 2014 general election, consolidating their hold over Pune with a clean sweep in subsequent Assembly and civic body elections. Despite a minor Congress renaissance last year in the form of Mr. Dhangekar’s victory, the Congress’ decrepit organisational structure as opposed to the BJP’s robust poll organisation could hamstring the MVA in this contest.

One of most high-profile contests in this phase is the Beed Lok Sabha seat. The political future of the Munde clan is at stake here. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded former State Minister Pankaja Munde - daughter of late BJP leader Gopinath Munde - as the Mahayuti’s candidate. 

Ms. Munde was given a ticket in lieu of her sister - Pritam Munde, the sitting MP of Beed. Pankaja Munde is pitted against the MVA’s Bajrang Sonawane of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). 

In 2019, Mr. Sonawane had given a creditable fight to Ms. Pritam Munde, whose winning margin had drastically reduced from that of 2014. In the 2014 Lok Sabha by-election, necessitated following Gopinath Munde’s untimely death in a road accident, Ms. Pritam Munde, riding a sympathy wave, had won by a record margin of nearly 7 lakh votes.

Voting began in Odisha where 62,84,967 electors are casting their votes for 37 candidates in four Lok Sabha constituencies and 243 contestants in 28 assembly constituencies on May 13. This is first of the four phase election scheduled for Odisha.

Polling for the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh covering 13 parliamentary constituencies began at 7 a.m. on Monday, with the focus on the prestigious Kannauj seat from where SP president Akhilesh Yadav is seeking re-election.

Another prominent candidate in the fray in this round is Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Teni, who is contesting from Kheri.

Besides Kannauj and Kheri, voting will take place in Shahjahanpur (SC), Dhaurahra, Sitapur, Hardoi (SC), Misrikh (SC), Unnao, Farrukhabad, Etawah (SC), Kanpur, Akbarpur and Bahraich (SC).

A total of 130 candidates are in the poll fray in this phase.

- PTI

11 key constituencies spread across Maharashtra’s arid Marathwada region, and in the western and northern parts of the State go to polls in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha election. More than 2.28 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise while a total 298 candidates are in the fray. The shadow of the Maratha quota agitation looms large over constituencies like Beed, Sambhajinagar, Jalna in the Marathwada region. The splits in the NCP and the Shiv Sena are major factor in seats in western and northern Maharashtra like Shirur, Maval, Jalgaon, Raver.

Voting for the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in 96 Parliamentary Constituencies across nine states and one Union Territory began on Monday at 7:00 a.m.

Polling for all 175 seats of the State Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh and 28 seats of the State Legislative Assembly of Odisha also started simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls.

Of the 96 Lok Sabha seats, 25 are from Andhra Pradesh, 17 from Telangana, 13 from Uttar Pradesh, 11 from Maharashtra, eight each from Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, five from Bihar, four each from Jharkhand and Odisha, and one from Jammu and Kashmir.

”A total of 1,717 candidates from 10 States/UTs will contest elections in phase 4 of the Lok Sabha polls,” the Election Commission of India said. According to the poll body, a total of 4,264 nominations were filed for 96 parliamentary constituencies.

- ANI