Lok Sabha election 2024 updates | Congress sells fear, hunger and corruption in its shop: PM Modi

Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury expressed hope that the seat-sharing alliance between his party and the Left Front will return good results in West Bengal for both. 

He said that the results would reflect the effectiveness of the alliance between the Congress and Left Front. 

Left Front chairman Biman Bose, a veteran CPI(M) leader, said that he was confident that the Congress would transfer its votes to their candidates just as the Left supporters cast their votes to those fielded by the grand old party. 

Mr. Chowdhury, who is contesting from Baharampur Lok Sabha seat in Murshidabad district for a sixth consecutive term, questioned why the Trinamool Congress left the opposition INDIA bloc in West Bengal. 

“TMC will break down like a pack of cards if the Congress-Left alliance comes out with good results in the current election,” he said. - PTI

The Himachal Pradesh BJP filed a complaint against the Congress and the Hamirpur Youth Congress Club for allegedly portraying actor and BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Mandi, Kangana Ranaut, in a negative light by using pictures from her films. 

The BJP urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to initiate appropriate legal action against them for using objectionable, scandalous and offensive language on social media. 

The Hamirpur Youth Congress Club has used a picture of Kangana from her “artistic pursuits” to portray her as a negative character and posted “derogatory double meaning remarks”. 

The complaint filed by BJP state media in-charge Karan Nanda cited the repeated instances of alleged “serious violations” of the provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860; Representation of People Act (RPA), 1951; and the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by the Congress leaders. 

The instances also attract offences under the relevant sections of IPC and Information Technology Act, 2000 and the remarks fall within the definition of “corrupt practice”, it said. - PTI

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati accused Amroha MP and former BSP leader Danish Ali of “betraying” people of the constituency and the party. 

Ali, who won the Lok Sabha seat in 2019 on a BSP ticket, was expelled from the party “for anti-party activities” in January this year. He later joined the Congress, which fielded him from Amroha. 

“The person who won on the BSP ticket did not took care of the people or their development. He betrayed the people and the party,” Mayawati said, without taking any name. - PTI

The efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre in the last nine and a half years towards rapid development are bearing fruits and the BJP assures the people of the country to achieve better results in the next five years, Telangana BJP chief G. Kishan Reddy said. 

Speaking after unveiling the BJP’s manifesto for Lok Sabha polls in Telugu, he said the party is moving ahead with the resolve of ‘Viksit Bharat’ (developed India) by 2047 when the country celebrates 100 years of freedom. 

Mr. Reddy said the BJP, since 2014, is in the process of rectifying the grand old party’s alleged irregularities, nepotism and inefficient rule. 

On the first 100 days agenda if the BJP is voted back to power, the union minister said the action plan will be presented to the people in the second week of June. 

Crediting Modi with making India the fifth largest economy in the world, he said the PM has also vowed to make the country the third largest economic power in the next five years. - PTI

Congress released a manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Goa, promising to protect the environment and ensure the resumption of mining in the coastal state. 

The Congress is contesting the two seats in the state under the banner of the anti-BJP coalition INDIA. It has fielded Ramakant Khalap from North Goa constituency, while Viriato Fernandes has been nominated from South Goa. 

After releasing the set of promises, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Amit Patkar told reporters that the people of the state are concerned that Goa is losing its identity due to massive corruption, drug trade, prostitution and many other factors. - PTI

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge says in INDIA bloc rally, “We are afraid of public. We aren’t sacred of leaders like PM Modi. By jailing two Chief Ministers, we aren’t going to be afraid. Hemant Soren sent to jail for refusing to part ways with INDIA bloc. Even if they bury us under the sand, we will keep coming up.” 

He said, “PM insulted President Murmu by not inviting her to Ram temple consecration, Parliament Building opening. BJP will be wiped out if it continues to terrorise tribals. PM Modi has been lying to us about employment, farmers income. During elections, vote for Mahagatbandhan. Don’t be afraid of anyone. Let Modi lose the elections.” - The Hindu Bureau

Congress is spreading lies on Constitution, reservations, democracy to create fear among various sections, says PM Narendra Modi addressing a rally in Banswara, Rajasthan. “For 60 years, Congress could not find a single tribal person who could be the country’s President. BJP is committed towards welfare of poor, works honestly, but Congress sells fear, hunger and corruption in its shop.” - PTI

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah says in the rally, “Each state has its own language. When we all unite, we become India. The beauty of this country is filled with colours. To unite all these colours, the Constitution was formed by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. I am a Muslim, and yet I accept India’s leaders like Gandhi and Nehru. If you want to respect the country, vote for INDIA alliance during the election. This the way we could save the country. ” - The Hindu Bureau

At a rally by INDIA alliance leaders, former Bihar deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav says, “The leaders of the BJP are speaking of finishing the Constitution again and again. It is a Constitution written by Baba Saheb Ambedkar, not by some random Baba. No one has the power to change it... In Bihar also, their ministers and candidates are saying constantly that they will finish the Constitution. The people of the country will finish you...” - ANI

Jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal on April 21 accused the BJP-led Central government of denying insulin to her husband alleging that it wants to kill him.

“They want to kill my husband Arvind Kejriwal. his food is under camera observation; he is denied insulin. My husband is a sugar patient who has been on insulin for 12 years; he needs 50 units of insulin daily,” Ms. Sunita said at the Ulgulan Nyay Rally in Ranchi.

She asserted that the Opposition INDIA bloc will fight against the “dictatorship” of the BJP and win.

“They’ve put Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren in jail. They’ve put them in jail without them being proven guilty. This is a dictatorship. What is the fault of my husband? Is it providing good education, health facilities? Patriotism is in his blood. He is an IITan, he could’ve gone abroad, but he prioritises patriotism. As IRS, he took leaves to do public service. He has put his life at stake for people,” said Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said at Ulgulan Nyay Rally in Ranchi, Jharkhand. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on April 21 could not attend a scheduled election rally in Darjeeling town of West Bengal as his helicopter failed to land due to inclement weather, a party leader said.

Mr. Shah was scheduled to address the rally in support of BJP candidate for Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat, Raju Bista.

“Amit Shah ji’s visit to Darjeeling had to be cancelled as his helicopter failed to land in Darjeeling because of bad weather,” he said. - PTI

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on April 21 claimed that if “Modi-Shah sarkar” comes back to power, then the democracy will end in the country. Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah while addressing a public meeting in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna, Kharge further claimed that they will also scrap the Constitution made by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.

“If you want to keep alive the Constitution, the right to vote for women, labourers and farmers, then vote for the Congress and its ‘panja’ (hand) symbol,” Mr. Kharge told the gathering.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a public meeting in Satna, Madhya Pradesh, on April 21, 2024. Credit: Special Arrangement

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on April 21 said the Lalu Prasad-led RJD has joined hands with the Congress that opposed the Mandal Commission’s recommendations for providing reservations to backward communities for years.

Addressing an election rally in Bihar’s Katihar for JD(U) candidate Dulal Chandra Goswami, he claimed that PM Narendra Modi ended politics of nepotism, casteism and appeasement, and worked for the development of every section of society.

“The Congress party has always insulted the backward classes. The Congress opposed the Mandal Commission report for several years. Now, Lalu Prasad’s RJD has joined hands with the Congress,” he said.

- PTI

The nomination papers of Kokrajhar MP Naba Kumar Sarania, who was looking for a third consecutive term, were cancelled on April 21, officials said. Returning Officer Pradeep Kumar Dwivedi told reporters the nomination papers of Sarania were found invalid, and hence cancelled.

“Out of the 16 nominations filed till the last day on April 19, 15 were found valid. The candidates who are willing to withdraw their nominations can do the same by 3 p.m. tomorrow,” he said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on April 21 alleged that the BJP is targeting her and her nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and they do not feel safe.

“The BJP is targeting me and Abhishek, we are not safe, but we are also not afraid of the saffron party’s conspiracy. We urge everyone to be on guard against a conspiracy against TMC leaders and the people of West Bengal,” she said, while addressing an election rally in Kumarganj in Balurghat Lok Sabha seat in favour of party candidate and State minister Biplab Mitra.

Her allegation came a day after the Leader of Opposition in the assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, said that there would be a “big explosion on Monday which will shake the TMC and its top brass”.

- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 21 said the country is punishing the Congress for its “sins” and the party that had once won 400 seats is unable to contest 300 seats in this Lok Sabha election.

“The Congress has hollowed out the country by spreading termites of nepotism and corruption. And today the country is angry with the Congress and is punishing it for these sins. The party is itself to be blamed for its present condition, a party which had once won 400 seats is unable to contest 300 seats on its own,” he said.

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on April 21 said the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be repealed in the first session of Parliament after the INDIA Bloc forms the government at the Centre.

Mr. Chidambaram said the intention of the Congress party is to repeal the CAA even though it is not mentioned in its manifesto.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPI(M) has been constantly lashing out at the Congress saying its manifesto fails to mention the CAA. - PTI

“Congress is responsible for its present condition, it deprived people of small things like toilets, electricity, water, bank accounts. The previous Congress government in Rajasthan was corrupt, it never wanted the people here and farmers to get water,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Jalore rally on April 21.

Addressing a poll rally in Rajasthan’s Jalore on April 21, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Rajasthan has punished Congress in first phase of polls, the State knows that Congress can never make a strong India.”

The Election Commission of India (ECI) issued a notice to Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena for incorporating “Jai Bhavani” in its campaign song, citing its religious connotations with a Hindu goddess.

Mr. Thackeray responded defiantly, stating, “We will not remove this word under any circumstance,” and asked the poll body to address similar instances, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s use of ‘Bajrang Bali ki Jai’ during campaigning. “It should first act against PM Modi,” the Sena (UBT) leader.

- Abhinay Deshpande

The BJP-led Union government wants to change the Constitution and curtail people’s rights, said Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi as she addressed a poll rally in Chhattisgarh’s Balod on April 21.

“BJP only cares for few industrialist friends of Prime Minister Modi,” she said.

“The Constitution has given you all the right to vote. It’s the time for the elections and therefore, I would like you all to consider the two most important issues. First- what’s happening in the country and how does the future of the country look to you? Second- if there is any hearing of your struggles and problems,” said the Congress general secretary.

AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addressed a public meeting at Balod, Chhattisgarh, on April 21, 2024. Credit: Special Arrangement

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will address the party’s rally in Satna in Madhya Pradesh on April 21 as senior leader Rahul Gandhi is unwell, its State unit chief Jitu Patwari said.

“Rahul Gandhi is not well so Kharge will address the Satna meeting for party candidate Siddharth Kushwaha,” Mr. Patwari told PTI.

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will skip the ‘Ulgulan Nyay’ rally in Ranchi on April 21, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh posted on X. “Rahul Gandhi was all set to campaign today in Satna and Ranchi where the INDIA rally is being held. He took ill suddenly and is unable to leave New Delhi for the present,” he wrote. 

Addressing a poll rally in in West Bengal’s Murshidabad on April 21, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attacked the ruling Trinamool Congress government and said “Despite Bengal having a woman chief minister, incidents like Sandeshkhali happen.”

“Lawlessness prevailing in West Bengal under Mamata Banerjee dispensation,” he further added.

With the crucial Lok Sabha polls just five days away in the State, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on April 21 intensified his attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accusing them of attempting to cover up the progresses achieved by the State with “lies”.

“A strange phenomenon is happening now in which the Prime Minister and the all India leader of the main opposition party are trying in unison to cover up the State (Kerala) and the progress it achieved with lies,” the Chief Minister alleged. - PTI

In a huge setback to Gujarat Congress, nomination papers of the party’s Lok Sabha candidate from Surat Nilesh Kumbhani rejected after his three proposers claimed in an affidavit to the district election officer that they had not signed his nomination form.

On April 21, the District Election Officer (DEO) Sourabh Pardhi rejected the nomination of the Congress candidate on the ground that his three propers failed to turn up before the DEO to support his nomination form.

Former Indian cricketer-turned-politician Yusuf Pathan, the TMC’s face against Congress heavyweight Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in Baharampur, says he is here to stay in politics and remain connected to people of the city, who have already “accepted him as one of their own”. 

“I am blessed to have come to a place where people are telling me ‘aap ko hum yahan se jaane nahi denge’ (we won’t let you leave us),” the right-hand batsman, known for his towering sixes, told PTI in an interview.

LJP MP Mehboob Ali Kaiser, the lone Muslim to have been elected to the Lok Sabha from the BJP-led NDA in Bihar, joined the RJD on April 21, in a shot in the arm for the Opposition party amid the elections.

Mr. Kaiser, who sided with former Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras when the latter split the LJP, and was denied a ticket this time by Chirag Paswan despite efforts to seek rapprochement, joined the RJD in the presence of its leader Tejashwi Yadav.

“Kaiser-saheb is joining us after a meeting with party president Lalu Prasad-ji. We stand to gain from his experience. It is a development that will send across a strong message in favour of our fight to protect the Constitution, which is facing threat from the ruling dispensation,” said Mr. Yadav.

- PTI

After she was shifted to Bangalore North segment for the coming Lok Sabha elections, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje is determined to prove a point or two and wants to ensure that BJP continues its winning streak here.

Bangalore North has remained a BJP stronghold since 2004 and the 57-year-old is banking on the “Modi factor”.

She is facing Congress candidate and former Rajya Sabha member M.V. Rajeev Gowda, who is putting up a spirited fight. Both belong to the Vokkaliga community.

Ms. Karandlaje is a two-time MP from Udupi-Chikmagalur but was moved out after she faced a “Go back Shobha” campaign there from a section of her party. 

A surefooted NDA challenged by a determined INDIA bloc may be the big story of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, but in a Bihar seat, the narrative has come to be centred around an Independent candidate.

Situated in the State’s northeastern corner, Purnea, named after the eponymous district, has been known to literature aficionados as the land where Phanishwar Nath Renu lived and breathed life into famous characters like Hiraman, played on the big screen by Raj Kapoor in ‘Teesri Kasam’. 

With the crucial Lok Sabha polls just five days away in the state, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday intensified his attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accusing them of attempting to cover up the progress achieved by the State with “lies”.

Mr. Modi and Mr. Gandhi have a similar voice while speaking against the southern State, he told a press conference in Kanhangadu here. 

“A strange phenomenon is happening now in which the Prime Minister and the all-India leader of the main opposition party are trying in unison to cover up the State (Kerala) and the progress it achieved with lies,” the Chief Minister alleged. 

Targeting Mr. Modi for his recent remarks against the State government, Mr. Vijayan said the Prime Minister had mentioned the other day that corruption thrives in Kerala like in Bihar.

He also accused Mr. Modi of putting pressure upon the financial commissions which have the constitutional rights to take independent decisions on allocations to the States. 

PTI

The Congress has decided to contest all 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. Already six names have been announced and the remaining seven would be announced later . 

Campaigning in Aligarh is subdued with major parties focusing on their core support bases. In the Muslim community, views on this Lok Sabha election seem to vary, with some seeing it as crucial for India’s pluralism while others feel neglected by political parties.

Muslims are a sizeable community in the Aligarh parliamentary constituency. According to the 2011 Census, Islam is the second-most popular religion in Aligarh city, a lock-making hub in western Uttar Pradesh, with over 40% of people following it. 

There is also a sense of disillusionment among some Muslim voters as well, such as Mohammad Shiraz from Aligarh’s Civil Lines area who feels overlooked by political parties. 

Amid all this, election campaigning in Aligarh remains relatively subdued, with candidates from major parties like the BJP and the Samajwadi Party (SP) focusing heavily on specific demographic groups. 

PTI

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Sunday lashed out at the BJP-led NDA government and said the saffron party is no longer a political party but has become a cult which worships Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Targeting the Modi government, Mr. Chidambaram said there is a “grave erosion” of freedom of speech and expression happening under the ten years of Modi rule and urged the people to “restore democracy”. 

Mr. Chidambaram also expressed hope that the INDIA bloc will win all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and the one seat in Pondicherry where the elections were over. 

Mr. Chidambaram added that the Congress manifesto talks about job creation and wealth generation about which the CPI(M) is silent. 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s spouse Kalpana are expected to address the ‘Ulgulan Nyay’ rally in Ranchi on Sunday, in a mega show of strength for opposition bloc INDIA.

A total of 14 political parties will take part in the rally, which will be held at the Prabhat Tara Ground. 

The rally will also be addressed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, TMC MP Derek O’Brien, Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shiv Sena (UBT), and Dipankar Bhattacharya of CPI (ML) Liberation. 

Over 5 lakh people are expected to attend the rally, being held amid the ongoing elections. 

PTI

A 99-year-old man died soon after casting his vote in Lok Sabha polls at home in Kerala’s Kottayam district, family members said on Sunday.

The deceased man, A.K. Raman Nair, was a native of Manakkunnu in Pala here. 

Nair, who had been living with his grandson, was discharged from the hospital two days ago.

The polling officials went with the ballot paper when the nonagenarian man was having lunch.

Despite health issues, he was excited to cast his vote and breathed his last soon after the process, the family added. 

PTI

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to address public rallies in Murshidabad, Maldah Uttar, and Darjeeling in West Bengal today. 

In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), despite being part of the INDIA bloc, does not have a seat-sharing arrangement in the state with the other parties in the alliance, namely the Congress and the Left parties. 

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has traditionally held a stronghold in West Bengal. 

Voting in Darjeeling will be held on April 26. In Murshidabad and Maldah Uttar, voting will be held on May 7. The first phase of voting recently concluded in the Coochbehar, Alipurduar, and Jalpaiguri parliamentary constituencies. 

ANI

In a bid to shed its Muslim-Yadav image, the Samajwadi Party has cut down on the number of candidates from these communities in its distribution of tickets for the ongoing Lok Sabha election. So far, out of 57 declared candidates, there are only four Muslims and four Yadavs. Overall, the party is contesting 62 seats in U.P.

Apart from 17 reserved seats, the SP has fielded two Scheduled Caste candidates from the general seats in Meerut and Ayodhya, where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is heavily relying on the appeal of Lord Ram. These constituencies will vote in the second and third phases.

To make up for the loss of Pallavi Patel from erstwhile all Apna Dal (Kamerwadi), the SP has fielded nine Kurmi candidates out of 28 from other backward classes (OBCs). To nullify the damage caused by the resignation of Swami Prasad Maurya and to take advantage of the BJP’s internal tussle over the position of Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, the SP has given six tickets to candidates from the Shakya, Maurya, Saini, and Kushwaha communities. The party has also fielded five candidates from the Nishad and Bind communities, which fall under the most backward group. 

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and bureaucrat-turned-politician Kartik Pandian were on the list of 40 star campaigners released by the BJD for the first two phases of simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the eastern State.

Mr. Patnaik is contesting from two assembly seats -- Hinjili in Ganjam district and Kantabanji in Bolangir district -- while Mr. Pandian is not in the poll fray.

Several ministers and senior BJD leaders are on the list, including Debi Prasad Mishra, Ranendra Pratap Swain, Chandra Sekhar Sahu, Ashok Chandra Panda, Niranjan Pujari, Pratap Jena, Sasmit Patra and Pratap Keshari Deb, a party release said on Saturday. 

PTI

Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) in Munich, Germany organised “Chai Pe Charcha with Modi ka Parivaar” to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Abki Baar 400 Paar’ target as he seeks a third consecutive term. 

Indian Diaspora in Munich, who joined chai pe charcha, discussed ways to contribute to the Lok Sabha election from Germany.

ANI

Interest in the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka has been kept alive by the implementation of five “guarantee” schemes, a pre-poll promise made by the Congress in the run-up to the Karnataka Assembly election in 2023, which seems to be countering the “Modi’s development” narrative of the BJP on ground.

Amidst a drought across the State, the worst in four decades, and a crisis in agriculture in the hinterland, 14 seats in southern Karnataka’s Old Mysore and coastal regions are going to the polls in the second phase of the Lok Sabha election on April 26. Across the State, the grand old party managed to win just one seat out of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka in 2019 as the BJP swept 25 seats riding on a perceived “Modi wave” despite the then Congress-Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) alliance being in power in the State. 

Several millionaires with movable and immovable properties worth crores are in the fray in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Candidates, including BJP Telangana president G. Kishan Reddy, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, Nizamabad sitting MP Arvind Dharmapuri, Eatala Rajender and others declared their assets and liabilities in the election affidavits submitted along with their nomination forms. 

The Jammu Lok Sabha seat mainly comprises the plains and the Hindu-majority belt in Samba, Reasi and Jammu districts of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a battle of prestige for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is pitted against the INDIA bloc, with the regional parties, including the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) weighing in for the Congress’ candidate.

The rise in the popularity of the BJP candidate, Jugal Kishore Sharma, who is seeking a third term, has matched the rising trajectory of the party since 2014 nationally. Mr. Sharma’s winning margins in the 2014 and 2019 parliamentary elections are indicative of the BJP’s strong grip over the region. The 2014 Jammu Lok Sabha seat was won by a margin of 2.57 lakh votes, and in 2019, Mr. Sharma won by a margin of 3.02 lakh votes. The BJP won the Jammu seat for the first time in 1998, and since then, Mr. Sharma has managed to win it twice.

This year, the BJP galvanised support on the streets in the Hindu-majority Jammu district. Jammu is known as the ‘city of temples’, and a show of strength in the run-up to the consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya countered the growing resentment in the area’s business community over the cancellation of the annual shifting of the capital to Jammu, known as the ‘Durbar move’, which has significantly impacted businesses in the winter months. 

BJP’s Moradabad candidate Kunwar Sarvesh Singh died on Saturday a day after his constituency went to the polls in phase one of the Lok Sabha election.

A five-time former MLA and one-term MP, Mr. Singh, aged 72, had been ill for a long time, and was undergoing treatment at a Delhi hospital.

Political leaders from Uttar Pradesh, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, termed the death of the leader an “irreparable loss for the BJP parivaar”. 

Days after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called Mithun Chakraborty a “big traitor from Bengal”, the actor-turned-politician on Saturday participated in a BJP road show with the party’s State president Sukanta Majumdar and raised allegations of corruption against the Trinamool Congress.

At a rally in Raiganj earlier this week, Ms. Banerjee had accused Mr. Chakraborty of “bowing his head in the RSS office just to save his son”. Mr. Chakraborty was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the Trinamool in 2014 but the actor quit in 2016 citing ill health. A few years later, Mr. Chakraborty warmed up to the BJP.

The Chief Minister’s attack on the veteran actor came at a time when he has been actively campaigning for BJP candidates in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Mr. Chakraborty is one of the star campaigners of the BJP. On Saturday, he campaigned for Mr. Majumdar who is contesting from the Balurghat Lok Sabha seat in Dakshin Dinajpur district.

In a strong swipe at Rahul Gandhi, who is re-contesting Lok Sabha elections from Wayanad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that another parliamentary seat is expected to be announced for the Congress leader after April 26, indicating that the Congress is not confident of retaining the key constituency in Kerala. Polling in Wayanad will be held on April 26. - ANI