Lok Sabha Election | May 10 Highlights: Congress Too Made Mistakes, Says Rahul Gandhi; Kejriwal Out Of Jail

Welcome to our live blog, wher𝔍e we'll be bringing you all the latest updates and developments about elections on 10 May 2024. Stay with us!

The Congress has filed a complaint against PM Modi with the Election Commission of Iﷺndia(ECI) alleging that he violated the poll code by using a child during the elect♛ion campaign.

Modi, while going from Mamnoor airstrip to Warangal public meeting on May 6, stopped his vehicle at Laxmipuram after seeing a child with her mother inside the gat☂e of h꧋er house.

"He opened his car door and called the mother and carried the child in his arms and played with the child for a few moments," senior Congress leader G Niranjan said in his complaint to the ECI, as reported by The Times Of India.

He pointed out that parties have been explicitly directed🤡 by the ECI not t🏅o engage children in any form of election campaign.

The schedule for the Lok Sabha elections 2💧024 was announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on March 16. The voting for Lok💃 Sabha elections 2024 is taking place in seven phases and started on April 19. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.

Voting for Phase 1 took place on April 19, second phaꦛs🎃e on April 26 and third phase on May 7. Polling for Phase 4 to Phase 7 will take place on: May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.

• Phase 1/April 19 - 21🍌 states/UTs - 102 constituencies

• Phase 2/April 26 - 13 🧜states/UTs - 88🌠 constituencies

• Phase 3/May 7 - 12 states/UTs - 12 constituencies

• Phase 4/May 🐟13 - 10 states/UTs - 96 constituencies

• Phase 5/May 20 - 8 states/UTs - 49 constituencies

• Phase 6/May 25 - 7 states/UTs - 57 constituencies

• Phase 7/Juꦕne 1 - &nbꦇsp;8 states/UTs - 57 constituencies

Lok Sabha Elections Full Schedule Here

To create a “festival-like environment” on the day of voting, poll ✨authorities in Srinagar district have prepared 32 theme-based polling booths that are colour-coordinated💛 as per its message.

Polling booths in pink, red, blue have been prepared as per their theme i.♑e women voters, PwD voters and you𝓰ng voters. Eight polling booths have also been set up to go with its theme of environmental sustainability.

Srinagar will vote to elect its Lok Sabha MP in the fourth phase on May 13.

-PTI

Polling for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 wღill begin at 7 am in all phases. The Lok Sabha elections 2024 are taking place in seven phases. The first phase took place on April 19, second on April 26 and third on May 7. Phase 4 to 7 will take place on: May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1. The counting of votes🐎 will take place on June 4.

On September 14, 2020, a 19-year-old Dalit girl, was allegedly gangraped by four upper-caste men. She sustained severe injuries in her spinal cord and her tongue had allegedly been cut off. She struggled for her life for about two weeks but later succumbed to her injuries in Delhi’s Safdarjung🍷 Hospital.

Of the four accused, three were acquitted of charges and released in March 2023. The main accused, Sandeep, was sente🅘nced to life imprisonment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. 

READ FULL STORY

Repolling at four boot𒈔hs in Madhya Pradesh's Betul Lok Sabha seat is underway.

Voting was co🐼nducted in Betul in the third phase of polls on 7 May♛.

The Election Commission on Wednesday ordered re-elec🐻tion at the four booths after a few electronic voting machines (EVMs) were damaged when a bus ferrying them and polling personnel post-voting on caught fire on Tuesday night near Sonora Gaula village in Betul.

Betul was among nine seats in Madhya Pradesh which voted in💯 the third phase of🦩 Lok Sabha elections.

The Election Com🏅mission ha💎s flagged 3,647 polling stations as critical out of the 15,507 designated for the fourth phase of polling across eight Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal on May 13, a poll official said on Thursday.

Bolpur seat has the🐓 highest number of critical polling stations at 659, followed 🦹by Birbhum (640), Baharampur (558), Burdwan-Durgapur (422), Ranaghat (410), Krishnanagar (338) Asansol (319) and Bardhaman Purba (301), he added.

Considering the sensitivity of the stations, the poll body has decided to deploy a total of ܫ579 companies of central forces during♍ the fourth phase of polling.

-PTI

With just three days left for the fourth phase of the seven-ꦿphased Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Naren♒dra Modi is scheduled to address public rallies in Telangana, Maharashtra and Odisha on Friday.

To be noted, Odisha will hold both Lo🐻k Sabha and assembly polls.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vad🏅ra is expected to address multiple rallies in Telangana on Friday.

Telangana has 10 Lok Sabha seats.

A group of activists, lawyers and retired civil servants on Thursday wrote to the Election Commission of India demanding that all votes recorded at every polling station where voting took place in the first three phases be disclos📖ed.

A group of activists, lawyers and retired civil servants on Thursday wrote to the Election Commission of India. In a letter addressed to the Chief Election C𝔍ommissioner and the Election Commissioners, they alleged "large fluctuations" in the voter turnout figures in the first two phases of Lok Sabha elections.

The Election Commission last week said that constituency and booth-wise data of actual number of votes polled is available with the candidates.

Repolling is underway at two polling booths in Bihar's Khagaria Lok Sabha seat, amid tight security arrangements, an official said♍. 

The voting began at 7 am at booth numbers 182 and 183, falling under the Beldaur assembly se🦩gment of the Khagaria parliament⛎ary constituency, and will continue till 6 pm, he said. 

Repolling was ordered at these polling booths as voting was disrupted on account of the vandalisat𒊎ion of EVMs on May 7 during the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

-PTI

A voter can check🐷 the EPIC number on their Voter ID card to find out which polli🐓ng booth they are supposed to vote at.

What is EPIC number

The Election Photo ID Card (EPIC), also known as the Voter ID card, has a unique 10-digit alpha-numeric code which is assigned by the Election Commission of India (ECI). T𒀰he numbeꦦr is a proof that you are a registered voter.

On any Voter ID card, the EPIC code is on the front. One can also get the EPIC number from the National꧑ Voters' Service Portal (NVSP).

How to find EPIC number online?

• Open the official NVSP portal.

• Under ‘Services’, click on ‘Search in Electoral Rol꧙l'.

• Select ‘Search by Details’ or ‘Search by Mobile’.

• Fill the requ🌄ired details in to see the EPIC code.

How To Find Polling Booth With EPIC Number

• Visit electoralsearch.eci.gov.in.

• Enter the EPIC code, st𓆏ate, captcha code, and click ‘Search.’

• The booth details will be d🍌isplayed on the screen of your device.

A day after Prime Minister Modi alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had stopped “abusing” industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani and hinted at a de🔥al, the Congress party stepped up its counter-attack on the BJP and Modi.

"On June 4, as ﷺthe Congress-led governmeꦓnt takes power, we will rapidly accelerate economic growth while ensuring that ordinary Indian families are the biggest beneficiaries. We will end the 'drain of wealth' from Indian families to crony corporates," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a statement.

"The 'Hum Do Hamare Do' effect: Net household savings fell by ₹9 lakh crores in the last three years. Real household savꦚings are at their lowest since 2014. PM Modi has overseen a 'drain of wealth' - from Bharat ke Parivar to Modi ka Parivar," Ramesh also said in a post on X, while sharing his state𝔉ment.

After being emasculated, declawed and defanged since the abrogation of Article 370 in 20𝄹19, the metaphoric lion is back i✱n Kashmir’s political rhetoric.

At National Conference (NC) gatherings ahead of polling for the 2024 Lok Sabha, Dr. Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar are greeted with chants of  “Aaya, Aaya, Sher Aaya” (The lion is here). Recently, in Baramulla, Omar Abdullah, after filing his n🔯omination, was cheered with the same fervour.

Similarly, supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Srinagar candidate Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra and People’s Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone chant,“Nakli shera yeti wat dera, asli shera aa gaya” ꦿ(Fake lions sꦫhould leave, for the true lion is here).

READ FULL STORY HERE

Veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has triggered a row by claiming that India should “respect” Pakistan because it has an “atom bomb”. “They have atom bombs. We have them t🍎oo, but if a ‘madman’ decides to drop a bomb on Lahore, it won’t take eight seconds for the radiation to reach Amritsar,” he warned. The statement was reportedly made last month. However, it went viral in May.

BJP’s Shehzad Poonawalla reacted by saying: “Congress’ love for Pakistan is old. He’s the same Mani Shankar Aiyar who went begging to Pakistan to remove Narendra Modi as I🍬ndia’s prime minister. Many Congress leaders have been giving clean chit to Pakistan on 26/11, Pulwama and Poonch attacks. For them, the one who sends terrorists is respectable, while the Indian Army is ‘sadak ka goonda’.” 

A surveillance team deployed for the Lok Sabha elections seized cash of Rs 47 lakh from a vehicl𒅌e in Mumbai’s Mulund suburb, an official said on Friday.

The members of a static surveillance team searಞched the vehicle on B R Road in Mulund on Thursday evening 🎉on the suspicion that it was carrying cash, the official said.

Police have also informed th☂e Income Tax D🍸epartment about the seizure, he added.

Elections to the six Lok Sabha se﷽ats in Mumbai will be he🔯ld in the fifth phase of the general election on May 20.

-PTI

Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications, Jairam Ramesh said, "Atal Bihari Vajpayee has contested on two seats. Lal Krishna Advani has contested on two seat🌠s. Sushma Swaraj contested on two seats. Narendra Modi himself contested on two seats. So contesting on two seats is not uncommon."

"Rahul Gandhi contested in south and he is also contesting in the nor꧃th. We challenge the Prime Minister, let him pick any seat in the south and co💧ntest. In any case, Raebareli is a responsibility. It has been a seat which has been held by Sonia Gandhi. The people of Raebareli want to give a mandate to Rahul Gandhi. That is why, he has chosen to contest from Raebareli."

Top Quotes:

• Congress gove♍rnment in Karnataka included all Muslims in OBC category overnight and gave them reservation.

• Congress engaged in c𓆏onspiracy to eliminate Hindu faith.

• Hidden agenda of Congress to rob y𝐆ou of your quota a🌟nd give it to Muslims.

• As long as I am alive, I will not let reservations of Dalits, adivasis, OBCs to be given to Muslim𝔉s on basis of religion.

With the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 taking place, the Electi💃on Commission of India has issued voter slips and sent them to the houses of the eligible voters. However, not all eligible voters have received their voter slips.

With several voters yet to receive their vo𒀰ter slips, a c🎉ommon question arises - can I still cast a vote in the elections without a slip?

The answer is YES. Eligible voters can vote without the slips if their name is m🅺entioned on the elect🍸oral roll.

Voters can check whether theirꦅ name is mentioned on the electoral roll on the official w♛ebsite of the Election Commission of India - electoralsearch.eci.gov.in.

KNOW MORE HERE

Police registered a case against BJP candidate Navneet Rana Kaur for making comments during an election campaign meeting stating, 'voting for Congress means voting for Pakistan'.&🐓nbsp;

Navn🃏eet Kaur is contestingཧ on BJP ticket from Amravati Parliament constituency in Maharashtra. 

O✤fficials say that Kaur’s comments amount to violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in view of Lok Sabha elections.

(Inputs from media reports)

Top Quotes:

• PM Modi has done miraculous work to bringౠ 25 crore 𝓡people out of poverty. Earlier PMs like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi made hollow promises to alleviate poverty.

• BJP won't allow anyone to snatch your reservation, party is committed to n🧜ation-ꦑbuilding.

• Corrupt JMM-led alliance in Jha💦rkhand is exploiting people, betraying🅰 them.

• BJP believes in politics of 'insa♎f🌱' and 'insaniyat'; JMM-led alliance will be punished for atrocities.

Six former Co🌠ngress MLAs, who were disqualified from the party due to cross-voting during Ra🦄jya Sabha polls this year, withdrew their plea from Supreme Court against their disqualification from the Himachal Pradesh Assembly.

The Supreme Court today gave interim bail to Delhi Chie𝔉f Minister Arvind Kejriwal till June 1. Kejriw🃏al had sought a release from jail to campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

Kejriwal, the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was arrested ♛on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to the alleged liquor policy scam. He is currently lodged in Tihar jail under judicial custody.

While addressing a public meeting in Amethi, UP, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi took a jibe a BJP, saying: "God is dear to all and everybody loves and respects𒐪 their religion. But, to use religion to win elections and bag votes is wrong. This frees the leaders from any responsibilities towards you."

She asked, "BJP has been 🔥ruling for the past 10 years but what have they done for you?"

Even as poli🐈tical parties continue to introduce welfare schemes and make grand promises that are exclusively catered for women, they only constituted around eight per cent of the total candidates in the fray for the first three phases of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. 

There were 135 women candidates in the first phase of elections, 100 in the second phase and 123 in the third – bringing the total to 358 out of 4,162 candidates – 8.6 per cent. The ongoing general elections come just over seven months after the Indian Parliament passed the historic and long-awaited women’s reservation bill or Nari Shakti Vandan Abhiniyam, that paved the way for the reservation of one-third of legislative seats for women. Yet, major political parties, barring the AIMIM, that overwhelminglyꦉ backed the idea of giving more representation to women, are still lagging behind in giving tickets to women.

READ FULL STORY

Cast your vote and then treat yourself to a moviꦍe at a theat💃re of your choice at half the price. The novel incentive is on offer in Patna, where improving voter turnout seems a challenge.

According to a statement issued by the district administration, the decision was taken at a meeting chaired by DM Shirsat Kapil Ashok, which was attended by owners and managers of cinema halls across the cityꦓ.

According to the statement, the administration has been roping in "all stakeholders", including associations of cinema hall 🤡owners, schools, medicine shops, chambers of commerce etc. to improve the turnout in Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency.

Voting is scheduled on June 1 in๊ the constituency which earned the dubious distinction five years ago of registering the lowest turnout of just about 45 per cent.

-PTI

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's letter to opposition 𒉰leade🍒rs on voter turnout data an attempt to push biased narrative, the Election Commission said on Friday.

Doubting the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s functioning, and criticising the p𒁏anel for the delay in releasing poll turnout data and the non-publication of the final voters’ lists for the upcoming phases, Congress president Mallikarjun 𒅌Kharge had written a letter to leaders of all INDIA bloc parties.

Kharge had c🍰alled upon all INDIA parties to “collectively, unitedly and unequivocally” raise their voice against such “discrepancies” in a bid to protect the culture of a “vibrant democracy and the Constitution”.

Reacting to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's letter to INDIA bloc partners doubting voter turnout data, the Election Commission of India on F꧅riday said "pattern in seri♑es of past, present irresponsible statements from Congress were disconcerting".

The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the money laundering case linked to the alleged excise or liquor policy "scam". Arvind Kejriwal was arrest🅷ed by the Enforcement Directorate in the case on March 21 and was subsequently sent to judicial custody.

Granting Arvin𒊎d Kejriwal bail, the Supreme Court directed him to not make comments about his role in money laundering case related to excise policy scam.

The Supreme Court also said Arvind Kejriwal shall not visit chief minister's office and Delhi Secretariat dur✱ing🉐 his interim bail period.

Follow Arvind Kejriwal Bail News LIVE Coverage Here

Granting bail to Arvind Kejriwal, the Supreme Courꦐt on Friday said interim bail is gran🌼ted in facts of each case and Arvind Kejriwal's is not an exception"

"Holistic andౠ libertarian view is justified in view of Lok Sabh🅘a elections," said SC while granting interim bail to Arvind Kejriwal.

Arvind Kejr♔iwal does not have any criminal antecedents and he is not a threat to society, SC said.

Addressing a rally in Telangana on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Cong⛄ress is against Hindus aꦏnd wants to make Hindus second-class citizens.

"After coming to power, the Congress in Telangana became a photocopy of BRS, PM Modi said at a rally in Telangana. Whatever BRS had looted during it▨s rule, Con💫gress wants to do such corruption within a few months, PM Modi said.

"❀Congress knows that reservatio🍬ns based on religion is anti-Constitutional and Ambedkar opposed it," PM Modi said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday claimed that Prime Minister Naren𓆉dra ✨Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were worried after three phases of Lok Sabha polls and were hence talking about non-election issues and abusing the Congress.

Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, Kharge said the BJP leaders, instead of seeking votes on "development," are distorting their (Congress) leaders' speeches and call Rahul Gandhi '♑shehzada.'

"After three phases of polls, Modi and Shah Saa🔜b got worried. They stopped talking abou🎀t their manifesto, but only are abusing the Congress," Kharge said.

Referring tꦿo the PM's comments that Congress has stopped talking about 'Adani-Ambani' after the announcement of polls, he said, "(If) money is going in tempo, you are just watching? Money is going from𒊎 whose house, where is your CBI, where is your Income Tax."

Home Minister and🌃 BJP leader Amit Shah on Friday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of maintaining sil𒀰ence on the issue of Sandeshkhali, where complaints of sexual abuse have emerged against TMC leaders, and said the BJP "will not spare single culprit and will hang them upside down".

While addressing an election rally at Majdia in Ranaghat Lok Sabha seat in Nadia district, Sh🐎ah alleged that Banerjee was "misleading" people on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) and slammed the TMC dispensation over alleged corruption cases in tꦰhe state.

On the incidents in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district, where allegations of sexual abuse against🌃 TMC leaders have been made, Shah said it is a matter of shame that "Mamata Banerjee, despite being a woman chief minister, tried to protect the culprits”.

Shah's statement comes amid a row over a purported sting operation video clip in which a BJP leader can be seen a﷽dmitting that Suvendu Ad꧋hikari, the leader of opposition in the West Bengal assembly, was "behind the whole conspiracy".

In the "sting operation" video 🎉don𝔉e by a news platform which was later shared by the TMC on X, the leader is heard saying sexual harassment complaints were filed at the behest of Adhikari.

Congress leader and MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday asserted that the opposition INDIA bl𝕴oc will win at least 50 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi was addressing a rally here in support of the Congress candidate from the Kanpur Lok Sabha seat Alok Misra.

"...June 4, 2024, Narendra Modi will not be the Prime Minister of India, you take it in writ💮ing," Rahul Gandhi said.

"Whatever we had to do, we have done.🔯 Now, you will see that in Uttar Pradesh, our alliance is going 𝕴to get not less than 50 seats. We have stopped the BJP in other states," he said.

Kanpur goes to polls in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on 🎐May🌼 13.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was granted bail by the Supreme Court in the excise policy case earlier today, will be walking out of Tihar jailღ shortly.

Security has been tightꩲened outside Tihar jܫail for Arvind Kejriwal's release.

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the case on March 21 and💎 was subsequently sent to judicial custody.

Granting Arvind Kejriwal bail, the Supreme Court directed him to not make comments about hi♐s role in money laundering case related to 💟excise policy scam.

Khalistani s𝓡eparati൩st Amritpal Singh, who is lodged in Assam's Dibrugarh jail, filed his nomination as an independent candidate for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 from Khadoor Sahib constituency of Punjab on Friday.

The nomination was filed by the Waris Punjab De leader's lawyer, Harjot Singh, his relative Sukhchain Singh and five others on his behalf at the office of the District Returning Officer in Khadoor Sahib, an indiatod✤ay.in report said.

The Bhartiya Janata Party on Friday announced Gejja Ram Valmikꦰi as its candidate from the Fatehgarh Sahib reserve parliamentary constituency in Punjab. With this,🐼 the party has now fielded its candidates on all 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, which will go to polls on June 1.

Valmiki is the chairman of Punjab State Safai Karamchari Commission. He will be pitted against AAP's Gurpreet Singh GP, Congress 𓂃party's Amar Singh and Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Bikramjit Sin🐈gh Khalsa.

Currenꦫtly, the Fatehgarh Sahib seat is represent✱ed by Congress MP Amar Singh.

Slamming the BJP for its "clerk" jibe at Congress🌄's Amethi candidate Kishor💜i Lal Sharma, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Friday said it is the ruling party's mentality to talk in this "uncultured" way and asserted there is no better candidate for this constituency than Sharma.

In an interview with PTI, Priyanka Gandh🃏i said Sharma was like family and had served Amethi for over 40 years.

She exuded confidence that the Congress will win both🌞 the constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi in🍬 the Lok Sabha polls.

While former Co𝔍ngress chief Rahul Gandhi is contesting against BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh in Rae Bareli, Gandhi family aide Kishori ꦆLal Sharma is taking on BJP's Smriti Irani in Amethi.

Asked about the strategy behind the Congress fielding Rahul Gandhi from Rae Bareli instead of Amethi, Priya𒁃nka Gandhi said, "Both the seats are the same for us. In both the seats, our family has worked for generations. Kishori Lal Sharma has worked for over 40 years, he knows every nook and corner here.

Ask😼ed about the BJP's Rae Bareli candidate calling Shar🧸ma "Priyanka Gandhi's clerk" and the Gandhi family's "peon", Priyanka Gandhi said this is their mentality to talk in this "uncultured" manner.

"This is not ෴right, this is uncultured talk, th🌞is is their mentality, their nature is 'asabhya (uncultured)'. At every level their views are 'asabhya'. Kishori ji has served a lot here," she said.

(via PTI)

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal walked out of Tihar jai🍷l on Friday evening hours after getting interim bail from the Supreme Court in the money laundering case linked to the alleged 💞excise or liquor policy 'scam'.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal addresses party workers after being released from Tihar jail. Arvind Kejr♍iwal said Tomorrow at 11 am they will go to the Hanuman Temple at Connaught Place a🀅nd at 1 pm, they will address a press conference at the party office."

The Supreme Court granted him inter🐭im bail in the Delhi 🌟excise policy case till June 1 on Friday.

A Delhi court on Friday, May 10, ordered framing of charges against ex-Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Singh in sexual harassment case lodged by six female wrestlers. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Priyanka Rajpoot also discharged Sing💙h in a complaint filed by one of the six women wrestlers.

The court ordered framing of charge for criminal intimidation against Singh.꧟ It will formally frame the𒆙 charges on May 21.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has been accused of sexually harassing female wrestlers by top athletes of India, including Sakshee Mallikkh, Vinesh Phogat etc., who have held long agitations demanding action against him. READ FULL STORY

Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah on Friday took part in a road show in West Bengal's Asansol in support of BJP candid💛ate SS Ahluwalia. As he waved from a flower-bedecked truck, supporters cheered him with slogans like 'Amit Shahji Swagotaom', 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', and 'BJP zindabad.'

Adꦦdressing the crowd, Shah vowed to end ✱the alleged tyranny of the ruling TMC government headed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her associates.

"You have had enough of the atrocities of TMC government led by Mamata Banerjee, her nephew Abhishek Banerjee and other leaders. Let ▨us꧙ work towards dislodging the regime," he said.

(via PTI)

Aft𒊎er walking out of jail on Friday, Arvind Kejriwal told his supporters, who had gathered in large numbers, "I had promised to come back soon, here I am."

Arvind Kejriwal further said, "Our country is more than 4,000 years old. But whenever anyone tried to impose dictatorship 🌺on this country, people never tolerated it. Today the country is passing thr๊ough a period of dictatorship. I am fighting against it."

"But 140 crore people will have to come together and defeat the dictatorship," Kejriwal said and announced thꦐat he will go to theHanuman temple in Delhi's Connaught Place at 11 am on Sa🧔turday after which he will address a press conference at the party office.

In the evening on Saturday, he said he will participate in a roadsh💃ow in South ꧙Delhi.

Cong🅺ress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said his party too has made mistakes and will have to change its politics in future. The remark came at an event in Lucknow where he accused the Narendra of being a monarch and not a prime minister, calling him a front for “two three financiers”.

Answering a question from a member of the audience at the event on the Constitution, the formerܫ Congress president said he was “100 per cent” prepared to take on Narendra Modi in a debate, but he knew that the prime minister will not agree.

"The Congress party will also have to change its politics in the coming times. This will have to be done. I also want to say that the Congress party has also made m𓄧istakes and I am saying this while being fromಌ the Congress party," he said in his speech.

(Via PTI)

National general secretary of West Bengal's ruling Trinﷺamool Congress, Abhishek Banerjee, who filed his nomination on Friday for re-election from the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha seat, declared in his affidavit a total income of a little over Rs 82 lakh in t🧔he 2022-23 financial year.

Abhishek Banerj༒ee stated he earned Rs 71,52,200 in 2018-19, while in 2020-21, it had gone up to a trifle over R💟s 1.51 crore.

The TMC leader, seeking a third term from the seat, declared a total income of Rs 82,58,360 in the 2022-23 fiscal, as pe🏅r his income tax ret♛urn. Banerjee said he has Rs 7.72 lakh as cash in hand.

Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav on Friday sཧaid his party will not only focus on the three Lok Sabha constituencies in Delhi where it has fielded candidates but will also campaign for the four seats where AAP candidates are contesting.

Congress and AAP candidates will conduct door-to-door campaigns, he said, adding that when the INDIA bloc comes to power at the Centre, the promises made to 𓃲youth, women, farmers, the poor, the downtrodden, the marginalised and others will be fulfilled.