Politics

The state government had argued that the polls should not be held when the people are exposed to miseries due to the calamity.

Union minister Prakash Javadekar accused Trinamool Congress "goons" of booth-capturing and not letting BJP voters cast their votes by resorting to threats and violence.

Most of the polling stations across the two districts of Pulwama and Shopian wore a deserted look. A total of 1.91% polling was reported in Pulwama, while in Shopian, 2.64% people cast their vote.

With this phase, election will be over in 424 seats and polling in the remaining 118 seats will be held on May 12 and 19.

Bhojpuri actor Dinesh Lal Yadav said he would have supported Akhilesh Yadav as PM, but added that the alliance wants such a man (Rahul Gandhi) in power, 'who would withdraw troops from the borders'.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said the person whose plot has been amalgamated with the PM's was former BJP president Jana Krishnamurthy and it was only seven months after his death that his plot was amalgamated with Modi's.

Drawing comparisons between Congress and the BJP led governments, Naidu said while the Congress' bifurcated states have been given some assurances the BJP government failed to implement any promises made.

Responding to the jibe, Tiwari said people belonging to Purvanchal (eastern region) would teach him a lesson on May 12.

Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil from JD(S) was the ruling coalition's joint candidate from Mandya Lok Sabha constituency.

The Union minister was referring to Gandhi's statement quoted by a media organisation that "I have dismantled Modi's image... I will damage his image".

The poll calculations of SP-BSP were disturbed by the fact that Congress decided to go aggressive in UP rather than being a docile third force.

A video of a few Congress leaders at a dinner reportedly hosted by Sumalatha at a private hotel surfaced on Wednesday, giving rise to speculation they worked against the alliance government's candidate from Mandya.

The EC last month had said that all recorded programmes broadcast on NaMo TV need to be pre-certified.

The poll panel last month had given the Congress leader another showcause notice for his remarks wherein he asked Muslims to vote en bloc to defeat Modi.

Despite Priyanka Gandhi's statement that Congress is not at all cutting into votes of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav hit out at the party and said that Congress doesn't know the country's interest.

Addressing a rally in Gosaiganj, about 25 km from this temple town, Narendra Modi said his is the only government that thinks of the poor.