Election Tracker LIVE: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, in a dig at Narendra Modi’s Made in India pitch, said that the PM talking about the scheme but his shirt, shoes and phone, with which he takes selfies, are made in China. The Congress chief, speaking to booth level workers in Delhi, urged them to win all seven seats in the capital, confirming that the Congress would not join hands with the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi.
AAP leader Gopal Rai also said on Monday that his party is not in talks with the Congress for an alliance in Delhi and it will contest all seven seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on its own. Rai said Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal will hold a meeting with all state unit chiefs of the party and MLAs to discuss the strategy for the parliamentary polls later in the day. “The party is not in talks with the Congress for an alliance in Delhi and it will contest all the seats on its own,” the AAP’s Delhi unit convenor said.
The BJP Monday accused some opposition parties of deliberately triggering a row over the Lok Sabha polls being held during Ramzan, when Muslims fast, saying it is a “communal” ploy to divide the country ahead of the elections. Leaders of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are among those who have claimed that holding elections during Ramzan will inconvenience Muslims and help the BJP as the community is largely seen to be backing the opposition parties against the ruling alliance.
BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain pointed out that Navratas, when many Hindus observe fast, will also fall during the elections. “Muslims do not observe roza by not doing their work. Islam also does not ask us to stop our work for worship. It is not that people who have jobs do not attend them during Ramzan. They keep roza and do their work as well. Creating such a controversy is unfortunate,” he said.
Veteran politician Sharad Pawar has said he will not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. There was strong speculation that the NCP chief would contest from the Madha Lok Sabha seat in southwest Maharashtra, but the former Union minister today said he has decided against the idea. The Madha seat is held by his party leader Vijaysingh Mohite Patil. “There was a lot of insistence (from within NCP) that I contest from Madha. However, my candidature hasn’t been declared yet,” Pawar said.
Amid a raging controversy over the clash of poll dates with Ramzan, the Election Commission on Monday said it could not exclude an entire month but had taken care to avoid festivals and Fridays. The TMC had claimed that the clash would affect the turnout of Muslim voters.
Refuting the same, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the “whole controversy is “totally uncalled for and unnecessary.” Further, the leader requested political parties avoid using the Muslim community and Ramzan for any reason. “Muslims will definitely fast in Ramzan, they go out and lead a normal life, they go to office. Even the poorest of the poor will also fast. My analysis is that this month (Ramzan) will lead to more voting percentage because one will be free from all worldly duties,” Owaisi said.
The Election Commission announced the dates for the high-stakes Lok Sabha polls on Sunday. The national election will be held in seven rounds from April 11 and the results will be announced on May 23, the Election Commission said on Sunday. Voting will be held across India on April 11, April 19, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19.
Assembly elections will also be held in Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Odisha simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls, the CEC said. Elections for Jammu and Kashmir assembly have been deferred, the EC said citing security reasons. The state has been under President’s Rule after the ruling alliance between the BJP and People’s Democratic Party fell apart last year.
Among other restrictions, the model code bars the government from announcing any policy move that may impact voters’ decision. The EC said the ‘voter verifiable paper audit trail’ (VVPAT) will be used in all polling stations this time. Ten lakh polling stations would be set up this time as against about nine lakh in 2014. EVMs and postal ballots will carry pictures of candidates.
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
Comments
0 comment