THE HEADLINES: –

• Campaigning for seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha Elections reaches its peak with only three days left for polling.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds rallies in Jharkhand and West Bengal; Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi addresses public meeting in Himachal Pradesh.  
• Death toll reaches 23 after massive landslide in Mizoram; Three persons killed in Assam due to heavy rainfall under the impact of cyclone Remal.
• Delhi records season’s highest temperature of 49.9 degrees Celsius; IMD issues Red Alert for scorching heat in National Capital.
• India announces One million dollar relief assistance for landslide-hit Papua New Guinea.
• In French Open Tennis, Rohan Bopanna and Yuki Bhambri to start their campaign in Men’s Doubles event tonight.

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Campaigning for seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections reaches its peak with only three days left for polling. Voting in this phase will be held for 57 Parliamentary Constituencies across seven states and a Union Territory on the 1st of June. A total of 904 candidates are in the fray in this phase.

Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi addressed a public meeting in North 24 Parganas district in support of Barasat and Basirhat Lok Sabha constituencies of West Bengal today. Speaking on the occassion, Mr Modi said, there is zero tolerance for corruption under his rule.

The Prime Minister said, Congress and I.N.D.I.A. block do not care for common people and they only cares for themselves. He said people of Matua community in West Bengal are being given citizenship under CAA. Mr. Modi said, women are being empowered under his government.

Mr. Modi also held a mega roadshow in Kolkata this evening. The 2.5-km long roadshow started from the Shyambazar five-point crossing to end at Swami Vivekananda’s ancestral house at Shimla Street.

This was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first roadshow in Kolkata where he was accompanied by state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar and Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari. 

Earlier, addressing a public rally at Dumka Airport Ground in Jharkhand PM Modi said that action will be further intensified against corrupt people after the 4th of June. 

In Bihar, JD (U) President and Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar addressed a rally in Nalanda constituency in Asthawan. 

BJP leader and Union Minister Nityanand Rai held a public meeting in Barun under Karakat parliamentary constituency. 

RJD chief Lalu Prasad said, this time in Lok Sabha elections the fight is for saving reservation and the Indian constitution. Talking to media in Patna, he said, the 400 plus seat claim of the BJP will fall flat in this election.

RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav held a public meeting in Buxar. 

In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath campaigned today for film star and BJP nominee from Gorakhpur Ravi Kishan. Addressing a rally in Kampilganj area, Mr. Yogi said the BJP government has done a lot for the poor and downtrodden.

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav along with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi jointly addressed political rallies in Mohan Sarai area of Varanasi and in Bansgaon Lok Sabha constituency.

In an election rally in Gagret, Una district of Himachal Pradesh, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi has accused the BJP government of failing to reduce inflation and unemployment.

She criticized the central government for not declaring last year’s calamity as a national disaster. Senior Congress leader and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, along with other leaders, also addressed the rally.

On the other hand, BJP National President JP Nadda addressed rallies in Chholtu in Kinnaur district and Nankhari and Rohru in Shimla district. He stated that the BJP is seeking votes for development to once again usher in an era of progress in the country.

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The BJP today expressed confidence that it is forming the government at the Centre for the third term with a massive mandate. The party alleged that contradictions of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc are coming out in the open. Briefing media in New Delhi, party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, while AAP is fighting against the Congress in Punjab, in West Bengal TMC is fighting against the Congress. He claimed that as the Lok Sabha elections are coming closer it is clearly visible that people of the country have understood the situation and the BJP-led NDA is on its way to achieving the target of winning more than 400 seats.

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The Election Commission today released the absolute number of voters who voted in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls which was held on Saturday. In a statement, the Commission said, Seven Crore Five Lakh 44 thousand 933 people voted in the 6th phase. A voter turnout of 63.37 percent has been recorded in 58 Parliamentary Constituencies which went for voting. The Poll Body said, the final turnout will only be available post-counting with counting of postal ballots and its addition to the total vote count. The Commission also released Parliamentary Constituencies wise number of electors for the 7th phase.

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In the seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections, voting will be held on 13 seats of Uttar Pradesh on June the 1st. Ghazipur Lok Sabha seat, which is one of the important seats of Purvanchal, is also included in this. This time, BJP has fielded Parasnath Rai on this seat. Apart from him, nine other candidates are also trying their luck in the elections.

“Ghazipur is considered to be the second most important seat in Purvanchal after Varanasi. There are five assembly constituencies under Ghazipur parliamentary seat. These include Jakhanian, Saidpur, Ghazipur Sadar, Jangipur and Jamnia. There are a total of 20 lakh 74 thousand 883 voters in this parliamentary constituency. Senior BJP leader Manoj Sinha was defeated on this seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Manoj Sinha, who was once considered among the contenders for the post of chief minister of the state, was defeated by Afzal Ansari of the Bahujan Samaj Party by 1 lakh, 19 thousand, and 392 votes. Afzal Ansari got 5 lakh, 66 thousand, and 82 votes in the elections. Whereas Manoj Sinha got 4 lakh, 46 thousand, and 690 votes in his account. Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party stood third here. This time, Afzal Ansari is in the election field as a SP candidate from the India Alliance. Afzal Ansari has been MLA five times and MP twice. BJP has nominated Parasnath Rai, considered close to Manoj Sinha, as its candidate for this seat. Parasnath Rai is a teacher by profession and is also the manager of Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Inter College. Whereas, BSP has fielded Umesh Singh, who is a lawyer by profession. Umesh has also played an active role in the Anna movement. All parties have intensified campaigning to ensure the victory of their candidates. Om Awasthi, Akashwani News, Lucknow.”

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Prime Minister and Senior BJP Leader Narendra Modi will be on a three-day visit to Kanyakumari from the 30th of this month. Sources said, in Kanyakumari, Mr. Modi will visit the Rock Memorial and meditate at the Dhyan Mandapam, which is the same place where Swami Vivekananda did meditation.

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Normal life has come to a grinding halt in Northeast India due to extremely heavy rainfall under the impact of Cyclone Remal.

The Cyclone wreaked havoc in parts of the Northeast today, killing at least 23 people in Mizoram, three persons in Assam and one in Meghalaya. The rains, accompanied by gusty winds, uprooted trees, electric poles, triggered landslides and disrupted power and internet services in the region.

In Mizoram, at least 23 people were killed in a massive landslide triggered by incessant rain after which a stone quarry collapsed at a place between Melthum and Hlimen on the outskirts of the state capital Aizawl. Nine persons were reportedly missing after the incident. Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma announced an ex-gratia of four lakh rupees each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives.

President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar have expressed grief at the loss of lives in Mizoram.

In Assam, three persons were killed while 17 others were injured. The deaths occurred in Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro) and Morigaon districts. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed grief over the loss of lives. He directed the Chief Secretary to ensure all necessary assistance is provided to the affected families and timely treatment for the injured.

In Meghalaya, a wall collapsed in East Jaintia Hills district killing one person.

In Arunachal Pradesh, red alert has been issued by IMD in four districts and orange alerts in 11 districts. We have a report:

”India Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rainfall for the next few days in Arunachal Pradesh. In a report issued today, it has issued red alert in West Kameng, East Kameng, Papum Pare and Changlang districts in the state. It said that these districts may witness thunderstorms with lightning and extremely Heavy rainfall at isolated places. Apart from this the department has also issued orange alert for 11 districts and yellow alert for rest of the districts. IMD has issued advisory for the people to avoid going to landslide prone areas and to avoid staying in vulnerable structures. Chief Minister Pema Khandu in a social media post has requested everyone to take all precautionary measures and avoid vulnerable and isolated locations during the period. He has urged the people to contact the District Administrations in case of any emergency. Rakesh Doley, Akashwani News, Itanagar.”

In Kerala, widespread damage is being reported in the southern part of the State due to heavy rainfall. Our correspondent has the details:

“Met dept had issued red alert in Kottayam and Ernakulam districts today and Orange alert in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Idukki districts. As heavy rain continues, night travel and tourism activities have been restricted in the hilly areas.Landslides are being reported in Kottayam, Idukki and Thiruvananthapuram districts. Low lying regions are flooded with Kochi, kottyam, and Thiruvananthapuram being worst hit. Relief camps are opened in the regions.Widespread rains is likely to continue in the state for the next 7 days.Fisherfolks are warned from venturing into the sea in the Kerala and Lakshadweep coasts.Meanwhile the Met dept predicts the onset of monsoon in Kerala  in the next three to four days. Mayusha for Akashvani News from Thiruvananthapuram.”

Severe heatwave conditions continue to dominate the northern India.  According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Churu district of Rajasthan recorded 50.5 degree Celsius, which is the highest recorded maximum temperature in the country today. Meanwhile, Mungeshpur area of Delhi today recorded 49.9 degree Celsius, which is the highest recorded maximum temperature in the national capital this season.

Talking exclusively to Akashwani News, India Meteorological Department scientist Dr RK Jenamani said heat wave conditions will prevail over the North-West region in the next two days. Afterwards, it will witness a gradual reduction.

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India has announced an immediate relief assistance of one million US dollar to support relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts to Papua New Guinea in the wake of THE devastating landslide. A massive landslide occurred on the 24th of this month in Enga Province, Papua New Guinea which buried hundreds of people and caused major destruction and loss of life.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the the loss of lives and damage caused by the devastating landslide in Papua New Guinea.

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In French Open Tennis, ace Indian players, Rohan Bopanna and Yuki Bhambri, will start their campaign in the men’s doubles first round, in Paris tonight. The second seeded duo of Bopanna and his Australian companion Matthew Ebden will take on Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland and Márton Fucsovics of Hungary. While, the unseeded pair of Bhambri and Albano Olivetti of France will face Roman Safiullin of Russia and John Peers of Australia today.

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN: –

• Campaigning for seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha Elections reaches its peak with only three days left for polling.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds rallies in Jharkhand and West Bengal; Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi addresses public meeting in Himachal Pradesh.  
• Death toll reaches 23 after massive landslide in Mizoram; Three persons killed in Assam due to heavy rainfall under the impact of cyclone Remal.
• Delhi records season’s highest temperature of 49.9 degrees Celsius; IMD issues Red Alert for scorching heat in National Capital.
• India announces One million dollar relief assistance for landslide-hit Papua New Guinea.
• In French Open Tennis, Rohan Bopanna and Yuki Bhambri to start their campaign in Men’s Doubles event tonight.

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