THE HEADLINES:-
- With only one day left for campaigning to end for third phase of Lok Sabha Elections, Political leaders making all out efforts to garner support for their candidates.
- External Affairs Minister, Dr Jaishankar rejects US President Joe Biden’s remarks of India being Xenophobic; Says, it always welcomes people from diverse society.
- Centre lifts ban on export of onions subject to a Minimum Export Price of 550 dollar per Metric Ton.
- SIT arrests JD(S) leader HD Revanna in Bengaluru in connection with kidnapping case.
- In Jammu and Kashmir, terrorists attack Air Force convoy in Poonch; Search operation on.
- In IPL Cricket, match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans underway in Bengaluru.
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With only one day left for campaigning to end for the third phase of Lok Sabha Elections, Political leaders are making all out efforts to garner support in favour of their party candidates. Voting in this phase will be held in 93 Constituencies spread over 10 states and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
Senior BJP leader Amit Shah campaigned in Gujarat today. He addressed election rallies in Chhota Udepur and Vansda. He said reservation is the constitutional right of SCs, STs and OBCs and will remain intact as long as BJP is in power. Mr. Shah said BJP is committed to the development of all classes of society in the country. He slammed the Congress party for misleading the tribals and spreading misinformation regarding reservation system. Mr Shah also campaigned in Daman and Diu today.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addressed a rally at Banaskantha in Gujarat today. She reiterated the party’s commitment to the welfare of farmers and labourers of the country. Ms Vadra said, if the Congress party comes to power, it will set up a permanent commission to ensure minimum support price to the farmers. She said that Congress has always been a people-centric party. She added that Bharat Jodo yatra was nothing but a medium to listen to the problems of the poor and downtrodden. Priyanka also held a meeting at Davangere in Karnataka today. She charged that demonetisation and GST have broken the back of small industries and traders.
Senior BJP Leader Mansukh Mandaviya also campaigned in Gujarat today.
Campaigning has reached its last leg in Uttar Pradesh as well as ten constituencies of the state will go to polls on Tuesday. These are Sambhal, Hathras, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Badaun, Aonla and Bareilly.
Bahujan Samaj Party President, Mayawati held a public meeting at Agra. She alleged that the people of the country are facing hardship due to rising inflation and unemployment. She said, due to the wrong economic policies of the BJP, the small and middle class businesses are badly affected.
Agra will go to polls in the third phase.
“Agra which is famous for Tajmahal, Lal quila and Petha is witnessing hectic campaigning. The leaders of all the political parties are trying to garner support of voters by holding road shows, public meetings and door to door campaigns, In Agra, Lok Sabha counstituency the main contest is between BJP, Samajwadi party and Bahujan Samaj Party. BJP candidate S P Singh Baghel today held a road show in Kinari Bazar to woo the voters while Samajwadi Party candidate Suresh Chand Kardam held door to door campaign to attract the voters. In 2019 Lok Sabha elections BJP candidate S P Singh Baghel had defeated Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Manoj Kumar Soni by more than two lakh votes. Dipendra kumar, Akashwani News. Agra.”
The Mainpuri seat is another hot seat in UP, being considered the traditional bastion of the Samajwadi party. The party has fielded Dimple Yadav, wife of SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav from here, while UP Minister Jaiveer Singh is the BJP candidate. BSP has given ticket to former MLA Shiv Prasad Yadav. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav held a road show in Mainpuri this evening in support of Dimple Yadav.
The Prime Minister and senior BJP leader, Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a public meeting in Etawah adjoining Mainpuri tomorrow.
“Around 350 kilometers away from Delhi, Mainpuri has been a bastion of Samajwadi Party. For around the last three decades, this Lok Sabha seat has been retained by the late former UP Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav’s family. This time, BJP is leaving no stone unturned to corner Samajwadi Party on this seat by highlighting developmental work of the Central Government including guarantees of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and attacking Samajwadi on the issue of dynasty politics. Similarly, Samajwadi party is raising the issues of unemployment, inflation, reservation, and caste census prominently to counter the BJP. This phase will be the test of Samajwadi Party’s first family as other than Dimpal Yadav in Mainpuri, two other members of the family – Akshay Yadav from Firozabad and Aditya Yadav from Budaun are also in the poll battle. Diwaker, Akashvani News, Mainpuri.”
Senior BJP Leader and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath campaigned in Madhya Pradesh today. In the evening he accompanied the Prime Minister during his visit to Kanpur.
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Campaigning for the remaining phases of Lok Sabha election is also in full swing. Top leaders of major political parties are touring different states and holding rallies and roadshows. Prime Minister and Senior BJP leader Narendra Modi held election rallies at Palamu and Gumla districts in Jharkhand and at Darbhanga in Bihar today. In Jharkhand, Mr Modi said 25 crore people came out of poverty in last 10 years of the NDA government. He accused the Congress of ruining the tribal districts and being solely responsible for their backwardness.
In his Darbhanga rally, Mr Modi alleged that Congress and RJD led governments have ruined the future of Bihar. Mr. Modi said during the RJD rule kidnapping was an Industry and public money was plundered. The senior BJP leader also attacked RJD Chief Lalu Prasad alleging him for involvement in land for job scam.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also held a road show in Kanpur. The PM was accompanied in the vehicle by senior BJP leader and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, party candidates of Kanpur Nagar and Akbarpur Lok Sabha constituencies. This was the first road show of the PM in Kanpur-Bundelkhand region.
Senior BJP leader and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath addressed a public meeting in Kannauj and Farrukhabad in favour of party candidates. Mr. Yogi said that after 2014 we have seen a new India, where the borders of the country have been secured and terrorism has come to an end.
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Former Delhi Congress Chief, Arvinder Singh Lovely joined the BJP in New Delhi today in the presence of party General Secretary Vinod Tawde. Union Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri was also present on the occasion.
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Scrutiny of nomination papers for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections was taken up today. The filing of nominations for this phase ended yesterday. Monday is the last day for withdrawal of candidature. Polling in the fifth phase will be held on 20th May for 49 Lok Sabha seats in six States and two Union Territories.
Scrutiny of nomination papers was also held for the second phase of Assembly Elections in Odisha.
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In our series, covering profiles of key constituencies across States and Union Territories during the Lok Sabha elections, today we bring a report on Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
The nomination process for the 13 seats including Kannauj for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections has been completed. Polling on these seats will be held on 13th of this month.
“Kannauj parliamentary constituency, which is known as the perfume city, has a total of 19 lakh 82 thousand 589 voters. SP has won the Kannauj seat in seven consecutive elections between 1989 and 2014. This seat, considered to be the stronghold of the Samajwadi Party, was won by BJP’s Subrata Pathak in the 2019 elections by defeating Dimple Yadav. SP national president Akhilesh Yadav has entered in the electoral fray to win this seat back. Akhilesh Yadav has won this seat three times in a row in 2000, 2004 and 2009. This time also, BJP has fielded MP Subrata Pathak again in the election fray. Imran Bin Zafar from Bahujan Samaj Party is trying to make the contest triangular. Om Awasthi, Akashwani News, Lucknow.”
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External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has refuted US President Joe Biden’s claim that xenophobia was hindering India’s economy. Speaking at a round table organised by a media house, he said, India has always been a society which has been very open. He stressed that India has always been a very unique country in the history of the world and it always welcomed people from diverse society. Dr Jaishankar countered that Indian economy was not faltering.
The US President had recently remarked that xenophobia in India and Japan was impeding growth in their economies.
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The Centre has lifted the ban on onion exports. In a notification, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said, the order effective immediately, is subject to a Minimum Export Price of 550 dollar per Metric Ton. The decision was taken considering factors such as estimated Rabi-2024 production, good Kharif prospect with above-normal monsoon forecast, current market situation and international availability and price situation.
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In Karnataka, JD(S) MLA H.D. Revanna, who is the son of former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda was taken into custody in a sexual assault and kidnapping case. The Special Investigation Team nabbed him after a court rejected his anticipatory bail plea in Bengaluru. H.D. Revanna is facing the charge of kidnapping the woman who had complained about the sexual assault. H.D. Revanna’s son Prajwal Revanna is also facing charges of sexual assault and a lookout notice was issued against him by the SIT. Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah has written a letter to the Central Government to revoke the diplomatic passport issued to Prajwal Revanna.
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In Jammu and Kashmir, two security vehicles of Air Force were fired upon by terrorists in Shashidhar area of Mendhar sub division of Poonch district this evening. Our Correspondent reports that some terrorists attacked on two vehicles of Air Force, in which five soldiers of IAF were injured. Of the five injured, one airman is reportedly critical. The injured soldiers have been shifted to a hospital for treatment.
The local Rashtriya Rifles unit has started cordon and search operations in the area.
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The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services has revised the red alert for high-energy swell waves to orange alert along the Kerala and Tamil Nadu coasts.
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In IPL cricket, Gujarat Titans were 136 for 7 in 18 overs against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, when reports last came in. Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and opted to field.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN.
- With only one day left for campaigning to end for third phase of Lok Sabha Elections, Political leaders making all out efforts to garner support for their candidates.
- External Affairs Minister, Dr Jaishankar rejects US President Joe Biden’s remarks of India being Xenophobic; Says, it always welcomes people from diverse society.
- Centre lifts ban on export of onions subject to a Minimum Export Price of 550 dollar per Metric Ton.
- SIT arrests JD(S) leader HD Revanna in Bengaluru in connection with kidnapping case.
- In Jammu and Kashmir, terrorists attack Air Force convoy in Poonch; Search operation on.
- In IPL Cricket, match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans underway in Bengaluru.
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