THE HEADLINES:
- Campaigning for fifth phase of Lok Sabha Elections to end this evening.
- Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi to address election rallies in Haryana and Delhi today; Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to campaign in national capital.
- Delhi Police detains Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar in connection with Swati Maliwal assault case.
- India advises its students in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek to stay indoors following reports of violence targeting international students.
- IMD says, heavy rain will continue to lash Kerala in coming days.
- And in IPL cricket, Royal Challengers Bengaluru to take on Chennai Super Kings in Bengaluru this evening.
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Campaigning for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha Elections will come to an end this evening. Political heavyweights are on a marathon election tour to cover maximum constituencies to garner support for their party candidates. Polling in this phase will be held on Monday in 49 constituencies in six states and two Union Territories.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address two rallies in Haryana today in favour of BJP candidates. He will address a rally at Ambala around 2.45 PM and at Gohana in Sonipat around 4.45 PM.
Mrs Banto Kataria, wife of former Union Minister Rattan Lal Kataria, is BJP candidate from Ambala, while Mohan Lal Badoli is contesting from Sonipat. The polling in Haryana will be held on 25th May.
Prime Minister will address an elelection rally at Ghonda in the national capital at 6:30 pm today, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will kick start their election campaign in Delhi from today.
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Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh said that prominent economists and financial firms worldwide have acknowledged the initiatives launched by the Modi government that have helped in lifting 25 crore people out of poverty over the past 10 years. He was speaking at a political rally in favor of a party candidate in Basti district of Uttar Pradesh today. Mr. Singh emphasized that the BJP has never played politics by misleading the public; instead, it has always faced the people directly and honestly. The perception of India has changed worldwide. Leaders of all nations are now saying that the 21st century belongs to India. He further said that in the coming years, the influence of parties like Congress and SP will wane, and people will eventually forget them after the 2024 elections. Mr. Singh will later address a public meeting in Lucknow.
Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah addressed a public meeting in Jhansi today. Mr. Shah said that BJP has already crossed 270 seats after the fourth phase and is heading towards the 300-mark after the fifth phase of election in the country. Mr. Shah accused Congress and the INDI Alliance of being a family-centric coalition, only thinking about their families.
He mentioned that after a 70-year wait, Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the “Pran Pratishtha” of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Mr. Shah criticized Congress, saying they claim the Pran Pratishtha was not done properly. Mr. Shah will also hold a road show in favor of party candidate Smriti Irani in Amethi today. He is also scheduled to address a public meeting in Banda.
Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav will address a political gathering in Shravasti, Faizabad, Sultanpur and Ambedkarnagar today. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will campaign on Barabanki Loksabha seat. Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati is scheduled to address a public gathering in Basti.
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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of inciting people and dividing society through his election speeches. While addressing a press conference of the INDIA bloc in Mumbai, Mr. Kharge alleged that the Mahayuti government in the state was formed on the basis of betrayal and conspiracy.
Speaking at the press conference, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said that BJP is floating false narratives like associating the INDI alliance with Pakistan to divert people’s attention from relevant issues like unemployment.
Addressing the media persons at the PC, Shiv Sena(UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray attacked the NDA and said they are defaming and cheating the state of Maharashtra.
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In our series of constituency profile for Lok Sabha elections, today we bring you a report on Balangir parliamentary seat in Odisha.
“In 2024 general elections, Odisha is undergoing both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections simultaneously. In such a situation, there is a lot of political sparkling in Balangir Lok Sabha constituency. If we look at the political history of Balangir parliamentary seat, this constituency was once held by Congress, but later BJP took hold and then this seat came into the account of BJD. In the 8 elections held since 1990, BJP won 4 times, which also includes a hat-trick. Congress and BJD also won 2 times each. In 1991 and 1996, Sarat Patnaik of Congress won, while in 1998, Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo of Balangir royal family opened an account for BJP here and won in 1999 and 2004 elections and scored a hat-trick. Then BJD’s Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo won the 2009 and 2014 elections. In the 2019 elections, two members of the royal family contested the Balangir Lok Sabha seat from different parties. BJD fielded Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, who has been a two-time MP from this seat. Sangeeta Kumari of the royal family had contested against him on BJP ticket. Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo stopped Kalikesh from scoring a hat-trick in the elections and won. She won with 4,98,086 votes, while BJD’s Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo got 4,78,570 votes. Balangir Lok Sabha seat is currently held by BJP. There are 7 assembly seats under Balangir parliamentary seat, out of which 2 seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes. Here in the 2019 Assembly elections, BJD won on 4 seats, Congress won on 2 seats and BJP won on one seat. BJP has again fielded Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo in this Lok Sabha elections while BJD has made Surendra Singh Bhoi, who left Congress to join BJD, as its candidate. Congress has given ticket to actor-turned-politician Manoj Mishra. There are chances of a triangular fight between BJP, BJD and Congress in this Lok Sabha constituency voting for which will be held on 20th of this month. PRAKASH DAS, akashvani news, Bhubaneswar.
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In our series of constituency profile for Lok Sabha elections, today we also bring you a report on Allahabad parliamentary seat in Uttar Pradesh. This time, BJP has fielded Neeraj Tripathi, son of former governor Kesari Nath Tripathi, whereas Ujjwal Raman is Congress candidate. BSP has fielded Ramesh Patel. More from our correspondent :
“Along with political leaders like Lal Bahadur Shastri, VP Singh, Murli Manohar Joshi, Janeshwar Mishra, actor Amitabh Bachchan has been MP from Allahabad Lok Sabha seat. Due to the changing mood of voters, this seat never proved to be a stronghold for any party. Despite this, Congress has won this seat maximum 7 times. BJP has been winning this seat for the last two elections. At present Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who left Congress and joined BJP, is the MP from here. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rita Bahuguna Joshi defeated Samajwadi Party’s Rajendra Singh Patel by more than one lakh 84 thousand votes. Yogesh Shukla of Congress stood third in this election. This time the contest on Allahabad seat is between two political heirs. BJP has fielded Neeraj Tripathi, son of former Governor and three-time Speaker of the UP Assembly, Pandit Kesrinath Tripathi. From the Indian alliance, Congress has fielded Ujjwal Raman, son of two-time MP Kunwar Revathi Raman, from this seat. Ramesh Patel has been made the candidate from BSP. There are a total of five assembly seats in Allahabad parliamentary constituency. These include Meja, Karchana, Allahabad South, Bara and Koraon. More than 18 lakh voters will decide the electoral fate of 14 candidates on May 25 in this parliamentary seat. Sushil Chandra Tiwari, Akashwani News, Lucknow.
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Delhi Police today detained Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar in connection with the alleged assault on AAP MP Swati Maliwal. He has been brought to the Civil Lines Police station in the national capital. Earlier, Ms Maliwal had filed a complaint against Bibhav Kumar allegaing harassment and torture at Mr. Kejriwal’s residence on 13th of this month. Bibhav Kumar also filed a counter complaint against Ms Maliwal alleging that she illegally entered the Chief Minister’s house on the day when the incident occured.
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The Aam Aadmi Party today alleged that the Swati Maliwal assault case is a BJP conspiracy. Addressing the media in New Delhi, Senior party leader and Delhi Minister Atishi said Anti- Corruption Bureau has filed a case against Swati Maliwal in the illegal recruitment of contractual employees in Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) and BJP is using it to conspire against AAP.
Meanwhile, BJP has denied the allegations. Party National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said that it has become Aam Aadmi Party’s idea and etiquette to indulge in this kind of modus operandi. He also alleged that Aam Aadmi Party is deeply engaged in corruption, misconduct and disinformation and it is brazenly defending the accused after having accepted the incident partially before.
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India today advised students in Kyrgyzstan’s Bishkek to stay indoors following the reports of mob violence targeting international students. Assuring the welfare of Indian students in Bishkek, External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar said, the situation is being monitored and it is reportedly calm now. He advised the students to stay in regular touch with the Embassy.
The Embassy of India in Kyrgyzstan released 24×7 emergency contact number- 055-571-0041 for students.
Bishkek has been witnessing severe violence over the last few days, with four Pakistani students killed and many injured. The incident started with a dispute that broke out in a hostel on 13th May, involving Pakistani students, ultimately escalating into a harrowing display of aggression.
Amidst the chaos, Pakistani students have alleged that they did not receive any help from the Pakistani Embassy or local authorities in Kyrgyzstan. Allegations have surfaced regarding the inadequate medical treatment provided to injured students in hospitals.
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India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that heavy rain will continue to lash Kerala in coming days. Orange alert has been issued in Palakkad and Malappuram districts and yellow alert in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Idukki, Kozhikode and Wayanad districts. Due to the possibility of strong winds and bad weather, fisherfolks have been warned against venturing into the sea in Kerala coast. Alert has also been issued for hilly regions of the state.
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IMD has forecast heatwave conditions over Northwest, Central and Eastern part of the country for the next few days. It said, heat wave to severe heat wave conditions are expected over parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi till Tuesday. These conditions have also commenced over Eastern and Central parts of the country from today.
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Gujarat is experiencing scorching heat with highest temperature of 44.7 recorded in Surendranagar district yesterday. Ahmedabad at 44.2 degree Celsius second warmest city of the western state. The Met Office has forecast a heat wave in Saurashtra and South Gujarat during the next five days.
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In Haryana, 8 persons were killed in an accident in Nuh when a bus on way to Jalandhar from Mathura caught fire last night. 24 passengers have been seriously injured. They have been admitted to the hospital. The tourist bus was carrying more than 60 passengers from Punjab and Haryana.
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In IPL cricket, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Chennai Super Kings at M Chinnaswami Stadium in Bengaluru this evening. The match will start at 7.30 PM.
Last night, Lucknow Super Giants defeated Mumbai Indians by 18 runs at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Chasing 215 for victory, Mumbai Indians scored 196 runs for 6 in 20 overs.
Earlier, Put into bat, Lucknow Super Giants posted a challenging total of 214 runs for 6 wickets in stipulated 20 overs.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN::
- Campaigning for fifth phase of Lok Sabha Elections to end this evening.
- Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi to address election rallies in Haryana and Delhi today; Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to campaign in national capital.
- Delhi Police detains Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar in connection with Swati Maliwal assault case.
- India advises its students in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek to stay indoors following reports of violence targeting international students.
- IMD says, heavy rain will continue to lash Kerala in coming days.
- And in IPL cricket, Royal Challengers Bengaluru to take on Chennai Super Kings in Bengaluru this evening.
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