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Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar stressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "fearless decision making" while hitting out at the opposition for bringing up «low-level issues» against him. Pawar claimed that there has been no corruption charges against PM Modi in the last ten years. «There have been no corruption charges against PM Modi in the last ten years. The opposition has no major issues so they speak about some low-level issues. PM Modi is making decisions without any fear. Opposition got united to target PM Modi but people are smart. They will make the right decision,» Ajit Pawar told reporters on Wednesday.

Prajwal Revanna, has sent shockwaves through the state. The genesis of this controversy traces back to a simmering dispute within the inner circle of former PM H D Deve Gowda's son H D Revanna's family. It all began to unfold in June 2023 when Karthik, a trusted aide who played various roles within the Revanna family, decided to challenge the established order, a TOI report stated. As per TOI report, at the heart of the issue lies a 16-acre piece of land situated in the ancestral village of the Deve Gowda clan in Holenarsipura. This land, a symbol of familial heritage and political stronghold, became the focal point of contention between Karthik and the Revanna family.

deepfake videos during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora agreed to list the matter for hearing on Thursday, if the petition is in order. Senior advocate Jayant Mehta, while mentioning the plea for an urgent hearing, said it was being filed by a lawyers' body seeking directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to stop the circulation of deepfake videos during elections. Explaining the urgency, the lawyer said general elections are going on and deepfake videos are being circulated and they have also given a representation to the ECI.

Hyderabad Lok Sabha, Madhavi Latha slammed AIMIM and Congress, alleging that they have been winning polls by «spreading hate and terrorising people». «I am surprised that Rahul Gandhi, whose team morphs videos and tries to bluff people, whose party comes into coalition with unknown understandings with parties like AIMIM who give speeches filled with hatred, he cannot talk about peace and bringing unity in the nation,» said Madhavi Latha told ANI. When asked about Asaduddin Owaisi's statement, Madhavi Latha said, «I would only want to say that AIMIM, like Congress, has only been winning the seat by spreading hate and by terrorising people who honestly want to vote… They take control of polling stations and cast bogus votes. History tells, us that if in the history of elections in India, if someone got 110% of the votes, it was the AIMIM… Where are the extra 10 % coming from?»

Kirti Azad sought to poke holes in the BJP's Hindu nationalism plank, saying if the saffron party persists in using the «Hindu Khatre mein» (Hindus in danger) narrative despite being in power for ten years, it raises doubts about the party's necessity to return to power. The former BJP MP-turned-TMC nominee from West Bengal's Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha seat, also said the issue of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) was a «ploy to communalise the polls» since the saffron camp «lacks an impressive report card to present before the masses». In an interview with PTI, Azad highlighted India's diversity and argued against the feasibility of implementing UCC in such a varied cultural landscape while stressing that history belies BJP's claims of Hindu insecurity under previous regimes. «During the Mughal rule, Hindus were not under threat; they were not in peril during British rule; even under multiple governments post-Independence, Hindus never faced any perceived danger. So how come Hindus are suddenly in danger when a Hindu nationalist party is in power for the last 10 years?» he argued.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj provided an update on Raghav Chadha's health, stating that the MP faced potential blindness following a complication in his eyes. Chadha has been in London, United Kingdom for almost two months for a major eye surgery. Bharadwaj said at a press conference, «He is in the UK; there was a complication in his eyes and I was told that it was quite critical that he might have lost his eyesight as well.» Addressing concerns about Chadha's absence during election campaigning, Bharadwaj added, «He has gone there to get treatment. I have my best wishes with him. He will be back soon in good health and will join the campaign.»

voter participation in the upcoming Lok Sabha election on May 7, the Kamrup Election District has organized trial voting using virtual reality technology. This pioneering initiative taken up for the first time in India aims to provide a virtual walk through the actual polling process. Under the guidance of Kamrup District Commissioner and District Election Officer Keerthi Jalli, this initiative was inaugurated at Dakhin Kamrup College in Kamrup District as part of the Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) initiative.

Samajik Nyay Navlok Party and the Gondwana Gantantra Party on Tuesday announced their support to the BJP, the party's Uttar Pradesh unit said. In a statement, the BJP said the two parties declared their support in the presence of state BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary and state Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh. They took this decision as they are impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies of service, good governance and welfare for the poor, it said. Samajik Nyay Navlok Party national president Lekhraj Singh and Gondwana Gantantra Party state president Ramnath Gond along with officials of their parties handed over letters of support to the BJP leaders.

Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seats mounted on Tuesday, even as three days remain for the filing of nominations for the two seats considered as traditional pocket boroughs of Gandhi-Nehru family. Amid speculation that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would be fielded from the two constituencies, the Congress workers in Amethi on Tuesday held a sit-in, demanding that the party names a member of the Gandhi family as its candidate from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency. Sources said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is keen to contest from the Rae Bareli seat and her candidature is likely to be announced soon, once the party leadership takes a final call on the seat. Rahul Gandhi is yet to finalise his candidature on his second seat of Amethi and the leadership is likely to announce his name soon.

Salman Khurshid and SP leader Maria Alam Khan under sections 188 and 295A IPC in Kayamganj PS in Fatehgarh district for allegedly asking for votes on religious lines. Seeking votes for the INDIA bloc candidate from Farrukhabad Lok Sabha seat, Maria Alam made an appeal for «vote jehad», terming it as necessary in the current situation for the minority community to drive away the BJP government. Alam, who is also the niece of senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, while addressing an election meeting on Monday in the presence of senior Congress leader and former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid, made an appeal for «vote jehad», saying «in the current situation, 'vote jehad' is necessary for the minority community»

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday urged all party candidates to carry a copy of the Constitution with them during nominations, public meetings and outreach programmes, and tell the people that as long as the Congress is there, let alone the BJP, no power in the world can snatch away the Constitution. The former Congress chief has been carrying a copy of the Constitution in his public meetings. He did so in Gujarat's Patan and Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur on Monday and in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind on Tuesday. «A boon for the poor, respect for the deprived and pride of every citizen — our Constitution! I request all Congress candidates and leaders to keep the sacred Constitution with them during nominations, meetings, speeches and public outreach,» Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X. «Announce it in every village and every street that as long as the Congress is there, let alone BJP, no power in the world can snatch away the Constitution of India,» the former Congress chief said.

Deve Gowda's grandson Prajwal Revanna has been suspended from the party temporarily until allegations against him over sexual abuse are probed. Revanna and his father HD Revanna, also a JD(S) MLA, were booked on Sunday by the police for sexual harassment and criminal intimidation based on a complaint from a woman, who worked in their household. «We welcome SIT against Prajwal Revanna. We've taken a decision to recommend our party's national president to suspend him from the party till the SIT investigation is completed, » JD(S) core committee president GT Devegowda said.

Amit Shah said that the Bharatiya Janata Party believes reservation based on religion is «unconstitutional». While addressing a press conference in Assam's Guwahati on Tuesday, Amit Shah vowed to end the reservation «imposed based on religion» in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh if BJP comes to power. He also criticised Congress for creating «confusion» by «spreading lies».

Bihar deputy CM and BJP leader Samrat Choudhary in an interaction with ET dismissed the notion that low voter turnout would impact the NDA while expressing confidence that the difference between the NDA and the opposition is high. He further added that low voting percentage won't impact the NDA in terms of winnability of seats. «Where is the new vote going to the opposition? In Bihar, the fight is at 80:20. Therefore, low polling is not going to impact us. In fact, we are determined to do better than 2019,» Choudhary told ET. In 2019, the NDA had won 39 of the 40 Bihar seats with JDU and LJP as their allies. The BJP leader said that there are around 20 seats in Bihar where the opposition has almost given a walk over. Talking about JDU joining the NDA again, Choudhary said the alliance is natural with a strong vote bank.

BJP President J P Nadda on Monday asked who the prime ministerial candidate of the opposition bloc would be. Nadda, who addressed election rallies at Kothagudem and Mahabubabad in Telangana, said Narendra Modi would become prime minister if the BJP and its allies win the Lok Sabha polls but nobody knows who the INDIA bloc's PM candidate is. «We have decided that Narendra Modi ji will be our prime minister. But, I want to know who will become the prime minister on behalf of INDI alliance's 'arrogant' coalition. Does anyone know?,» he asked. «Who will become prime minister? Modi ji will become. But, who is the prime ministerial candidate from there (INDIA bloc)? Who is the candidate? God forbid if Rahul Gandhi becomes, if anyone brings him to the front, will he be able to fight with Corona (pandemic)?,» Nadda asked.

Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav on Monday claimed the ruling BJP is scared of Mulayam Singh Yadav's family and warned that the more its leaders speak against this family, the more the victory margin of SP will be in the Lok Sabha elections. Speaking to PTI, he also expressed confidence that in the third phase of general elections, candidates of the SP and INDIA bloc will win all 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh. «BJP leaders are scared of Netaji's (SP founder late Mulayam Singh Yadav) family. The more they speak against Netaji and our family, the more the victory margin of SP candidates will be,» Shivpal Yadav said when asked about Union Home Minister Amit Shah's allegation that whatever the SP has is not for the party but for «one family». Shivpal Yadav is the younger brother of Mulayam Singh Yadav.

criminal cases against themselves, the ADR said in a new report. Seven candidates have also declared prior convictions, according to an analysis of details of candidates contesting the elections in the third phase by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and The National Election Watch. The third phase of the elections will be held on May 7. Among the 244 candidates with criminal records, five face charges related to murder while 24 have been booked in cases of attempted murder.

BJP on Monday claimed that it is the Congress and its allies which intends to change the Constitution to give reservation to Muslims on religious grounds, as the ruling party accused them of misleading Dalits and other disadvantaged Hindu groups against the Modi government. BJP MP Brij Lal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated time and again that no one can change the Constitution, as envisaged by Bhim Rao Ambedkar. The former IPS officer, who comes from the Scheduled Castes, told reporters that it is the Congress which has amended the Constitution the most number of times and even suspended its provisions to impose the Emergency in 1975. The Congress and its allies are spreading this narrative to mislead people, especially Dalits, that the BJP will end reservation, Brij Lal said, speaking on an issue over which the two main contenders for power have been targeting each other during the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday criticised the BJP for using the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) as a political ploy ahead of the elections, asserting that Hindus will not benefit from it. Speaking at a rally in the minority-dominated Jangipur constituency in Murshidabad district, Banerjee accused the BJP of resorting to divisive tactics in the face of anticipated defeat in the initial phases of polling. «Whenever there are elections, they use one issue or the other to flare up communal tensions. This time they are talking about the UCC and are propagating that it is against a particular community. But this UCC is nothing but political rhetoric and Hindus in no way will benefit from it,» she said. Banerjee highlighted a growing anti-BJP sentiment nationwide, especially evident after the first two phases of voting.

Narendra Modi on Moday said the opposition "INDI alliance" wants to give the PM's post to its leaders for a year each, and asked the people if they support such an idea. «There is a great war going on about who will be the leader of the INDI alliance. Can you hand over such a big country to someone whose face is not known,» Modi said, addressing an election rally in Solapur. Modi claimed that if the INDI alliance comes to power, it will work with the "one year, one PM" formula during its five-year term.

reservation in the country for the sake of vote bank politics, but asserted that he will not let it happen. He said this Congress proposal is to appease minorities as the SC/ST and OBC community is now with the BJP. «In Karnataka, Congress has started a campaign to change the Constitution and to snatch away the rights of SC/ST and OBCs. Our Constitution does not accept religion-based reservation. But the Karnataka government has given part of OBC reservation to Muslims,» Modi said. Addressing a mega election rally in this district headquarters town, he said, «they (Congress) will not settle with this. They had earlier too in their manifesto said about coming out with a law to provide religion-based reservation. There is a similar signal in their manifesto this time.»