Lok Sabha Election 2024 Updates: Amit Shah accuses Naveen Patnaik of 'strangling' dignity, pride of Odisha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday claimed that the opposition INDIA bloc opposes reservation for women, accusing the alliance of making women's lives difficult under their rule.

“INDI alliance opposes reservation for women. Wherever their government comes to power, the life of women becomes difficult. People of Varanasi are familiar with the 'jungle raj' of both Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,” Modi said at an event in Varanasi. Read more.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Union home minister Amit Shah today hit out at Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, accusing his government of corruption.

“The Odisha government is erasing the memory of the glorious Paika struggle, but Modi Ji has honoured it by issuing postage stamps and a coin commemorating it," Shah said in his rallies in Odisha.

“Naveen Ji is imposing Babudom on the people of Odisha. He is strangling the dignity and pride of Odisha.” Read more.

PM Narendra Modi today recalled Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav's 'boys will be boys' remark while lauding the Yogi Adityanath government on women safety in Uttar Pradesh.

Modi claimed women were neglected during the Congress and Samajwadi Party rule, according to PTI.

Stones were hurled by some unidentified persons during a roadshow of actor-turned-BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty in Midnapore town today. Following this, a clash also broke out, police said.

Agnimitra Paul, BJP candidate for Midnapore Lok Sabha seat, has accused Trinamool Congress workers of hurling glass bottles and stones at the procession, a charge denied by the ruling party in the state.

Both Chakraborty and Paul were unharmed in the incident.

Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "five PMs in five years" remark, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has said that similar things were said even in 2004, but the UPA government completed two full terms under one PM, Manmohan Singh, reports PTI.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is at the 'Nari Shakti Samvad' programme in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi. UP CM Yogi Adityanath also present.

Bureaucrat-turned-politician and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader VK Pandian on Tuesday took a dig at BJP leader Sambit Patra over his decision to undertake penance by observing fast for three days, saying the Puri Lok Sabha candidate should take care and eat properly because of prevailing heat and dust. Read more.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused India's first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru of ‘opposing’ reservations for the deprived castes.

Addressing a rally in Bihar's Motihari, the prime minister said,"Had it not been for Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Nehru would have never agreed to quotas for SCs, STs and OBCs. Nehru had made his views clear on the issue in letters he wrote to the then chief ministers in the country." Read more.

One person was killed and three others injured in post-poll violence in Bihar's Saran district on Tuesday, reports PTI, citing the police.

The incident happened in the Bada Telma area after an altercation broke out between two groups, said to be supporters of the BJP and RJD, over allegations of irregularities during polling.

The deceased has been identified as Chandan Yadav (25).

“In the SP government, mafias used to seize the land of the poor, but now the BJP government demolishes their illegal mansions and builds houses for the poor,” says PM Modi in Prayagraj.

“This INDI alliance is against our good governance and our faith. Every corner of India testifies that INDI alliance cannot bring development and progress. During Kumbh held under their rule, stampedes used to take place and people use to lose their lives. Everywhere chaos prevailed,” PM Modi said at a rally in Prayagraj.

Lok Sabha polls 2024 Live: In Chandigarh, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge says: "...Despite being a prosperous state there is unemployment & inflation here. The people feel that the government here has a lot of resources...But despite all this, Haryana which is known as a prosperous state is in debt. The (Haryana) government has forgotten the path of development...PM Modi does not talk about the work that they have done but keep abusing Congres..." (ANI)

Lok Sabha polls 2024 Live: Political strategist Prashant Kishor on Tuesday claimed that there is neither significant dissatisfaction with the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre nor a strong demand for an alternative in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In an interview with NDTV, the Jan Suraaj Party chief also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to guide the BJP to another victory in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, predicting that the saffron party seat count could be close to or even surpass its 2019 tally of 303. Read more.

Over 1000 villagers in Odisha's Balangir constituency boycotted polling during Phase 5 of the Lok Sabha Election 2024 on Monday over their "demand for schools and hospitals''. The polling officers sealed all the EVMs and VVPATs at polling booths around 2 pm due to the absence of voters. Read more.

Lok Sabha polls 2024 Live: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has alleged that the INDIA bloc was communal, casteist and dynastic.

"The nation cannot move forward with the sins of the INDIA bloc, which stands for corruption, appeasement politics, represents the 'tukde-tukde' gang and a perverted mindset that heaps scorn on Sanatan Dharma," he said, according to PTI.

Lok Sabha polls 2024 Live: Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday cited surveys and said the Opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc will win over 300 of 543 Lok Sabha seats and form the next government. Read more.

“...This assembly election is an election of Odisha's pride. Can a Tamil rule Odisha? Can a Tamil Babu run Odisha? I assure you, if you form a BJP government, a young chief minister from Odisha, a chief minister who speaks Odia, will rule here,” Amit Shah says, according to ANI.

"Naveen Babu left Odisha behind in 25 years. 25 lakh people of Odisha still do not have a house, 26 lakh people still do not have drinking water in their homes...If you form a BJP government, the BJP government will provide a house and drinking water to every person in 2 years," he adds.

Lok Sabha polls 2024 Live: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has responded to PM Modi's 'never said a word against minorities' remark during an interview with PTI.

“The prime minister is fast losing his memory. He has never had any adherence to truth. He is 'jhoothjeevi', what he says today, he forgets tomorrow and says he never said it. He has been attacking the Congress party, he's been talking of Hindu-Muslim, he's talking about Muslim League, he's talking about ‘mangalsutra’,” he tells PTI.

"He has talked about Congress party giving reservation on the basis of religion. This is all bogus statements that he has made."

The Election Commission has barred BJP's Tamluk candidate and former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay from campaigning for 24 hours starting from 5pm today.

The TMC had accused Gangopadhyay of making “vulgar and uncouth remarks” about the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee at an election meeting on May 15.

Lok Sabha polls 2024 Live: A 41-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly slapping northeast Delhi Congress candidate Kanhaiya Kumar last week.

Thne incident took place when Kanhaiya Kumar was in New Usmanpur area to meet AAP councilor Chhaya Sharma for their campaign. The accused along with others allegedly slapped Kumar and threw ink at him. Police said the men also threatened Sharma who tried to intervene.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Speaking at a poll rally in Siddharthnagar, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath stated, “During the Congress regime, the then Prime Minister used to say that 100 paise is sent but only 15 paise reaches down (to the public). This is not the situation today. Today you have a Jan Dhan account. The money comes directly to your account... We people in Lucknow just click once and the next moment the money reaches us.”

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Addressing a poll rally in Odisha's Sambalpur Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, “Odisha is a very beautiful place, it has a long coastline, a lot of mineral wealth, and hardworking youth but the only thing missing is a hard-working Chief Minister. Form the BJP government, we will give a hard-working young CM.”

BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi said at a press conference, "The events inside the Chief Minister's residence in Delhi have exposed their reality to such an extent that even 8 days after that incident, many questions remain in the minds of the people of Delhi...Kejriwal ji, you are the same leader who used to say that I will live in a 3-room house and my house will remain open 24 hours. Anyone can come and meet us anytime but today he is staying in his 'Sheesh Mehal' and meeting people only after appointments. He told his member of Parliament that since there was no appointment, I would not meet her...My next question is that Bibhav Kumar was inside, who technically is nothing in today's date, neither holding any government post nor any political post. If he was in the Chief Minister's residence, then where was his appointment? Show in the appointment list that Bibhav Kumar's appointment was there. If there was no appointment, then in what capacity was he inside CM's residence?..."

Home Minister Amit Shah said in Odisha, "This time lotus will bloom in both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Odisha. After 5 phases, Modi ji has crossed 310 seats...You have to make the lotus blossom here by getting more than 75 seats in the assembly elections..."

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Addressing a public rally in Bihar's East Champaran, PM Narendra Modi took a dig at Opposition saying, “In 60 years these people have built big palaces and opened accounts in Swiss bank. Your children did not have a school to study, but their children continued studying abroad. The poor were in trouble and difficulty, but it did not make any difference to them.”