Lok Sabha Election 2019 LIVE: Defamation complaint against Manoj Tiwari for calling attack on Kejriwal staged

Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized Indian and foreign currency worth Rs 38 lakh under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), from a Delhi based Hawala Operator.

Campaign ended on Friday for eight Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, which go to polls in the sixth phase of the general elections on Sunday.

The constituencies are Sheohar, Valmiki Nagar, Pashchimi Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Siwan, Gopalganj, Maharajganj and Vaishali all of which were won by the NDA in 2014.

Of these, Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP holds the Vaishali seat, while the remaining were won by the BJP, which has given up Valmiki Nagar and Siwan in favour of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) and fielded its sitting MPs from their respective seats.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again led the charge in the run up to the penultimate phase of the polls with a rally in Valmiki Nagar tucked in the remote north-west corner of the state along the Indo-Nepal border.

An AAP volunteer has filed a criminal defamation complaint against BJP's Lok Sabha candidate Manoj Tiwari and spokesperson Harish Khurana for allegedly defaming him as one who assaulted Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during a poll rally.

The complainant has also sought the prosecution of Tiwari and Khurana for alleged criminal conspiracy to defame AAP by terming the incident as "staged" by Kejriwal.

The matter is listed before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal for May 13.

Kerala's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Teeka Ram Meena, who is cracking down on bogus voting, on Friday said that he has detected more such incidents, including in the assembly seat held by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Vijayan represents the Dharmadam assembly constituency, which comes under the Kannur Lok Sabha constituency.

Addressing the media, Meena said that a probe by the Kannur District Collector has revealed that nine people fraudulently voted 12 times at Taliparambu and one at the Dharmadam assembly constituencies, both under the Kannur constituency.

Chief Electoral Office of the state has sent a report to the Election Commission of India regarding the money seized from BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Ghatal, Bharati Ghosh's car earlier today.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday said he will reply with love to prime minister Narendra Modi's “hatred” towards him and his family.

Addressing a rally in Himachal Pradesh's Una, he also flayed Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party government over demonetisation and the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

“Modi may spread hatred against me and late PMs Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, but I will repay with love,” he said.

In the last few days, the Modi has referred to alleged corruption during Rajiv Gandhi's term as prime minister.

BSP supremo Mayawati on Friday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging "chowkidaari" is making the rich wealthier and his "theatrics and rhetoric" will not yield any result in the Lok Sabha polls.

Addressing a rally in support of her party candidates in Northeast Delhi, she said no development was carried out for minorities, Dalits and backward castes in the last five years.

Their condition was no different during the Congress' rule, she said.

"The BJP will go out of power. Their natakbaazi (theatrics) and jumlebaazi (rhetoric) won't work. This chowkidari (guarding) won't work. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised acche din but he hasn't fulfilled even one-fourth of them.

Microphones will fall silent and high-octane poll campaigning will end on Friday evening in the national capital as the 48-hour silence period kicks in from 6 pm ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

All seven parliamentary constituencies in Delhi will vote on May 12 as part of the sixth phase of the polls.

"The campaigning will end this evening as the 48-hour silence period will kick in at 6 pm today which would stay till 6 pm on Sunday," Delhi CEO Ranbir Singh told reporters.

As many as 523 polling locations have been identified till date as critical, he said.

The Congress hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accusing him of ruling the country by dividing it and used the Time magazine cover headline that says "India's Divider in Chief", followed by a secondary one that reads "Modi the Reformer".

Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the way the party had removed the British from the country, it would do the same with Modi.

"Modiji's definition - divide and rule. The Congress first freed the country of the British and will now remove Modi too," Surjewala said in a tweet in Hindi, along with the cover of the Time magazine that also carried a picture of Modi.

The TIME magazine has featured Modi on the cover of its international edition with a controversial headline and a secondary one that reads "Modi the Reformer" as the country enters the final phase of the mammoth general election.

Supreme Court reserves the order on the contempt petition filed by BJP MP Meenakashi Lekhi, against Rahul Gandhi for attributing his 'Chowkidar chor hai' comment to Supreme Court.

Anand Sharma, Congress on PM Modi's comment on INS Viraat: Any PM would do so but this PM has no family, if he had family then he would also be going there, but he goes alone because he has no connect with a family or any respect for family values.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal says, “Atishi (AAP East Delhi candidate) is a highly educated and an accomplished woman. Her work has been great in the field of education which is being discussed worldwide. I don't understand why BJP can't tolerate achievements made by women.”

“This is the mentality of BJP, even today BJP leaders are saying the same things that were written in the pamphlet. They have filed defamation case against us after defaming us. We are sending defamation notice to Gautam Gambhir today. We will not leave this matter.”

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on post-poll alliance says, “We will support whoever will be forming the govt at the Centre except Modi ji and Amit Shah, on the promise that Delhi will be given statehood.”

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday why he "repeats lies without verifying facts" and said top Navy officers had blown away his lie about former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's visit to Naval warship INS Viraat.

The former Union minister also hit out at Modi over his comments that there was no evidence of cross-border actions under the previous UPA government and asked him to speak to the Army general who said such steps were not taken for the first time under the current government.

"Another lie of Mr Narendra Modi blown away. Top officers of Navy have testified that Mr Rajiv Gandhi was on an official visit to INS VIRAAT.

"I am curious: who feeds these lies to the Prime Minister? Why does the PM repeat the lies without verifying the facts," he tweeted.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu has held a closed door discussion with his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee in Kharagpur on future plans of the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance).

The meeting between Banerjee and Naidu took place for over 15 minutes late on Thursday evening, according to a well-placed source in the TrInamool Congress.

The two leaders met and spoke about the future plans of the Mahagatbandhan. Naidu and Didi (Banerjee) also discussed about the TDP leaders meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi Wednesday, said a senior TMC member.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi paid a surprise visit to Trishundi village in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh following reports of alleged atrocities on party activists by the police after a clash with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers.

Priyanka Gandhi visited the village late on Thursday night before returning to Delhi.

Congress sources said that she met party workers who told her how they had been prevented from casting their vote by BJP workers and the police did not pay heed to their complaints.

West Bengal: One section of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) containing 8 personnel will be deployed at each booth in Naxal-prone Jhargram in the 6th phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 12.

AAP East Delhi candidate Atishi said, “If BJP and Gautam Gambhir can do this with an empowered woman then how will he ensure security to rest of the women? We have filed a complaint with Delhi Commission of Women, we will soon file a complaint with the Election Commission and Delhi Police.”

With two days left for Ghatal constituency to go to polls, the police has seized Rs 1.13 cash from the vehicle of BJP candidate Bharati Ghosh late on Thursday night, a senior police officer said on Friday.

The car in which the former IPS officer was travelling was intercepted at Mangalwar in Pingla area in West Midnapore district at around 11 PM on Thursday, he said.

"Cash amounting to Rs 1,13,815 was seized from Ghosh's vehicle. We had information that Ghosh was carrying the cash.

There were also other people in her vehicle. She could not explain why she was carrying the money. We are looking into the matter," the police officer said.

Ghosh was detained for almost three hours by the district police and questioned in connection with the seizure.

West Bengal Election Commission has sought a report from the District Magistrate regarding the case.

Delhi Metro train services will begin from 4 am, two hours earlier than regular timing, on May 12 so that the staff deployed for election duty can avail the facility for travelling, officials said Thursday.

DMRC train services otherwise begin at 6 am.

“On the day of the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi on Sunday, May 12, the Delhi Metro train services on all lines will start from 4 am, so that the staff deployed for election duty can avail the facility,” the DMRC said in a statement.

However, trains on the Blue Line, going from Dwarka Sector 21 towards Vaishali, will begin operations at 4.30 am.

BSP supremo Mayawati on Friday termed as "laughable" and "immature" Prime minister Narendra Modi's remark describing the SP-BSP alliance as "casteist".

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said the language used by the BJP showed it has realised "definite loss in polls" and is "frustrated" and making baseless and absurd allegations.

The BJP, she asserted, is not coming to power again and Modi's dream of becoming the PM again will not be fulfilled." In a tweet, Mayawati said the allegation that "our alliance is casteist is not only laughable but immature also. Narendra Modi, who is not backward by birth has not faced pain of casteism. Such a remark for the alliance should have been avoided, as it is not correct".

"Modi indulged in casteism by describing himself 'zabardasti ka pichhda' (backward). Had he been backward by birth, the RSS would not have let him become the PM. What RSS has done to leaders like Kalyan Singh is known to all," she said.

Former DMK MP, M Ramanathan died in the early hours of Friday due to age-related illness, party sources said. He was 84. He is survived by his wife and three sons.

Ramanathan represented Coimbatore West Assembly constituency in 1984 and 1989 and was also member of the 11th Lok Sabha in 1996, the party sources said.

SC today decided to hear on May 13 a petition filed by lawyer, Nizamuddin Pasha, challenging ECI's decision refusing to prepone voting commencement time from 7 am to 5 am for the next two phases of voting to ease difficulty for Muslims in voting during the holy month of Ramzan.

Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) North West candidate Gugan Singh says he is not a celebrity and will stay with his people in times of crisis to resolve various issues.

"I have nowhere to go. I live in this area. I am not a celebrity. I will stay with my people in times of crisis," the 70-year-old said.

He also said that being a local, he was aware of the problems in the area as well as its geography.

"People here are simple and they know that celebrities are here to just take votes and not work."

BSP Chief Mayawati said, “PM's accusation that 'mahagathbandhan' is casteist, is absurd. How can those who suffered from casteism be casteist? Entire country knows he isn't an OBC by birth, he hasn't suffered from the atrocities of casteism. So he shouldn't say such lies about 'mahagathbandhan'.”

Bihars ruling JD-U on Friday distanced itself from the remarks of party leader Ghulam Rasool Balyawi, who demanded that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar be declared the NDA Prime Ministerial face as the BJP won't get a majority in the Lok Sabha.

A day after JD-U legislator made the remark, state JD-U President Vashisht Narayan Singh termed his remarks personal.

"Balyawi's remarks is his personal one. The party has nothing to do with it," Singh said here. He added that the demand was "useless and baseless".

Delhi Deputy CM and Aam Aadmi Party leader, Manish Sisodia on 'derogatory' remarks pamphlet against AAP's Atishi said, “We are being defamed and they (BJP) are saying they will file defamation against us? We are going to send defamation notice to them today.”

Congress President Rahul Gandhi will be campaigning in Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh on Friday. He will be addressing public meetings.