Lok Sabha Election 2019 LIVE: World is saying BJP is dangerous for democracy, says Akhilesh

Raise in fare, extension of CNG subsidy and better regulation of cab aggregators are the key demands of the city's auto-rickshaw drivers this election season.

There are nearly over lakh auto-rickshaw drivers in the national capital and they have played a key role in canvassing for political parties --- be it wrapping political banners on the vehicle's rear portion or taking part in rallies and meetings.

In the 2013 and 2015 Assembly polls, auto-rickshaw drivers could be seen across the city canvassing support for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), with a section rooting for it.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said the world has now started saying the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is dangerous for democracy.

"Today the world has started saying that the BJP is dangerous for democracy. The world's biggest magazine has written that these are the very people who have divided society," Yadav said, referring to the cover story of the Time magazine.

"BJP people were talking about 'achhe din', which did not come. The very foundation of BJP is based on lies and hatred and the alliance will rock it," he said.

Addressing rally for Ram Bhuwal Nishad, the alliance candidate from the prestigious Gorakhpur seat, Akhilesh said the BJP, which ran the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, has been wiped out off Uttar Pradesh by the people in the five phases of polling so far.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are looking at the state for votes as the party has fared badly in the last five phases of Lok Sabha polls.

Modi is losing confidence as he is sure to lose the election, she said and urged the electorate not to vote for BJP.

Urging voters not to vote for the saffron party, she said "We do not want BJP. Show the door to the party through votes. In Bengal, Trinamool Congress should win all the 42 seats which will help it to have some control in the formation of the new government at the Centre".

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal sends a legal notice to BJP's East Delhi candidate Gautam Gambhir in reference to his tweets 'I feel ashamed to have a CM like Arvind Kejriwal. You are filth Mr CM and someone needs your very own jhadu (broom) to clean your dirty mind.'

The notice to Gautam Gambhir seeks immediate apology in writing and asks to publish the same 'along with true and correct facts' in newspapers and on social media, within 24 hours.

More than 60,000 security personnel, including the Home Guards and paramilitary forces, have been deployed across the city a day before the Lok Sabha elections.

Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik said that elaborate arrangements, according to the instructions of the Election Commission of India, are in place to ensure no anti-social element causes any menace.

Security personnel have been deployed at polling booths and special reserve parties and policemen are patrolling vulnerable areas, the police said.

The Police Control Room Unit will also stay alert to calls of any complaints being made, specially relating to the election process, they added.

The chief electoral officer of Delhi has sent a notice to the BJP for "airing election-related content" on the NaMo TV even after the silence period began, a senior official said on Saturday. A silence period of 48 hours kicked in from 6 pm Friday and will last till 6pm on Sunday.

On Friday, Delhi CEO Ranbir Singh had said that political campaigning in the city, in field or on social media, is supposed to end once the silence period begins. The notice was sent to the BJP on Friday, another senior official said.

"The notice was sent to the BJP for airing election-related content on the NaMo TV even after the silence period began," he said. The party was asked to reply to the notice by Saturday evening.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the 2002 Gujarat riots after the latter called the 1984 anti-Sikh riots a "horrendous genocide".

The Member of Parliament from Hyderabad asked Modi what would he call the Gujarat riots.

"Sir @PMOIndia so where the 2002 pogrom which happened under your tenure as CM and you failed in your constitutional oath to protect human beings," Owaisi tweeted.

Shabana Azmi on Saturday slammed "fake news brigade" for attributing a false quote to her, which claimed the actor would leave the country "if Narendra Modi becomes Prime Minister again."

The actor, who is often been trolled for holding anti-majoritarian views and questioning the establishment, took to Twitter and called the news "pure fabrication." "I've never said this and I have no intentions of leaving the country. This is where I was born and this is where I'll die. I have nothing but contempt for The Fake News Brigade," Azmi said.

In a series of tweets, the veteran actor wrote that the "fake news brigade is pretty pathetic" and since they can't talk about issues, they repeatedly sell lies so that people believe them as truth.

Four sitting MPs, including a member of the Narendra Modi cabinet, are among the 127 candidates whose electoral fortunes will be decided by 1.38 crore voters in the sixth and penultimate phase of Lok Sabha elections in Bihar on Sunday.

Amid tight security, polling will be held in eight Lok Sabha seats - Sheohar, Valmiki Nagar, Pashchimi Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Siwan, Gopalganj, Maharajganj and Vaishali.

Among the 127 candidates, 16 are women - eight in Vaishali, four in Siwan and one each in Sheohar, Maharajganj, Purvi Champaran and Valmiki Nagar.

While Purvi Champaran and Vaishali have the highest number of candidates - 22 each -Pashchimi Champaran has nine contestants in the fray, the least among the eight seats.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi has extended a helping hand for a minor girl suffering from tumor in Uttar Pradesh.

The girl's parents on Friday contacted Priyanka Gandhi and expressed their inability to bear the cost of their daughter's treatment.

Gandhi immediately contacted senior party leaders Rajiv Shukla, Hardik Patel and Mohd Azharuddin and directed them to arrange for the child to be taken to AIIMS Delhi.

Election Agent for Congress candidate from North-East Delhi, Sheila Dikshit writes to Election Commission of India stating that complaint are being made to bring attention to the Election Commission regarding certain automated phone calls being used to spread misinformation in attempt to influence electorate.

AS Rathore, City SP, Dewas, MP on group of people raising Modi slogans at NS Sidhu's Dewas rally said, “Case registered, investigation on. We'll take action according to evidence. It was an event by Congress party, it's a matter of investigation as to which party those people belonged to.”

Rahul Gandhi in Shujalpur, MP said, “Narendra Modi ke dil main nafrat hai, gussa hai. Hamara kaam us nafrat ko mitana hai. Vo mujh pe akraman karte hain, mere pita, dadi aur dada ke baare main bolte hain, nafrat se bolte hain. Aur main je ke jhappi deta hoon, pyaar se gale lag jata hoon.”

Actor-turned-politician and BJP candidate from Gurdaspur, Sunny Deol, holds a road show in the Parliamentary constituency. The 13 Lok Sabha seats of the state will undergo polling in the seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha elections on 19th May.

Jharkhand minister Chandra Prakash Choudhary, former cricketer Kirti Azad and ex-chief minister Madhu Koda's wife Gita are among the 67 candidates whose fate will be sealed in the third phase of Jharkhand polls Sunday.

Polling will be held between 7 am and 4 pm in four Lok Sabha constituencies -- Dhanbad, Giridih, Jamshedpur and Singhbhum (ST) -- all won by the BJP in 2014.

Altogether, 66,85,401 voters, including 31,79,720 women and 116 of the third gender, will be exercising their franchise in 8,300 polling stations, amid tight security.

Preparations underway in Dhanbad for sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections tomorrow. Four parliamentary constituencies in the state go to polls tomorrow.

BSP chief Mayawati said, “The Election Commission is not taking appropriate action against political leaders who are making derogatory remarks against women, during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.”

As the campaigning for the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections in 59 constituencies ended Friday evening, over 10.17 crore voters across seven states will decide the fate of 979 candidates by casting their votes on May 12.

On Sunday, voting will take place for 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 10 in Haryana, eight seats each in West Bengal, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, seven in Delhi and four in Jharkhand.

Akhilesh Yadav said, “BJP wants to win through 'Red Card'. Officers have been instructed to issue as much Red Cards as possible to SP. SP-BSP workers are being issued Red Cards. They're being stopped from casting votes. We had complained to EC last time, through you I'm doing that today too.”

“Will Red Cards be issued to SP-BSP only? Is everyone in BJP clean, is there no one there with criminal background who was issued Red Card? BJP is conspiring to scare people so that they don't cast their votes.”

Akhilesh Yadav, SP said, “PM and BJP blame others for things they do or want to do. BJP is doing caste based politics and politics of spreading hatred among different castes and religions. Their govt is based on lies and hatred. Gathbandhan has decided to demolish the govt which was formed on hatred.”

Congress senior leader, P Chidambaram tweeted, “Add to the depressing list another fact: that manufacturing growth turned negative in February 2019 and remained negative in March.”

“Mr Modi has 5 more days to talk about the economy and the achhe din that he had promised. My guess is he will not. Mr Modi will spread lies and abuse his opponents. He will not talk about jobs or farmers' distress or security of women, Dalits and minorities or about any other vital issue that concerns the people.”

EC has declared polling at booths 116-Kanchrapara Udbodhoni Madhyamik Vidyalay in 15-Barrackpore LS constituency & 110-Laskarpur Netaji Prathamik Vidayala in Arambag LS constituency as void. EC has ordered re-polling to be conducted at the two booths on 12th May.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi will be campaigning in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.  He will be addressing three public meetings in the state.