Lok Sabha Election 2019 LIVE: PM must apologise himself for nominating Pragya Thakur says Prithviraj Chavan

Pragya Thakur's remark on Martyr Hemant Karkare people of Maharashtra, entire police force of the country & his family. PM not only must apologise himself for nominating her, but also withdraw her candidature says Former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan

Cricketer-turned-politician Kirti Azad filed his nomination papers on Saturday for Jharkhand's Dhanbad Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket.

Only district level leaders were present during the occasion as Azad is facing protests by local Congress leaders who consider him an outsider.

Azad had joined the Congress in February. A three-time MP, he was suspended from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2015 after some of his remarks were seen as a violation of party discipline.

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Saturday filed his nomination papers for the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat.

Singh, who left the residence of former Union Minister Suresh Pachauri, went to the District Collector's Office to file his papers. He was accompanied by a large number of supporters.

Before filing his papers, Singh, along with his wife Amrita Singh, offered prayers at the Jharneshwar temple here and then went to receive the blessings of Swami Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswa

Congress candidates in Himachal Pradesh will start filing nomination papers for the Lok Sabha elections from April 23, the party said on Saturday.

Six-time Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh along with former Union Minister Anand Sharma and AICC in-charge Rajni Patil will be present during the filing of nomination papers by all the four candidates.

"Shimla candidate Dhani Ram Shandil will be filing his papers on April 23," said Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee General Secretary Rajnish Khimta.

Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his comments on her performance as the Railway Minister, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Saturday that Modi was "uttering lies" and making comments without cross-checking the facts.

"You (Modi) were again telling lies today. Are you not ashamed? You said Mamata Banerjee did nothing as the Railway Minister. You have not given a single train to Bengal even though you are in power for five years. You have done nothing for Bengal.

"You only listen to your cadres and make comments without cross-checking information. You have to take responsibility for making remarks without cross-checking the facts," Banerjee said, while giving details of the new trains she had proposed as the Railway Minister.

Addressing a rally in Nadia's Bagula in support of Rupali Biswas, the Trinamool candidate from Ranaghat, Banerjee also described Modi as a "dictatorial and fascist ruler."

Attacking the Prime Minister for demanding a report card from her, Banerjee said: "The Prime Minister should explain what he has done for the country in the last five years before asking what I have done. He was visiting foreign countries for more than four-and-a-half years."

Ahead of Lok Sabha polls in Malda district, Election Commission of India has removed Arnab Ghosh from the post of Malda Superintendent of Police. Baruipur SP Ajay Prashad will take charge as Malda SP.

Delhi Chief Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday got a clean chit from poll authorities in Goa in a local BJP leader's complaint about model code of conduct violation.

Goa BJP leader Keshav Prabhu, in his complaint to the Chief Electoral Office in Goa, had alleged that Kejriwal, during a speech in Margao on April 13, had tried to incite religious sentiments and create fear among the state's Muslims and Christians.

In an order passed on Saturday, Goa Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Kunal said that post inquiry, it was observed "there is no direct statement which is objectionable, derogatory or violation of model code of conduct so also there is no inflammatory statement".

Asserting that he is not a "political sanyasi" and was in "active politics", former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said the Congress will form government in Karnataka after the next assembly polls, and he will become Chief Minister once again.

Rubbishing reports about his immediate chief ministerial ambitions citing his recent statements, the Chairman of the Congress-JD(S) coalition coordination committee clarified that he will occupy the top job after the next assembly election and there was nothing wrong in that. The next assembly elections in the state will be held in 2023.

"I had said I will become chief minister in the future... did I say tomorrow (after Lok Sabha polls). I meant after next assembly election... am I a political sanyasi? If I was why would I come here in this hot sun? I would have sat in the shade. I'm not a political sanyasi, I'm in active politics," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Davangere.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar said on Saturday that he was "terribly afraid" as to what Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who once called Pawar his mentor in politics, would do next.

Pawar was addressing a campaign rally at Daund in Baramati Lok Sabha constituency from where his daughter Supriya Sule is seeking reelection.

"Modi says he came into politics holding my finger.

But now I am terribly afraid, because what this man will do, nobody knows," the former Union minister said.

Modi had said he came into politics "holding Pawar's finger" while sharing dais with the NCP supremo at a function in Pune district in 2016.

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is suffering from 'haratanka', a phobia of losing elections and is trying to win in the state by dividing the people on communal lines.

"He (Modi) knows that he will lose the elections and that is why his face has turned pale. He is now suffering from 'haratanka' and everyday is uttering nonsense thinking about losing in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, New Delhi, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha and others," she said at a rally in support of party candidate for Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency Mohua Moitra.

"I do not mind if BJP wins in Tripura but that will not give him 543 seats. That is the reason he is roaming around in Bengal hoping to get votes by dividing people along Hindu-Muslim lines," she added.

Election Commission to Eros Now says, “It was brought to our notice that a web series "Modi-Journey of a Common Man, having 5 episodes is available on your platform. You're directed to stop forthwith the online streaming and remove all connected content of the series till further orders.”

Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia files nomination from Guna constituency in Madhya Pradesh.

Sanghmitra Maurya, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Uttar Pradesh's Badaun Lok Sabha seat, has landed in a controversy by asking her supporters to resort to fake voting if the actual voters were unable to cast their ballots.

In a video that has gone viral on the social media, Maurya is seen addressing her supporters and saying: "If there is a chance to cast fake vote, you can do so. This happens sometimes. If a voter is not available, you can cast his vote.

"If someone resorts to 'goondaism' during the election, you should not be afraid because I am a bigger goon and will guard your self-respect."

Maurya is the daughter of UP Minister Swami Prasad Maurya. She is pitted against Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav.

Badaun goes to the polls in the third phase on April 23.

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi "ruined" government companies and "favoured" private firms in his five years of rule and accused him of being "anti-national for selling the interest of the nation".

Sidhu also described PM Modi as "nikamma" (useless) and said he should stop harping on the issue of nationalism to garner votes and talk about the matters of national interest.

Addressing a press conference, the Punjab minister alleged, "Modi is the business development manager of Ambani and Adani, as he has favoured them at the cost of state-run firms." The Congress has been attacking the prime minister for "promoting crony capitalism and favouring his industrialist friends". The government has, however, denied the charges.

The Election Commission (EC) is going to issue a notice to Malegaon blast accused and BJP candidate from Bhopal Pragya Singh Thakur over her remarks against police officer Hemant Karkare, who was killed in the 26/11 terror attack, an officer said on Saturday.

Addressing BJP workers in Bhopal on Thursday night, Thakur had claimed that Karkare died during the attacks as she "cursed" him for torturing her.

However, after her remarks kicked up a row, she tendered an apology on Friday.

"We took suo motu cognisance of the statement and sought a report from the assistant returning officer (ARO) on the matter. We got the report this morning and we are going to issue notices, which are returnable within 24 hours, to the organiser of the programme and the person who made the statement," said District Election Officer and Bhopal Collector Sudam Khade.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Supaul, Bihar says, “Poore desh mein Bihar ke yuva jaa kar banks, sarkari offices ke saamne chowkidar ka kaam karte hain. Magar jo Bihar se chowkidar ban kar jata hai wo imandar hota hai. Agar koi Bihar ka chowkidar bank ke saamne khada mile us bank mein chori nahi ho sakti.”

After days of hectic electioneering, it is business as usual for some contestants in the Lok Sabha elections belonging to Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) party.

Polling for 38 out of 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu ended on April 18.

However, one MNM candidate said the feeling was like that of a student who had prepared hard for his annual exams and feeling empty the next day after the exams got over. But all of them agreed that it was a great and unforgettable experience.

"The body is tired. After being very busy in electioneering for a month, there is sort of an empty feeling. I feel like a student who had prepared hard for his annual exams for a month and not knowing what to do once the exams are over,"said J. Ebenezer of MNM, who contested for the Kanniyakumari seat.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi in Wayanad says, “5 yrs ago, a govt came into power that was voted in with a big majority. In all their wisdom, people of our country placed their faith and hopes in BJP govt. That govt, from the moment it came to power, began to betray that faith.”

“They began to believe that power belonged to them and not people. 1st indication of this gross misunderstanding came when their own Pres declared shortly after the election that promise of ₹15 Lakh in every bank a/c was just for sake of elections, what he called a 'jumla'.”

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi in Wayanad says, “I stand here on behalf of a man who I've known from the day I was born. He'll be your candidate in this election and over last 10 yrs has faced massive personal attack from his opponents. They've sought to portray a character of his which is very far from truth.”

Congress leader, Ahmed Patel says, “It's a party's right to field any candidate they want for elections, I would not like to comment on that but saying something against an officer who sacrificed himself fighting terrorism isn't right. Although she withdrew her statement it shows her mentality.”

“We are not only hopeful but also very confident that BJP will lose. We will get good results in Gujarat too, we will cross double digit. On 23rd May when the election results come, BJP will no longer be in the govt.”

Former Karnataka CM and Congress leader Siddaramaiah said, “He (Modi) is a fool. Taking political advantage of surgical strikes is a big mistake. Our armed forces carried out the surgical strike. Did he (Modi) carry a gun to do a surgical strike? Why is he (Modi) claiming credit for it?”

RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav tweeted, “Since Narendra Modi has refused the basic rights of Bihar, ignored the aspirations of the people of Bihar, denied the rightful share out of each allocation, investment, the people of Bihar reject Modi.”

Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has called for large-scale electoral reforms in the country to remove poll-related malpractices and to cleanse the system.

The 81-year-old activist lamented that lack of awareness among voters and focus of political parties on winning the elections by hook or crook has led to degeneration of politics, and he saw no bright future for the country if the situation continued.

Hazare said voters were one of the pillars of the democracy.

"But looking at the reports of cash seizure from various places during the electioneering, one wonders why voters take money to vote. Is this the value of our freedom fighters, who gave us independence?" he asked.

Hazare felt that the parties' approach of coming to power by hook or crook has resulted in criminalisation of politics. "The sanctity of Parliament and state assemblies have come under threat," he said.

CRPF's Ct/GD Surinder kumar, posted at booth no.13 in Buchpora, Srinagar performed CPR and gave other revival aids on 18 Apr to booth's Presiding Officer (PO), following instructions by a doctor over phone, when PO had a heart attack. Ambulance arrived after 50 minutes, PO is safe.

NCP leader Majeed Memon says, “BJP should withdraw Sadhvi Pragya's candidature. The EC should take note as MCC has been violated. EC should take strong action and they should not let the people feel that they under the influence of PM Modi and Amit Shah.”

EC bars Himachal Pradesh BJP President Satpal Satti from campaigning for 48 hours for derogatory remarks against Rahul Gandhi

Congress President Rahul Gandhi will address two election rallies in Chhattisgarh on Saturday.

The rallies will be held at Bilaspur district and at Bhilai town in Durg district.

"The Congress chief will first address a public meeting in Sakri Bhata area of Bilaspur town at around 3 pm and the next one in Bhilai town of Durg district around 5 pm," Congress' state spokesperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi said.