Live Updates | Assembly Election 2024: Campaigning Turns High Voltage As NDA, INDIA Mount Attack

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The upcoming November 20 Assembly elections in Maharashtra and the second phase of the Jharkhand elections are drawing high energy and anticipation. In the first phase of voting in Jharkhand, held on Wednesday, a solid voter turnout of 64.86% was recorded across 43 constituencies. The second phase will follow on November 20, with results expected on November 23.

Maharashtra's 288-seat Assembly has seen considerable political shifts. Eknath Shinde emerged as chief minister after breaking from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena to align with the BJP. The BJP initially held 122 seats after the 2014 elections, but over time, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, comprising the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, Congress, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP, gained power until Shinde’s rise in 2022.

In Jharkhand, the JMM-led coalition seeks to retain power, emphasizing its welfare programs like the Maiyan Samman Yojna. Meanwhile, the BJP has taken a strong Hindutva stance, critiquing the JMM on alleged corruption and infiltration issues.

Top BJP leaders, including PM Modi and Amit Shah, held rallies targeting the JMM on these grounds. INDIA bloc leaders, such as Congress’s Rahul Gandhi and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, countered by highlighting welfare programs and accusing the BJP-led Centre of misusing agencies like the ED and CBI against opposition leaders.

14 November 2024

16:03 IST

Assembly Polls LIVE: Congress, Allies Hatching Scheme For Separate Constitution In Kashmir, Says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Congress and its allies are hatching a scheme to have a separate Constitution for Kashmir, and making all efforts for restoration of Article 370. “Will the people of Maharashtra support the Congress and its allies who speak the language of Pakistan,” Modi said, addressing a rally in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for the November 20 state assembly elections.

“Congress and its colleagues have passed a resolution to restore Article 370,” he said. “When we made Kashmir free from Article 370, Congress opposed this in Parliament and court. Now they are again hatching a scheme to restore Article 370 and have a separate Constitution in Kashmir,” Modi said. "Kashmir is an integral part of India. Every Indian wants that there should be only Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's Constitution in Kashmir," Modi said.

“The Congress used to say that reservations were against the country. It considered reservations were against merit. The mentality and agenda of the Congress remains unchanged. Therefore, they can't come to terms with the fact that someone from OBC has been the PM of the country for the last 10 years,” he said. “The Prince of Congress, while he is abroad, openly claims that his party will scrap reservations. To further their agenda, Congress and Maha Vikas Aghadi are conspiring to divide SCs, STs and OBCs into small castes,” he said.

15:50 IST

Assembly Elections 2024 Live Updates: We Will Wipe Out Infiltrators From Jharkhand, Says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah hit out at Hemant Soren government and alleged that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) was mired in corruption and if the BJP came to power would wipe out the infiltrators from the state and would bring a law to return the encroached land of tribals.

Addressing an election campaign in Giridih, Amit Shah said, "Hemant Soren government has not allowed to implement schemes of PM Modi as it is mired in corruption. We will ensure industries in Jharkhand so that the labourers do not have to go to other states for work. Hemant Soren is not bothered to build industries in Jharkhand or create electricity. There are mines of aluminium and iron ore but Hemant Soren is not bothered that they are manufactured here. He is only concerned about allowing the infiltrators to enter Jharkhand."

He further alleged that these infiltrators marry innocent locals and encroach on their lands.

15:46 IST

Assembly Polls 2024 Live Updates: BJP To Form Govt, JMM Will Be Booted Out, Says Amit Shah in Jharkhand

As Jharkhand braces for the second phase of polling on November 20, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that it has been decided in the first phase of elections that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would form the government in the state and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) would be turfed out. Taking a dig at Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Union Minister Shah said that Soren's time was coming to an end now.

"The first phase of elections in Jharkhand has made it clear that JMM will be turfed and BJP will form the government in the state. I want to say to Hemant Soren that his time was coming to an end. Has anyone of you ever seen Rs 350 crores? This amount has been seized from the residence of a Congress leader. Another of Soren's ministers Alam Gir Alam, his personal assistant (PA) had Rs 35 crores at his residence. Whose money is it? Does it belong to Hemant or Kalpana Soren? It belongs to you," said Amit Shah while addressing a rally in Gandey assembly constituency.

The Union Home Minister further accused Congress of opposing the formation of Jharkhand and Soren for joining hands with them for "greed of power". "A lot of people sacrificed their lives and dedicated their whole lives to the state of Jharkhand. Ultimately, Jharkhand was formed under the government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Congress wanted to stop that. Yet, CM Hemant Soren is standing with that same Congress party as he is greedy for power," Shah said.

Amit Shah promised to set up factories in Jharkhand to resolve the issue of unemployment in the state, blaming the Bangladeshi "infiltrators" for taking away employment opportunities. He said that the BJP government would bring a law against infiltrators.

"Jharkhand is the most prosperous state in the country. Jharkhand has so much of minerals that make it the most prosperous state of the country. But the youth here go to different places like Delhi and Mumbai for employment. I will set up enough factories here to generate employment opportunities here...Your employment opportunities have been decreased by the infiltrators from Bangladesh...We will bring a law against infiltrators. They will have to return the land they have taken from tribals," the Union Minister said.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that the ruling parties in the state including Congress, Rashtriya Janata Party (RJD) and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) were looting and misleading people. He alleged that they were promoting leftists to turn Jharkhand into a den of Naxals. Elections on the remaining 38 seats will be conducted on November 20. The counting of the votes will take place on November 23.

14:26 IST

Assembly Elections 2024 Live: "Constitution seems blank to him because he's never read it": Rahul Gandhi Hits Back At PM Modi

Hitting back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his attack on Rahul Gandhi for flaunting a 'blank constitution', the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition said the Constitution seems blank to the Prime Minister because he has never read it in his life.

Addressing a public gathering in poll-bound Maharashtra today, Rahul said that the Prime Minister says that I show the Constitution in public meetings that is empty.
"Sanvidhan unke liye khali hai kyuki unhone ise zindagi mein pada nahi hai (The Constitution seems empty to him because he's never read it in his life)," Rahul Gandhi said in a public gathering in poll-bound Maharashtra's Nandurbar.

13:38 IST

Jharkhand Election 2024 Live: Anurag Thakur Slams JMM 

BJP leader Anurag Thakur on Thursday accused the JMM-led alliance of encouraging "love jihad" and "land jihad" in Jharkhand in the past five years. He also alleged that the demography of the state is changing now. Speaking to media persons at the BJP office in Ranchi, Thakur alleged that instead of people's welfare, "jihad" welfare was being carried out in the state.

13:31 IST

Jharkhand Election 2024 Live updates: 'BJP Wants To Divide State', Says Soren

Chief Minister Hemant Soren alleged that the BJP was planning to divide Jharkhand, but it would not be successful. He said the attempts to "break" Jharkhand will be thwarted by the people in this election. "Leaders of BJP are camping in the state but they don't utter a word for development, progress and peace in Jharkhand. They are only dividing people in the name of religion," Soren posted on X.

Accusing the BJP of trying to carve out the Santhal Parganas from Jharkhand, he said the people would give them a befitting reply.

13:28 IST

Jharkhand Election 2024 Live: 65% Voter Turnout Registered In Phase 1 Polling

A voter turnout of 64.86 per cent was recorded in the 43 assembly constituencies in Jharkhand where polling was held in the first phase on Wednesday, officials said. Lohardaga district topped the list with 73.21 per cent polling while Hazaribag district recorded the lowest at 59.13, officials said and added that polling continued till 5 pm.