Lok Sabha election: Over 14 crore Indians ready to vote in first phase

Thakor had been facing protest from Thakor Sena.

Image Courtesy: ANI

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday filed his nomination from Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi, with his mother Sonia Gandhi, sister Priyanka Gandhi and brother-in-law Robert Vadra by his side. Before filing the nomination, Rahul held a roadshow from Munshiganj-Darpipur to Gauriganj. Rahul also held two rallies in Bihar and West Bengal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public in Gujarat’s Junagadh on Wednesday and accused the Congress of “Tughlaq road election scam” where money meant for poor and pregnant women was looted by Congress leaders.

BJP president Amit Shah held public rallies in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj and Firozabad on Wednesday.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar among several other leaders also held rallies at various places as the first phase of Lok Sabha election kicks off on April 11.

Here are all the updates from Wednesday (April 10):

* Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari accuses AAP of trying to mislead people by claiming the BJP is responsible for the sealing.

* Union Minister Jayant Sinha files nomination from Hazaribagh Lok Sabha constituency.

* Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) would fight the Lok Sabha election on issues like development, agriculture and education, says party chief Shibu Soren.

* Congress candidate Ramesh Rathod, contesting from Adilabad parliamentary constituency, gets injured in road accident near Adilabad.

* Two constituencies in West Bengal  - Cooch Behar and Alipurduar to go to the polls in the first phase of elections to the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

* UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to file nomination from Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat on Thursday.

* Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani to file nomination from Amethi Lok Sabha constituency on Thursday

* Orissa:  Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate Pradeep Disari caught with more than Rs 2 lakh in his vehicle by the Flying Squad of Election Commission at Jaipatana.

* Prime Minister Narendra Modi is living in fear of being jailed if there is a probe in Rafale scam: Rahul Gandhi 

* Elaborate security arrangements put in place in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla Lok Sabha seat as separatists and militants call for a boycott of the elections on Thursday.

* Naxal-affected Bastar Lok Sabha constituency in Chhattisgarh all set to go to polls on Thursday amid tight security and looming threat from Maoists who have called for a boycott of elections.

* Nominations of 24 candidates rejected after scrutiny for 13 Lok Sabha constituencies which will go to polls in the first phase on April 29. 

*Amid a major controversy, the Election Commission ordered stoppage of release of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's biopic even as it was considering a complaint against the telecast of NaMo TV.

* Punjab OBC Congress leaders accuses party of neglecting them, says it has not fielded a single candidate from them for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls so far in the state. 

* Aam Aadmi Party rejects Congress' proposal for an alliance in Delhi.

* Over 14 crore Indians ready to vote in first phase of Lok Sabha election beginning April 11.

* Police target a Naxal camp near Rajnandgaon - on the border with Maharashtra. Naxals use IEDs and locally-made rocket launchers but beat a hasty retret in face of heavy police firing.

* MLA Dhavalsinh Thakor and MLA Bharatji Thakor have also resigned from Congress.

* Alpesh Thakor resigns from Congress ahead of Lok Sabha 2019 election. (Read full report here)

* Naxals attack voting centre near Maharashtra's Gadchiroli, reports Zee News' Deepak Bhatuse.

* Case registered against DMK Vellore candidate Kathir Anand on charges of attempting to bribe voters and filing false affidavit. (Read full report here)

* Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh writes to Chief Election Commissioner seeking review of Election Commission order relieving IG Kunwar V Pratap Singh as member of SIT probing Bagari firing. He said SIT was carrying out its legal mandate of probe and was not affected by Model Code of Conduct.

Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh writes to Chief Election Commissioner seeking review of Election Commission order relieving IG Kunwar V Pratap Singh as member of SIT probing Bagari firing;says SIT was carrying out its legal mandate of probe&wasn't affected by Model Code of Conduct pic.twitter.com/P2pt6J4H7S — ANI (@ANI) April 10, 2019

*"I'm asking I-T dept who're you to do 1 sided raids, on TDP.Once elections are announced, it's a level playing field; you've to treat everybody equal. Otherwise, it's unjustified. Modi wanted to demolish democracy, so I launched 'Save India Save Democracy',"  Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu told ANI. 

* EC stalls release of biopic on PM Narendra Modi, cites Model Code of Conduct. (Read more)

* Punjab CM writes to Election Commission seeking action against PM for his remark "I want to ask 1st-time voters:can your 1st vote be dedicated to brave soldiers who carried out air strike in Pakistan “Can your 1st vote be dedicated to martyrs of Pulwama?"

* TDP delegation lead by Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu meets state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Gopal Krishna Dwivedi over I-T raids on party leaders.

Amaravati: TDP delegation lead by Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu meets state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Gopal Krishna Dwivedi over I-T raids on party leaders. pic.twitter.com/iWpZ1pP6u8 — ANI (@ANI) April 10, 2019

* Congress President Rahul Gandhi files his nomination from Amethi accompanied with Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Robert Vadra.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi files his nomination from Amethi for #LokSabhaElections2019 . Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Robert Vadra also present. pic.twitter.com/EvNswqEm3N — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 10, 2019

* Rahul Gandhi reaches District Collector's office to file his nomination papers from Amethi Lok Sabha constituency.

* We have serious concerns about foreign governments influencing our democratic election process. Last year, it was reported that ISI wants Modi as PM. Now Pakistani PM says it, tweeted CPI (ML) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

* Election Commission tells Supreme Court that it was not against the issuance of Electoral Bonds for funding to political parties but it was against the anonymity of donors and wants transparency in the Electoral Bonds scheme, ANI reported.

* Karnataka CM and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy campaigns for his son and party's candidate for Mandya Lok Sabha constituency.

Karnataka CM and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy campaigns for his son and party's candidate for Mandya Lok Sabha constituency - Nikhil. #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/D4icqj49LX — ANI (@ANI) April 10, 2019

* PM Narendra Modi likely to file his nomination from Varanasi on April 26.

* Sonia Gandhi arrives at District Collector office in Amethi, where Congress President Rahul Gandhi will file his nomination for Lok Sabha poll.

* Congress President Rahul Gandhi holds road show in Amethi. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra along with her husband Robert Vadra, son Raihan and daughter Miraya also present.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi holds road show in Amethi. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra along with her husband Robert Vadra, son Raihan and daughter Miraya also present. #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/1y4hmtPJ6M — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 10, 2019

* Gurjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla to join Bharatiya Janata Party today.

* Glimpses of election campaign of Comrade Biswanath Ghosh at Malda North LS constituency.

Glimpses of election campaign at Jangipur LS Constituency in support of LF nominated CPIM candidate Comrade Julfikar Ali. Defeat BJP-TMC, elect Left and ensure Secular Govt at the Centre. #Vote4Left pic.twitter.com/dFeibLHbgD — CPI(M) WEST BENGAL (@CPIM_WESTBENGAL) April 10, 2019

* Visuals from Uttarakhand's Nainital as polling parties leave for their respective polling stations. All 5 parliamentary constituencies of the state will undergo polling tomorrow, in the first phase of Lok Sabha election.

Uttarakhand: Visuals from Nainital as polling parties leave for their respective polling stations. All 5 parliamentary constituencies of the state will undergo polling tomorrow, in the first phase of #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/rYJRt7qIth — ANI (@ANI) April 10, 2019

* Delhi High Court sends PIL seeking direction to EC to ban Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti from participating in Lok Sabha election, to another bench for hearing on April 12, ANI reported.

Delhi High Court sends PIL seeking direction to EC to ban Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti from participating in Lok Sabha election, to another bench for hearing on 12th April. pic.twitter.com/iaJCeEFISQ — ANI (@ANI) April 10, 2019

* "A new name has been added to the list of corruption by Congress. Congress' identity is linked to corruption under many names. But now a new scam, along with evidence, has been added to the account of Congress leaders - Tughlaq Road Chunavi Ghotala," PM Modi said in Junagarh, Gujarat.

* Visuals from outside District Collector office in Amethi where Congress President Rahul Gandhi will file his nomination today.

Visuals from outside District Collector office in Amethi where Congress President Rahul Gandhi will file his nomination today. #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/cjjGWUbS9L — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 10, 2019

* Congress president Rahul Gandhi arrives in Amethi to file his nomination paper. Rahul will file his nomination paper after a two-hour road show.

* BSNL seeks action against BJP MP Varun Gandhi for non-payment of phone bills.

* List of parliamentary constituencies going to poll in first phase of Lok Sabha elections on Thursday. (Read more)

* Visuals from Assam's Dibrugarh as polling parties leave for their respective polling stations. Five Parliamentary constituencies of the state will undergo polling tomorrow, in the first phase of Lok Sabha election.

Assam: Visuals from Dibrugarh as polling parties leave for their respective polling stations. Five Parliamentary constituencies of the state will undergo polling tomorrow, in the first phase of #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/xIzFeO91EL — ANI (@ANI) April 10, 2019

* In a first after reorganization, 17 parliamentary constituencies in Telangana go to polls in first phase on Thursday. (Read more)

* Visuals from Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri as polling parties leave for their respective polling stations. Two Parliamentary constituencies of the state will undergo polling tomorrow, in the first phase of Lok Sabha election.

Jammu & Kashmir: Visuals from Rajouri as polling parties leave for their respective polling stations. Two Parliamentary constituencies of the state will undergo polling tomorrow, in the first phase of #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/Nzm1oZWPWL — ANI (@ANI) April 10, 2019

* Polling parties depart with EVMs for their respective polling stations in Alipurduar parliamentary constituency in West Bengal; Visuals from Alipurduar DCRC College.

West Bengal: Polling parties depart with EVMs for their respective polling stations in Alipurduar parliamentary constituency; Visuals from Alipurduar DCRC College pic.twitter.com/SETZ7oF19H — ANI (@ANI) April 10, 2019

* Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Chief Naveen Patnaik releases party's manifesto for Lok Sabha Election.

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Chief Naveen Patnaik releases party's manifesto for the #LokSabhaElections2019 (9/4/19) pic.twitter.com/iZGkyOhyYL — ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

* Congress president Rahul Gandhi to file nomination from Amethi on Wednesday. (Read more)

*  PM Narendra Modi's Balakot strike remark for first-time voters comes under EC scanner. (Read more)

* Guntur MP Galla Jayadev, TDP leaders stage dharna over IT raids; call it 'vendetta politics'

* Amit Shah to address rallies in Kasganj and Firozabad.