Phase 4 of the Lok Sabha Elections 2019 will be conducted on Monday, April 29. A total of 71 seats would be going to the polls, starting at 7 am in the morning. The polls will be concluded at 6 pm in the evening. The states that will be voting in this phase are: Maharashtra (17 parliamentary constituencies), Rajasthan (13), Uttar Pradesh (13) and West Bengal (8), Madhya Pradesh (6), Odisha (6), Bihar (5), Jharkhand (3), and Jammu and Kashmir (1). Continuing with the campaigns, BJP chief Amit Shah held a rally in Bihar's Sitamarhi. He said that Modi government has given the kind of governance that people were looking for for the past 70 years. He also spoke about the Ayushman Bharat scheme and said it is helping the poor people receive treatment. Meanwhile, the exchange of harsh words between political rivals continues. At a rally in Amethi yesterday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Prime Minister wants two Indias and that Congress won't let that happen. On the other hand PM Modi said at a rally in Kannauj that the Opposition parties abuse him all the time but won't say anything about the terrorists. Follow the Lok Sabha Election 2019 updates on BusinessToday.In blog: 3:34pm: BJP's Kailash Vijayvargiya says, "If Mamata ji stays, Islamic State (ISIS) can enter West Bengal anytime. It'll become like J&K. It is because of her appeasement politics that people related to terror activities have made their base in the border-states and ISIS threat is a proof of that." 3:15pm: BJD writes to Chief Electoral Officer, Bhubaneswar demanding to immediately stop BJP's campaigning through voice call during silent period. Odisha: BJD writes to Chief Electoral Officer,Bhubaneswar demanding to immediately stop BJP's campaigning through voice call during silent period and take action against BJP leaders and the service provider circulating these voice calls in violation of model code of conduct. pic.twitter.com/d6RXdhqDbg — ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2019 3:00pm: Renuka Chowdury on BJP MP Rajveer Singh's remark on Congress over open defecation: "Are we surprised that this is standard of BJP? When PM can talk abt women in Parliament and call them'Surpanakhas', this is the yardstick by which the BJP goes. Women of the country have taken note." 2:45pm: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Bahraich: "Even today, I do not know his (PM Modi's) caste. The Opposition and the Congress leaders are only raising issues related to development. We have never made any personal remarks against him." 2:32pm: Amit Shah said at a rally in Bihar's Chhapra, "From the time Narendra Modi came to power, he has been serving with integrity, has done a lot of good work and has taken tough decisions whenever necessary." 2:00pm: Polling parties at EVM and VVPAT distribution centre in Jodhpur. Rajasthan: Polling parties at EVM & VVPAT distribution centre in Jodhpur. #LokSabhaElections2019pic.twitter.com/yGcA0Lxzpi — ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2019 1:37pm: Election Commission makes arrangements to ferry specially-abled voters in Mumbai for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls. Maharashtra: Election Commission makes arrangements to ferry specially-abled voters in Mumbai for the fourth phase of #LokSabhaElections2019 to be held tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/1fxVrhycGD — ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2019 1:25pm: Amit Shah said at a rally in Bihar's Sitamarhi, "UPA government gave Rs 1 lakh 93 thousand crore to Bihar. But Narendra Modi government have more than Rs 6 lakh 6 thousand crore to Bihar for development." 1:20pm: Amit Shah said at a rally in Sitamarhi, "When Lalu-Rabri and Rahul Gandhi were in power, the poor didn't have money for healthcare. They were desperate for treatment. Today, Ayushman Bharat scheme has provided 24 lakh poor people with free healthcare. This work has been done by BJP's Modi government." 1:15pm: Amit Shah said at a rally in Sitamarhi, "Modi ji has not taken a single leave till now. On the other hand, Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi vanishes every three to four months. Even his mother cannot find him then." 1:00pm: Amit Shah said at a rally in Sitamarhi, "In east, west, north and south, people are only raising slogans for Modi. This is because the kind of governance people were looking forward to in the last 70 years, Modi ji delivered it." 12:43pm: Visuals from EVM distribution centre in Bolpur, in Birbhum district. West Bengal: Polling parties gather at EVM distribution centre in Bolpur, in Birbhum district; 8 Lok Sabha constituencies to go to polls tomorrow. #LokSabhaElections2019pic.twitter.com/BhDpwCjpb3 — ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2019 12:40pm: Visuals from EVM and VVPAT distribution centre in Jhalawar-Baran Lok Sabha constituency. #Rajasthan: Visuals from EVM and VVPAT distribution centre in Jhalawar–Baran Lok Sabha constituency. 13 parliamentary constituencies to vote in the fourth phase of #LokSabhaElections2019, tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/DxFknFhaz8 — ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2019 12:30pm: Visuals from VVPAT and EVM distribution centre at Malabar Hill in Mumbai. Mumbai: Visuals from VVPAT and EVM distribution centre at Malabar Hill; 17 parliamentary constituencies in the state will go to polls in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/WAMMPjAPxV — ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2019 12:25pm: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Amethi said, "The way they contest polls by distributing money, sarees and shoes in front of media is wrong... People of Amethi have never begged in front of anyone. I've been coming here since I was 12, people of Amethi and Raebareli have a lot of pride." 12:15pm: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Amethi said, "Issues are clear - employment, education and health. Nationalism is to solve problems of people. Here they don't listen to people. When they raise their issues they suppress them, it's neither democracy nor nationalism." 12:02pm: "Will the PM ever speak about the people? He talks about the Opposition one day, then foreign enemies on the other day." ‘विकास’ पूछ रहा है: प्रधान जी कभी जनता की बात करेंगे या नहीं? वो कभी विपक्ष की बात करते हैं, कभी विदेशी दुश्मन की और कभी अपने मन की. इन सबके नाम पर वो ताली पीटकर नाटक करते हैं, लेकिन कभी अपने काम पर ताली क्यों नहीं बजाते? इस बार उन्होंने ‘अच्छे दिन’ का नारा क्यों त्याग दिया? pic.twitter.com/n5gCo0N608 — Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) April 28, 2019<doc-sep>Lok Sabha Election 2019 LIVE updates: After multiple media reports claimed that the BJP has denied Prime Minister Narendra Modi would hold a press conference on 26 April, Congress wrote on Twitter, 'Tumse na ho payega (You won't be able to do it). '​ Modi is scheduled to visit Varanasi on Friday to filing his nomination. Auto refresh feeds Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who voted in the Lok Sabha polls on Tuesday amid much media attention and addressed election rallies in West Bengal and Odisha, is scheduled to campaign at Gumla in Jharkhand (11 am) and Bolpur (2 am) and Ranaghat (3.50 pm) in West Bengal on Wednesday. Priyanka's brother and Congress president Rahul Gandhi is also scheduled to hold public meetings across Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday — at Lakhimpur Kheri, Unnao and Kanpur. One of Congress's most popular campaign faces, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, is expected to hold public meetings at Khaga and Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur. She will then hold a roadshow from Parmanand Chowk to Udal Chowk in Hamirpur and then address a rally at Rath, which falls under the Hamirpur constituency. An announcement is expected soon on whether Congress will field Priyanka from Modi's Varanasi seat. "I have many good friends in the Opposition. We do eat food together once or twice a year. Long time back when I was not even the chief minister (of Gujarat), I had gone to Parliament for some work. There Ghulam Nabi Azad and I were having a friendly conversation. When we came out media people asked, how can you be friends with Azad as you belong to RSS. Ghulam Nabi gave a good answer. He said the way we are connected as a family can't be imagined outside)," Modi said in an interaction with actor Akshay Kumar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that he has many "good friends" in the Opposition and added that West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee sends personally-selected kurtas and sweets to him. The Election Commission on Wednesday ordered the Bengal Chief Electoral Officer to remove the trailer of Baghini, a film based on the life of Trinamool Congress chief and Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, from online sites. The Bengal CEO is learned to have begun steps to take down the trailer from three websites. He also wondered whether the prime minister will speak on top issues concerning the people before campaign ends. "Tired of listening to the PM beat his own trumpet on what he did to Pakistan. Before the campaign ends, will the PM speak on the top issues concerning the people?" Chidambaram asked. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday said he was tired of listening to Prime Minister Narendra Modi "beat his own trumpet" on "what he did" to Pakistan and asserted that people also want to hear him speak about issues such as demonetisation and hate speeches. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati tweeted early on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had misled the country when it comes to promising that the reservation system will not be scrapped. "Like the Congress government, the present government too has tried to make the quota system ineffective," she wrote. Almost three weeks ago, Priyanka dropped her first hint. A party worker in Rae Bareli said she wanted her to contest from her mother’s constituency. "Why not Varanasi?" asked Priyanka. Rahul Gandhi has also kept the pot boiling with his recent comments to a newspaper on the there being no harm in keeping up the "suspense" about Priyanka taking on Modi. Speculation is rife as to whether the Congress, in a press conference at 1 pm, will announce the name of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as candidate for Varanasi from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will contest. Modi is scheduled to file his nomination on 26 April, Friday. BJP's Northwest Delhi Lok Sabha MP and national chairman of the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations, Udit Raj, joined Congress on Wednesday. Raj still has 'chowkidar' in his Twitter name, like many other BJP leaders. The prefix had disappeared and then reappeared in the course of Tuesday. He tweeted at length on Tuesday on being snubbed when it came to a ticket from the reserved seat. The BJP picked singer Hans Raj Hans instead of him. The Gandhi siblings certainly believe in keeping suspense alive when it comes to the Varanasi candidate. Their brief hints on just how important this constituency is for the Congress have kept political watchers on their toes. Rahul Gandhi has also kept the pot boiling with his recent comments to a newspaper on the there being no harm in keeping up the "suspense" about Priyanka taking on Modi. Polling will be held in Varanasi on 19 May. Will Priyanka Gandhi be the chosen one for Congress? Rahul had spoken of keeping 'suspense' alive Former North West Delhi Lok Sabha MP from BJP, who was snubbed when it came to a ticket from the seat, thanked Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Twitter, hours after joining the party on Wednesday. Raj also dropped the 'chowkidar' that prefixed his name on Twitter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first rally of the day at Lohardaga in Jharkhand, called the EVM machine 'bechara' and said it is on the receiving end of abuses by Opposition now that people have proven that they 'love the chowkidar '. Opposition tired of hurling abuses at me, have directed ire at EVMs now, says PM He then said that the same Congress which made comments like these was also responsible for giving leeway to Maoists. At Lohardaga, Narendra Modi sought to vent anger at Opposition comments on the situation of Army personnel who are often compelled to enlist out of poverty. Modi said such comments, made by the Karnataka chief minister (HD Kumaraswamy) insulted the Pulwama 'martyrs' and made mockery of their contributions. Speaking at Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi said Narendra Modi was obsessed with their family, and he keeps on bringing up the Gandhis. "Fifty percent of his campaign speeches are devoted to blaming Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi.<doc-sep>Voting was largely smooth in the first three hours of polling in phase three, the biggest of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections for 117 parliamentary constituencies across 13 states and two Union Territories. Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast his vote in Ahmedabad, minutes after he urged all voters to come out and vote: “Your vote is precious and will shape the direction our nation takes in the years to come.” Later, taking to the waiting mediapersons the Prime Minster said the Voter ID was the strength of democracy and much more powerful than a terrorist’s IED. WATCH: LS Elections | Kerala contest to SC hurdle: Rahul Gandhi’s campaign analysed Others who voted in the first few hours were BJP chief Amit Shah, BJP’s Karnataka leader BS Yedyyurappa, NCP’s Supriya Sule, Goa CM Pramod Sawant and Kerala Cm Pinarayi Vijayan. Glitches in Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) were reported from a few places in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Bihar. India is in the middle of a seven-phase elections to pick a new Lok Sabha. In 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) finished ahead of the Congress in the seats which went to polls in the first and second phase, but was behind non-Congress, non-BJP parties. Parliamentary constituencies which will go to polls in each phase beginning today saw the BJP winning a majority in the 2014 elections. Of the 117 seats, the BJP won 62 and the NDA, 67, in 2014. Of the 117, polling in one seat in Tripura was deferred from an earlier phase and polling in Anantnag, Jammu & Kashmir, will happen in three phases starting with phase three. Tuesday’s polling will also mark an end to the electoral battle in southern India. With polling already complete in Tamil Nadu (except Vellore), Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, 20 seats in Kerala and the remaining 14 in Karnataka will go to polls on Tuesday.<doc-sep>Lok Sabha polls 2019: Voting in phase four begins in 72 constituencies across nine states NEW DELHI: Monday will mark another test of the saffron camp’s resilience, given that BJP and its partners won 56 of the 72 poll-bound seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. With the fourth phase, the polls enter the crucial states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh where Congress made a comeback last December and hopes to maintain the momentum.Also of critical importance will be voting in 17 seats in Maharashtra where elections end on Monday. BJP has managed to retrieve its alliance with Shiv Sena and its performance will have a key bearing on its total tally. In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Congress and BJP are locked in a keen battle, with the assembly results having gone down to the wire. Despite its losses, BJP is banking on a campaign centred around Prime Minister Narendra Modi to dominate these states while Congress is looking to tap its rejuvenated organisational presence and pro-poor promises.The 13 constituencies of Rajasthan will kickstart the clash for its prized 25 seats. Add to it 13 seats of UP and six of MP, and the fourth phase seems the most decisive of the 2019 contest in which BJP is seeking a return mandate against Congress and an array of regional parties who have vowed to come together after the polls to form a “secular” government.Barring Kannauj in UP and Chhindwara in MP, BJP and allies had won all 47 LS segments in these four states.If the challenge for BJP is to retain its massive 2014 tally, it is faced with a serious dare from the SP-BSP-RLD combine that is seeking to bring together the dominant sections of the backward classes into a voting compact in UP. The state accounts for 80 seats where BJP and allies hold 73. The 14-seat Jharkhand will also start its LS clash with polling in three seats on Monday.The opposition has a tough job on its hands too. The question remains, if Congress and NCP have managed to mount a serious resistance to BJP-Shiv Sena in Maharashtra where the latter won 42 of 48 seats the last time. In Rajasthan, it is to be seen if Congress can carry forward the December 2018 assembly victory over BJP and secure a big chunk of the 25 seats in the desert state where it drew a blank in 2014. Congress also formed the government in MP in December and hopes to make it count nationally.For BJP, the potential gains lie in the east. It has bet big on West Bengal and Odisha in the hope of offsetting losses in the other regions. Eight seats in Bengal and the last six of Odisha’s 21 seats in the fourth phase have filled BJP with anticipation.<doc-sep>
Hack: Prime Minister Narendra Modi filed his nomination for the Lok Sabha elections 2019 from Varanasi on Friday In a show of strength, leaders of NDA accompanied the Prime Minister as he filed his nomination papers In a major show of strength, NDA leaders from all around the country joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Rifle Club in Varanasi as he filed his nomination papers. LJP's Ram Vilas Paswan, Chief Minister of Bihar and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar, Shiromani Akali Dal's Prakash Singh Badal, Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray, new ally-AIADMK's leaders, Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio, Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel along with all senior BJP leaders like Sushma Swaraj, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari accompanied BJP chief Amit Shah to the Rifle club ahead of the nomination process. In 2014 general elections, BJP had won 282 seats in the lower house of Parliament. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had won 336 seats out of 543 sets in the Lok Sabha. BJP's victory in 2014 termed as the biggest victory since the 1984 election that Rajiv Gandhi won with 414 Lok Sabha seats. It was also the first time ever in the 67-year history of independent India that a non-Congress party won a simple majority on its own. Although Chandrababu Naidu led Telegu Desam Party broke ranks with the BJP, the NDA is at a comfortable majority. Here's a look at the number of seats the present NDA allies who were present in Varanasi won in 2014: Shiv Sena: BJP's oldest ally won an impressive 18 seats in partnership with the BJP in Maharashtra, which sends 48 members to the Lok Sabha. BJP's oldest ally won an impressive 18 seats in partnership with the BJP in Maharashtra, which sends 48 members to the Lok Sabha. Lok Janshakti Party : Ram Vilas Paswan's party staged a comeback to the NDA after 10 years, and emerged victorious in six seats in Bihar. : Ram Vilas Paswan's party staged a comeback to the NDA after 10 years, and emerged victorious in six seats in Bihar. Shiromani Akali Dal : Another very old partner of the BJP won 4 seats in Punjab. : Another very old partner of the BJP won 4 seats in Punjab. Janta Dal (United) : Though a part of Mahagathbandhan in the 2014 elections, the party won only 2 seats. Later it joined the BJP following a tussle with its then alliance partner RJD : Though a part of Mahagathbandhan in the 2014 elections, the party won only 2 seats. Later it joined the BJP following a tussle with its then alliance partner RJD Apna Dal : Another party which has made its debut in the Lok Sabha. Headed by Anupriya Patel, a Kurmi leader from eastern Uttar Pradesh, it won 2 seats in alliance with the BJP : Another party which has made its debut in the Lok Sabha. Headed by Anupriya Patel, a Kurmi leader from eastern Uttar Pradesh, it won 2 seats in alliance with the BJP Naga People's Front : Has been ruling Nagaland since 2003, and is also an old NDA ally. It won the lone Nagaland seat : Has been ruling Nagaland since 2003, and is also an old NDA ally. It won the lone Nagaland seat AIADMK: The party who has recently joined the NDA won 37 seats from Tamil Nadu. Together, the NDA allies at the Prime Minister's nomination-filing represent 70 seats in the 16th Lok Sabha. READ: "Kashi Is Already Won", Says PM Modi In Address To BJP Cadre Ahead Of Filing His Nomination From Varanasi For Lok Sabha Elections 2019 On Thursday, the Congress party ended all speculations around the name of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contesting against the PM by fielding Ajay Rai from Varanasi. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, PM Narendra Modi had won the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat, defeating Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal by a massive margin of 3.37 lakh votes, while Ajay Rai was third in the contest. With Uttar Pradesh going to polls in all seven phases, Varanasi will vote in the last phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 19. Counting of votes will take place on May 23. READ: "Prayed For India’s Peace And Prosperity", Says PM Modi On Performing Ganga Aarti At Dashashwamedh Ghat In Varanasi Ahead Of Filing His Nomination