The Congress on Thursday named former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan as the chairman of the party's campaign committee in the state. The Congress president has approved the proposal to appoint Chavan as the chairman of the campaign committee with immediate effect, a party release informed.

The 78-year-old MLA from Karad South has been a minister of state in the PMO during the UPA government.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said wrestler Chandrahar Patil will be his party's candidate from Sangli Lok Sabha seat in western Maharashtra. Thackeray announced the name of Patil, who has won the state's top wrestling competition 'Maharashtra Kesari' two times, at a rally in Sangli.

"Today I am announcing the candidature of Chandrahar Patil. He will contest the election on the symbol of 'mashaal' (torch). I have given this 'mard' who is ready to fight for you. You (party workers) are the real 'gada' ( blunt mace ) for him," Thackeray said.

The Opposition BJP in Odisha on Thursday filed a complaint with the state's chief electoral officer, accusing the government of failing to remove posters and banners from public places in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack despite the election model code of conduct (MCC) coming into force.

A delegation of the BJP's Odisha unit, led by vice-president Lekhashree Samantasinghar, submitted the complaint along with pictorial evidence of their allegations.

"The Election Commission of India (ECI) has already mandated the removal of all government advertisements displayed in public places upon the announcement of poll dates," Samantasinghar said.

The Samajwadi Party called off its ties with Apna Dal (Kameravadi) on Thursday amid the differences between the alliance partners that had been playing out in public for a long time, ANI reported. Responding to a media inquiry on Thursday, SP president Akhilesh Yadav said, "We were in alliance with Apna Dal (Kameravadi) in the 2022 Assembly polls but it is not in 2024."

The AICC, on Thursday, released its third list of 57 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections for Arunachal, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, West Bengal, and Puducherry fielding Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury from Berhampore, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge's son-in-law Radhakrishna from Gulbarga and former Union minister Sushilkumar Shinde's daughter Praniti Shinde from Solapur.

The Naga People's Front (NPF) on Thursday handed over the party ticket for the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha seat to Kachui Timothy Zimik.

NPF president Apong Pongener officially handed over the ticket to Timothy in the presence Nagaland NPF Legislature Party leader Kuzholuzo Nienu and officials of the NPF Manipur unit at the Central Office here.

NPF, a regional political party with headquarters in Nagaland capital Kohima is not fielding a candidate for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland as it is part of the all-party government here. The NPF has decided to support Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) nominee and consensus candidate of People's Democratic Alliance, Dr Chumben Murry.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav today asked the party workers to be careful of the BJP's "conspiracies" during voting in the Lok Sabha elections and not be misled by the ruling party. The party workers need to pay attention on protecting the booths because the country, democracy and the Constitution will survive only when the BJP goes out of power, news agency PTI quoted Yadav as saying in a statement. “The eyes of the entire country are on Uttar Pradesh which will play an important and decisive role in the Lok Sabha elections. We have to be careful of the conspiracies of the BJP and remain alert while voting and not be misled by the BJP”, Yadav reportedly said while addressing the workers at the party's state headquarters.

The Congress CEC has deliberated upon the probable seats for the candidates the party intends to field in the upcoming elections, according to information accessed by Republic Bharat. Following is the list of Congress Party probables in the Hindi heartland of Uttar Pradesh:

• Banaras - Ajay Rai, President UP Congress
• Barabanki - Tanuj Punia
• Amroha- Danish Ali, MP
• Kanpur - Alok Mishra, former mayor candidate
• Basgaon - Sadal Prasad Singh, former minister
• Deoria - Akhilesh Singh, former MLA, spokesperson
• Jhansi - Pradeep Jain, former MLA
• Fatehpur Sikri- Ramnath, former assembly candidate
• Saharanpur - Imran Masood, former MLA

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP Lok Sabha candidate Shivraj Singh Chouhan today opted to travel by train in second-class compartment to his constituency, which he fondly terms his "karmabhoomi" (workplace). During his train journey from Bhopal to Ganjbasoda, part of the Vidisha constituency from where he is contesting, Chouhan engaged with fellow passengers, chatting with them about various issues and listening to their concerns. “I have been travelling by train since I was an MP. My heart is full of happiness. I am going to Ganjbasoda, which is my 'karmabhoomi' (workplace). I have family relations with the people and I am going there again to meet all of them," Chouhan, accompanied by his wife Sadhna, told news agency PTI on the train when asked that he was going to his constituency by rail after a long time.

The pick and drop facility will be made available for differently-abled as well as senior citizens on polling day, Delhi Chief Electoral Officer P Krishnamurthy tells news agency PTI.  

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today released its third list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections; K Annamalai will contest from Coimbatore, Tamilisai Soundararajan from Chennai South and L. Murugan from Nilgiris.

Mizoram's main opposition party Mizo National Front (MNF) will field sitting Rajya Sabha MP K Vanlalvena for the state's lone Lok Sabha seat, news agency PTI reported today, quoting a senior party leader. The 54-year-old was elected to the lone Rajya Sabha seat in Mizoram in June 2020.

Earlier, the MNF and Congress held parleys to forge a pre-poll electoral alliance to jointly combat against the ruling Zoram People's Movement (ZPM). However, the two parties decided to go on their own after the talks did not bear fruit.

Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh will likely contest the upcoming elections from Rajgadh in Madhya Pradesh, sources tell Republic.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini today exuded confidence that the BJP will win all the 10 Lok Sabha seats from the state and Narendra Modi will become the prime minister for the third term. Speaking to reporters at the residence of former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Karnal, Saini said, "We will win all 10 seats."  Along with the Karnal Lok Sabha seat, from where the BJP has fielded Khattar as the party candidate, “we (the BJP) will win the remaining nine seats also with a big mandate”, news agency PTI quoted Saini as saying.

Freezing Congress's bank accounts at the time of elections is a violation of the model code of conduct and unconstitutional, and the poll panel should prevent such a move to save democracy, news agency PTI quoted party leader Sachin Pilot as saying. Talking to reporters at the Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur, Pilot reportedly said bank accounts of the BJP, and not the Congress, should be frozen as the saffron party has received "huge money" through electoral bonds "scam".

"It is well known how the Centre is treating the main opposition Congress. The acts of sealing Congress' bank accounts, seizing cash from them and deliberately not giving a level playing field to the Congress are all violations of the model code of conduct, morality and the Constitution," he further said.

The Supreme Court has refused to stay the appointment of new election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, saying that doing so would lead to "chaos and uncertainty" as the Lok Sabha elections are round the corner, news agency PTI reported. Observing that the Election Commission is not under the "thumb of executive", the top court also refused to grant an interim stay on the operation of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Terms of Office) Act, 2023.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta reportedly said, "At this stage, we cannot stay the legislation or put it under suspension by way of interim order. It would lead to uncertainty and chaos in case of stay." The top court said it will examine the main petitions challenging the validity of the 2023 Act and asked the Centre to file its response within six weeks. It posted the matter for resumed hearing on August 5.

The Congress today announced the first list of 34 candidates for the upcoming assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh, scheduled for April 19, news agency PTI reported. Among the candidates are three former ministers and three women nominees, with the majority being first-time contenders. Notably, the names of Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president and former chief minister Nabam Tuki and APCC vice-president Bosiram Siram were absent from the list.

Daughter of jailed separatist Shabir Ahmad Shah, Sama Shabir, publicly disavowed her father's Democratic Freedom Party (DFP)  affirming her allegiance to the sovereignty of the Union of India. In a published notice in a local newspaper, the 23-year-old, a former CBSE topper in Kashmir, emphasised her status as a loyal Indian citizen and unequivocally distanced herself from the banned separatist organisation founded by her father, who is presently in Tihar Jail facing charges of money laundering and terror funding. “I am a loyal citizen of India and I am not affiliated with any person or organisation which is against the sovereignty of the Union of India,” the 23-year-old Sama Shabir, the elder daughter of Shah, said in the notice. “I am not associated with the DFP or its ideology in any way,” Sama Shabir stated, cautioning that legal action would be pursued against anyone linking her to the separatist group without authorisation. 

With the 2024 Lok Sabha polls being the second longest elections ever held in India, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said it puts the opposition parties in a disadvantageous position. In an interview to PTI, while stating that the Election Commission has the right to take a decision on the election dates, he questioned the wisdom behind it. Reacting to the 82-day duration of the general elections, he said, “It is a matter of concern. We recognise and accept that the Constitution gives the entire right, the sole right to the Election Commission on these matters. And they are the only ones who are mandated by the Constitution of India. So they have the right”. “But we question the wisdom of it", Yechury told PTI.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti would have supported the National Conference (NC) on all three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir if Farooq Abdullah or Omar Abdullah had consulted her before announcing their decision to contest, senior PDP leader Waheed ur Rehman Parra told news agency PTI today. Mufti had on March 8 expressed unhappiness over the NC contesting all three Lok Sabha constituencies in Kashmir, saying the decision was “disappointing” and a “setback to the hopes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir". She also accused the NC of reducing their Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) to a “joke”.

Former Karnataka chief minister and sitting MP DV Sadananda Gowda has said he is not quitting the BJP to join the Congress, and would rather work towards "purification" of the saffron party's state unit. Alleging "Pariwarwad" in the Karnataka BJP, without taking any names, the former union minister said those who have taken the responsibility of the party in the state have become "selfish".

The 71-year-old leader is "upset" over being denied the ticket to contest again in the Lok Sabha polls from Bangalore North. "Yes, I'm pained and upset over not getting a ticket. Yes, I got an invitation from Congress. But, no, I will not join Congress. My future step will be towards purification of Karnataka BJP," news agency PTI quoted Gowda as saying. 

The Congress Party will announce names of its candidates from Jharkhand for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls after the festival of Holi, news agency PTI reported today, quoting a senior party leader. He further said that allies of the opposition bloc INDIA will announce their candidates separately. “The names of the party candidates for Jharkhand Lok Sabha seats will be announced after Holi, either on March 27 or March 28," Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Alamgir Alam told PTI over the phone from New Delhi. The announcement will be made from the Congress headquarters in the national capital, Alam added.

The Trinamool Congress has alleged that the transfer of four district magistrates in West Bengal by the Election Commission ahead of the Lok Sabha elections vindicates its stand that the BJP was using the poll panel after facing people’s rejection in the previous state elections. Senior TMC leader and minister Chandrima Bhattacharya stated in a press meet that such steps by the EC, “at the behest of BJP”, betrays the hollowness of the saffron party’s assertion to better the tally of 18 seats it won in 2019, news agency PTI reported. “Why is the BJP pushing for so many transfers after (poll) date announcement, if it is so confident of victory? Why can't the BJP leave our officers out from its ‘Mission Bengal’ strategy?” Bhattacharya reportedly quipped.

Former cricketer and Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate from Berhampore Yusuf Pathan expressed gratitude towards West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today, saying, “I am grateful to Mamata Didi for giving me the opportunity to serve you”. “I hope that the way you've showered me with all the love in all these years when I played for the KKR, you'd continue to bestow me with the same love during the course of my new journey. I want this love to always remain", news agency ANI quoted Pathan as telling his supporters in Murshidabad.

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid today expressed happiness over poll body taking cognisance of the issues raised by the party leaders. “We have conveyed our complaints to the Election Commission of India (ECI) about the way the BJP is campaigning, the things that are being advertised by them and the things that are being said. This hurts everyone associated with the Indian democracy”, news agency ANI quoted Khurshid as saying.

“We are happy that a few issues that we have taken up to the ECI have already been acted upon and the ECI has apprised us of the same...I hope the poll body will work as per the constitutional rights”, Khurshid reportedly said.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: “People should make use of their vote to keep the BJP away. People have to decide whether they want BJP-backed parties to reach parliament or not,” said Mehbooba Mufti. 

Vajpayee announced from Red Fort that free and clean elections must be held in Jammu and Kashmir, but the situation has changed now, she said. 
 

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: Election Commission of India has appointed Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Agarwal as the new DC of Jalandhar,  two days after incumbent Vishesh Sarangal was transferred on its order. 

Union minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday performed a puja at his residence in Jammu following which he filed his nomination from Udhampur-Kathua Lok Sabha seat which is set to go to polls in the first phase of elections on April 19. 

"After filing his nomination from the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat, Union Minister Jitendra Singh says, “I don't think such a huge public rally has ever happened in Kathua. This is the epitome of support that the people of Kathua-Doda-Udhampur constituency have for PM Narendra Modi and the BJP. This is also an acceptance of the work done by PM Narendra Modi in the last 10 years in this constituency. Dozens of new schemes and policies were implemented for the people. A lot of work which was left incomplete by the previous governments was also completed,” said Singh after filing his nomination. 

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: BJP on Thursday appointed its incharges and co-incharges for the Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh. BJP leader Vinay Sahasrabuddhe will be the party's incharge and party national secretary Vijaya Rahatkar and Parvesh Verma the co-incharges for the parliamentary polls in Rajasthan, according to a party release.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: Bihar Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh on Thursday called on RJD chief Lalu Prasad, amid rumours that the latter has begun to allot party tickets for the Lok Sabha polls. After meeting the RJD supremo, the Congress leader maintained that everything will be sorted out in good time, but ducked pointed queries about murmurs that Prasad has given tickets, unilaterally, for all the four seats going to polls in the first phase.

For the upcoming Arunachal Pradesh assembly elections to be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party has released the list of 34 candidates. 

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: Deepak Saxena, former Madhya Pradesh Minister and a close aide of Kamal Nath, has resigned from all posts of the Congress party. 

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: Election Commission has directed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Thursday to immediately halt delivery of Viksit Bharat messaging over WhatsApp. Compliance report on the matter has been demanded immediately from MeitY, said the poll body. 

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: HAM(S) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi to contest from Gaya Lok Sabha seat in Bihar. 

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE:  Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and MNS head Raj Thackeray met in Mumbai on Thursday, amid talk of a possible alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The meeting is underway at the Taj Lands End in suburban Bandra. Earlier, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Thackeray met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Tuesday in Delhi, in an indication of a possible MNS-BJP alliance. 

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: The Congress has decided to go solo in the Lok Sabha elections in Mizoram, after talks of a pre-poll alliance with the Mizo National Front (MNF) did not bear fruit. Mizoram has one Lok Sabha seat.

The Congress, which had been in power in Mizoram for about 20 years since 1987, and the MNF had been in talks to forge a pre-poll alliance to jointly fight against the ruling Zoram People's Movement (ZPM).

The AIADMK top leader named U Rani Vilavancode Assembly constituency. 

Bypoll to the Vilavancode segment in Kanniyakumari district will be held on April 19 alongside the Lok Sabha polls. The vacancy was caused due to the resignation of Vijayadharani, who joined the BJP after quitting her MLA post.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: The Supreme Court on Thursday, March 21, dismissed the applications seeking stay of appointment of new election commissioners. 

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: The Election Commission on Thursday transferred district police chiefs in Assam and Punjab, who are kin of prominent politicians, and shunted out "non-cadre" district magistrates and superintendents of police in some states. The poll body said the non-cadre district magistrates (DMs) and superintendent of police (SPs) have been shunted out as the posts are meant for IAS and IPS officers.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: Chairperson of Congress Parliamentary Party Sonia Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and former Congress President Rahul Gandhi to address press conference today. 

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: Parties of the INDI alliance in Maharashtra has begun at the residence of Sharad Pawar's residence in Mumbai.

AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami announces the second list of candidates for Lok Sabha elections. This is the final list of AIADMK releases which names 16 candidates for LS polls. In over 10 constituencies, there will be direct fight between the ruling DMK and the main opposition AIADMK.

AIADMK also named candidate for Vilavancode bypoll in Tamil Nadu

Check Full List of Candidates: 

AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami announced G Premkumar, a medical doctor, as his party candidate for Sriperumbudur and S Pasupathi, also a doctor for the Vellore seat.

The AIADMK top leader named G Tamizhvendan for Puducherry Lok Sabha seat. 

Besides Sriperumbudur and Vellore, Palaniswami announced candidates for the Lok Sabha segments of Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Kallakurichi, Tirupur, Nilgiris (SC), Coimbatore, Pollachi, Tiruchirappalli, Perambalur, Mayiladuthurai, Sivaganga, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari.

Elections to 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held on April 19. 

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: Congress will hold a meeting with Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar today to finalize candidates on the remaining Lok Sabha seats today.

Nana Patole said, "We have discussed at least 18-19 seats of Maharashtra, we have finalized at least 12 seats and tomorrow morning we have a meeting with Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray. Final discussions will be held and all seats will be announced by tomorrow or the day after tomorrow...''

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray is all set to meet the leaders of his party in Mumbai today. This would be Raj Thackeray's first meeting with the leaders of the party after his Delhi trip where a decision on alliance with BJP is expected to be taken. 

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: A flying squad team of the Election Commission seized Rs 1.49 lakh in cash from a vehicle at Chatrapatti village in Madurai district on 20th March, says a District election department official to ANI. 

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: The Supreme Court will hear plea raising the issue of political parties promising electoral freebies.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: Amid delays in INDIA bloc’s seat-sharing announcement, Jharkhand minister and RJD MLA Satyanand Bhokta on Wednesday declared his candidature from Chatra Lok Sabha seat.

 "It is the decision of the bloc that the RJD will contest from Chatra and the party has decided to field me." Bhokta said he has kicked-off his campaign for the polls by displaying banners, posters, and hoardings in the constituency," said Satyanand Bhokta. 

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: The NCP faction headed by Sharad Pawar has questioned the Congress party over delay in declaring candidates for the two Lok Sabha seats in Goa 

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: After the Congress' Central Election Committee met on Wednesday to finalise candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, Maharashtra unit party President Nana Patole said that candidates have been finalised for 12 seats.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: The Supreme Court will today hear a batch of pleas challenging CJI's exclusion from the panel meant to select CEC and ECs and the appointment of new election commissioners.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE: Union Minister Jitendra Singh performs puja at his residence in Jammu, ahead of filing his nomination from Udhampur as a BJP candidate.