Elections 2024 LIVE: TMC Removes Kunal Ghosh From Gen Secy Post; KCR Banned From Campaigning For 48 Hours

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: Amid suspense over the Congress’ candidate in Amethi and Rae Bareilly Lok Sabha seats, party leader Jairam Ramesh said that their CEC has “empowered the party President to declare candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareilly seats”. He said that the picks will be finalised in the “next 24-30 hours” and the decision will be officially announced.

Sources told CNN-News18 that party leader Rahul Gandhi is not keen to give up on Wayanad, even if he wins in one of the two Uttar Pradesh constituencies. The Congress MP is likely to visit Amethi on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the special investigation team (SIT) intensified its investigation into alleged sex scandal involving Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna. The SIT issued a notice to the accused, asking him and his father HD Revanna to appear before it for investigation within 24 hours. Earlier on Tuesday, the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda was suspended from his party, Janata Dal (Secular) over the scandal.

With a week left to the third phase polling of the general elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address two rallies in Gujarat — Banaskantha and Sabarkantha — on Wednesday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will also address a public meeting at Mela Ground in Chhattisgarh’s Korba.

LATEST UPDATES ON 2024 LOK SABHA ELECTIONS

• Reiterating PM Modi’s resolution of not allowing the removal of reservation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the BJP will never do away with reservation for ST, SC and OBC, nor will it allow the Congress to do so. Shah alleged that the grand old party’s tactic was to lie repeatedly and advised its president Mallikarjun Kharge to not speak lies for the sake of the “family” (Nehru-Gandhi family) as eventually he would be blamed for its loss in the general elections.
• After Polls, Congress Will Become History: Addressing an election rally in Maharashtra’s Solapur, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said, “After this election, Congress will become history.” He claimed that the grand old party wants to give freedom for cow slaughter. “Congress is not able to gather strength to fight Lok Sabha elections in UP,” he added.
• INDIA Bloc Ecosystem Pushing Lie: PM Modi, addressing an election rally in Banaskantha said, “In 2024, the Congress and INDI alliance has come up with a lie… Their eco-system is pushing that lie. They are saying that the reservation would be withdrawn. It is a completely fabricated lie… This time they will be limited to fewer seats than last time…”
• Congress Mocked Me, Congress Has No Vision: PM Modi told the people of Gujarat that “once you removed Congress from Gujarat, you did not let them step in again. The Congress does not have issues, vision or passion to work.””In 2014, the Congress mocked me that I was a ‘Chaiwala’, Gujju. They said I only understood Gujarat, not the country… They used to bring tea kettles in their rallies to mock me. But the country replied in such a way that those who once had 400 seats are now at 40 seats,” he added.
• Guarantee Based On Country’s Capabilities: Addressing a public meeting in Gujarat’s Banaskantha, PM Modi said, “In the 2024 elections, I have come with the experience of 20-25 years… I have come with a guarantee based on the capabilities of the country… My guarantee is that in the third term, we will make India the third-largest economy in the world. This will not just benefit the current generation, but also the future generations…”
• Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, in a press conference, said, “…Congress Central Election Committee has empowered the party President to declare candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareilly seats. In the next 24-30 hours, the Congress President will finalise the candidates, and his decision will be announced formally. Till that is done, all information, tickers, and office orders are all fake.”
• Suspended JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna, for the first time since the allegations of the sex scandal came up, posted on X and said, “As I am not in Bangalore to attend the enquiry, I have communicated to C.I.D Bangalore through my Advocate. Truth will prevail soon.”
• Comedian Shyam Rangeela, who became popular by mimicking PM Modi, announced on Wednesday that he will contest the Lok Sabha polls from the Varanasi constituency. Rangeela is set to make his electoral debut by fighting the poll battle against the Prime Minister.
• Television star Rupali Ganguly joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the party headquarters on Wednesday. Speaking to the media, the Anupamaa star said, “I am so honoured to be here. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has influenced me a lot. I am a big fan of PM Modi. BJP has been doing great work and therefore i wanted to join the BJP. I am very thankful to the party.”
• Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena announced its candidates for the Kalyan and Thane Lok Sabha seats on Wednesday. The party has fielded Shrikant Eknath Shinde and Naresh Ganpat Mhaske from the Kalyan and Thane seats respectively.
• Amid the ongoing general elections, Congress MLA from Karnataka — Raju Kage — sparked a controversy after he was caught in a video threatening voters in Jugulato to cut electricity if they don’t vote for the party by a huge margin.“If you don’t give us a lead then we will cut the electricity. And I will stick to my words,” the Congress MLA Raju Kage was heard saying in the video that is going viral on social media platforms.
• The Election Commission of India on Tuesday released the voter turnout of the first and second phase of Lok Sabha polling. Phase 1 recorded a voter turnout of 66.14 per cent, while phase 2 stood at 66.71 per cent. The poll governing body, however, made it clear that final turnout will only be available post-counting with that of postal ballots and its addition to the total vote count.
• The Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri seat, earlier slated for May 7, has now been postponed to May 25 by the Election Commission. The poll body cited logistical issues caused by adverse conditions as reason behind the postponement.
• Trouble continued to mount for Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, who on Tuesday was suspended from his party, JD(S), over the alleged sex scandal. The SIT also intensified its investigation into the allegations levelled against Prajwal.

Notably, his driver said that he gave the ‘obscene video’ clips to Karnataka BJP leader and lawyer Deveraje Gowda.

Gowda, on the other hand, said that he had warned the saffron camp of the sexual abuse allegations against Prajwal before the alliance with JD(S) was finalised.

• Amid the suspense for its candidate from Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi and Rae Barelli, the Congress on Tuesday released a list of four candidates. The grand old party fielded Raj Babbar from Haryana’s Gurugram, Bhushan Patil from Mumbai North, Anand Sharma from Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra and Satpal Raizada from Hamirpur.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a rally in Telangana, asserted that he would not let the quotas of Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs be given to Muslims on the basis of religion. His statement comes amid the Congress’ attack at the BJP saying that the latter would change the Constitution and scrap reservations.

(With agency inputs)

Check Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.