As the voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha election came to a close, leaders across political parties on Friday will hold a volley of rallies. With the date of voting for the third phase nearing, campaigning for the poll will see a fever pitch.
The nation will witness rallies of firebrand leaders like BJP national president Amit Shah, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, among several others. Interestingly, after a ban of three days by EC, CM Adityanath will come back with four rallies in UP.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address traders of the country at Talkatora Stadium to discuss the issues of the community as mentioned in the party’s ‘Sankalp Patra’ manifesto. The convention is being organised by the Rashtriya Vyapari Dhanywad Mahasammelan.
Prominent business leaders and office-bearers of all market associations in Delhi have been invited on this occasion. BJP Sankalp Patra talks about setting up a National Traders Welfare Board, new retail policy to boost retail trade, a pension scheme for small traders above the age of 60 years, Rs 10 lakh accidental insurance to all GST-registered traders and credit cards to traders on the lines of Kisan Credit Cards.
Here are the live updates from April 19 (Friday):
* BJP MLA Basavaraj Bommai said voters will decide who is a “hero” and who are the “jokers”, in an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the “hero” and Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy as “jokers.”
When asked why Bommai ridicules the Congress chief and Kumaraswamy, the BJP lawmaker told ANI, “They (Rahul and Kumaraswamy) have made fun of themselves with the way they talk, their thinking and body language. People will decide who is a hero and who are jokers.” Bommai further alleged that the Lingayat issue was used by the Congress party just like `divide and rule policy` of the British.
* Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will visit Amethi on a one-day tour. In the guest house made in the Central Office premises, meeting with the party officials and workers will prepare the outline of the election. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will reach Furastganj at 9.30 in the morning. From here, she will go to the central office of the party located at Gauriganj at 10 in the morning. In the guest house made in the office premises, she will have separate meetings with the area’s intellectuals and party workers.
* Former prime minister and JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda has said that he will not retire from active politics and that if Rahul Gandhi becomes the Prime Minister of the country, he will be by his side.”I announced three years back that I will not contest elections. There are circumstances now in which I have been forced to contest. There is nothing to hide. I have no ambition of anything but what I always said is that I am not going to retire from active politics,” he said, adding “If Rahul Gandhi becomes the Prime Minister, I will sit by his side. It is not necessary to become the Prime Minister.”
* The Election Commission (EC) is unlikely to bar BJP candidate from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, from contesting the poll. The ban cannot be imposed under current laws, added a source to Zee News.
* After three days of a ban by the Election Commission (EC) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will hold four rallies in Uttar Pradesh.
CM Adityanath will address public meetings with the resolve of win in Sambhal, Ferozabad, Etawah and Mishrikh Lok Sabha seats. The CM will address the public at 11.30 am in support of BJP candidate Parmeshwar Lal Saini in the Kaila Devi Temple Ground, Assamouli in Sambhal. After this, he will be addressing the public meeting in support of BJP candidate Dr Chandrasena Jadon at 1 pm at GL Inter College ground, SirsaGanj, Firozabad. CM Yogi will address public meetings in support of BJP candidate for Ramshankar Katheria at Ramlila Maidan, Etawah, at 2 pm and Ashok Rawat from the Mishrikh Lok Sabha constituency at Junior High School Ground at 3 pm in Hardoi.
* BJP president Amit Shah will address a rally in Baramati in Pune district on Friday. Shah will address a rally on the NCP chief’s home turf Baramati in Maharashtra.
* RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav will hold rallies in Bihar’s Khagadia, Madhepura, and Araria.
* Bihar CM Nitish Kumar will hold rallies in Bihar’s Supaul, Jhanjharpur and Madhepura.
* Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Modi will hold a rally in Madhubani
* Chirag Paswan, Lok Janshakti Party leader and son of Union Minister Ram Vilas, will hold a rally in Darbhanga, Bihar
* Maharashtra’s Aurangabad will witness rallies of three firebrand leaders–Prakash Ambedkar, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. All the three leaders will hold rallies at 6 pm.
* NCP chief Sharad Pawar will hold a rally in Maharashtra’s Madha Lok Sabha constituency at 4 pm.
* Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is likely to hold a roadshow in Kanpur Nagar and Akbarpur (Kanpur Dehat) constituencies in support of party candidates on Friday. She will land at Chakeri airport and later take part in a road show in the city in support of Congress candidate Sriprakash Jaiswal. She will also hold a road show in support of Raja Ram Pal in Akbarpur. The roadshow will pass through Kidwainagar, Bara Devi, Gaushala, Deep Talkies, Sachan guest house, Shastri Chowk Barra, Natraj Talkies, Chawla market, Govind Nagar bridge, Fazalganj, Lajpat Nagar, Sindhi Colony, Vijay Nagar, Double Puliya, Devki Talkies and culminate at Namak Factory Chauraha. The roadshow is likely to start at 3 pm from Ghantaghar square.
Source: Zee News