Lok Sabha election 2019 LATEST updates: In a fresh affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the Centre said that there were no legal or factual merit to Election Commission’s concerns. CNN-News18 quoted the government as saying in that electoral bonds can’t impact policies. On 27 March, the Election Commission had told the Supreme Court that it had written to the Centre saying the changes made in several laws relating to political funding will have “serious repercussions” on transparency.

Sitting MP Kirit Somaiya responded to BJP’s move to field corporation Manoj Kotak from his constituency Mumbai North East. “We all will support him and ensure he wins. Ultimately our aim is a second term for Narendra Modi ji,” he said.

In Suderbani, Amit Shah lashed out at Congress for promising AFPSA review in its manifesto. “Nobody can dilute AFSPA as the BJP will be standing like a rock behind security forces who are protecting our borders,” he said. “It is for the first time that I’m revealing this: We left the Jammu and Kashmir government on the issue of dilution of AFSPA.”

The BJP has fielded Bhojpuri actor Dinesh Lal Yadav, popularly known as Nirhua, to contest from Azamgarh against Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav. It named corporator Manoj Kotak as its candidate from the Mumbai North East seat, dropping sitting MP Kirit Somaiya.

Addressing a mega rally in Kolkata, Narendra Modi said, “In their manifesto, the Congress has stated that they will dilute AFSPA. This move will help Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. The Congress is determined to bring instability in the country… Your vote will play a big role in doing away with terrorism.”

He also lashed out at the Congress, saying “Some people who were opposed to me, have started opposing India. Who was questioning the airstrike? Who was upsetting the jawans? Who was demanding the bodies of terrorists? Who was asking saboot from sapoots?”

The Election Commission is learnt to have sought details of Namo TV from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry after the issue was flagged by the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party which wanted to know whether political parties having own channels was violative of the model code of conduct.

Addressing a rally in Golaghat in Assam, Rahul Gandhi spoke on Congress’ minimum income promise. “Funds for NYAY will come from pockets of ‘chor’ businessmen favoured by ‘chowkidar’ Narendra Modi,” he said.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said that looking at the Congress manifesto, it appears that the Congress has been infiltrated by urban Naxals that is why the nation has to see such a shameful day.

Modi said, “The Congress has also made arrangements to reward those who abuse India. People who chant ‘Bharat tere tukde honge’ will all be let free because the Congress is conspiring to scrap the sedition law.” 

Addressing a rally in West Bengal’s Siliguri, Modi said that Armed Forces Special Forces Act was like armour for the security forces but the Congress party wants to snatch it away from them. 

Narendra Modi, speaking at his second rally of the day, at Siliguri in West Bengal said the cheers of the audience had reached Mamata Banerjee and would destroy her sleep. He called her ‘speedbreaker Didi’ and said she has put the brakes on Bengal’s development. “I accept your love,” he told a wildly applauding audience.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said on Wednesday that should Article 370 be abrogated, then the people behind it should be prepared to see Jammu and Kashmir outside the country. “We will do everything to protect Article 370 and the region,” she said, shortly after filing her nomination papers.

BJP chief Amit Shah, speaking at Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand said only Narendra Modi can give an answer to Pakistan and terrorists. He also slammed Omar Abdullah for asking for another prime minister in Jammu and Kashmir. “And Congress keeps quiet,” he said. Shah blamed the Congress for allowing “one and all” to come into the country during the 10 years of UPA rule, amping up the offensive along the internal security line.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, on Wednesday compared prime minister Narendra Modi to German dictator Adolf Hitler. Political parties in the Valley have been critical of what the BJP leadership has maintained on Article 35A and 370. “Modi wants to win the hearts of Kashmiris with a gun. Hitler ruled with a gun,” he said, addressing a rally at Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara.

Azad also said that no one dared to unleash violence like this on Kashmiris earlier.

The Foreigners Division of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a notice to the wife of Trinamool Congress leader and Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee for making false representation and concealing material facts while submitting documents before competent authorities to get her Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) and Permanent Account Number (PAN) card.

No sooner had Narendra Modi’s address at Pasighat finished, than Congress communications in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala held a press conference in which an unverified sting video was used to allege that money was distributed among people in Pasighat to attend Modi’s rally today. Cash of Rs 1.8 crore was recovered last night from Arunachal BJP president Tapir Gao’s vehicles at the Siang Guest House.

Speaking at Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh, Modi has also kept the focus, significantly, on the Congress’s manifesto, which was released on Tuesday, playing with words and referring to it as a dhakoslapatra.

Blaming Congress leaders for never coming to the Arunachal and spending their time in expensive hotels, Narendra Modi also slammed what he called the “tukde tukde gang” which he said “has gone against the country and betrayed it”. “Should there not be justice done to those who insult the nation?” he asked, following up with the question if Congress was with the nation or with its betrayers.

Ahead of his rallies in Arunachal, Bengal and Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted in English, Bengali and Marathi, reaching out to the prospective audience of his meetings. “BJP’s popularity has only grown in West Bengal…only BJP can solve the state’s problems,” he wrote.

Wednesday promises to be yet another high octane day in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who remains the Bharatiya Janata Party’s most significant crowd puller on the campaign trail, will speak on the turf of one of the Opposition’s rallying forces, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

Modi and Mamata are both scheduled to speak in north Bengal on Wednesday morning, the prime minister at Siliguri and Mamata at Dinhata.

Modi is scheduled to start the day with a public meeting at 10 am, at Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh. From there, he is expected to address the north Bengal rally before travelling to Kolkata’s Brigade Parade grounds, where he will speak at around 3.30 pm. By evening, he will be in Maharashtra, where he is expected to address a rally at Gondia at 6.30 pm.

In his rallies, the prime minister has been prioritising internal security above all else, repeating the value of the Balakot air strike in public meetings at nearly every venue across the country. In Bengal, he is likely to slam the Mamata rule with renewed vigour. The chief minister often clashes with the BJP at the Centre and has accused it of compromising the freedom of public institutions, even holding a dharna in retaliation to the CBI’s questioning of former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar.

Meanwhile, BJP president Amit Shah is scheduled to address election rallies at Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand at 11.30 am, and Udhampur (2.30 pm) and Rajouri (4 pm) in Jammu and Kashmir. Shah’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir comes in the backdrop of severe back and forth regarding Article 370, which gives the state special status, among Kashmir’s mainstream political parties like the People’s Democratic Party and the National Conference on one hand and the BJP on the other.

PDP chief and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday had said Shah was “daydreaming” about abrogating Article 370. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said if the constitutional provision was removed, then mainstream politicians, including her, will have to reconsider their future course of action.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi is likely to hold a public meeting at 10.45 am at Dimapur in Nagaland, and rallies at 12.45 pm at Golaghat and 3 pm at North Lakhimpur in Assam.

On Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi, with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi and other senior leaders, released Congress’s 2019 Lok Sabha election manifesto.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley came down heavily on it, saying that the Opposition party’s promises are “dangerous and unimplementable”, and that the agenda seemed to be the “balkanisation of India”. Accusing Congress of shielding terrorists and being under the influence of Naxals, Maoists and jihadis, Jaitley hit out at the Congress for suggesting it will scrap the sedition law.

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