OUR ELECTION DESK
DIFFERENT Political leaders and parties have stepped up the poll campaign in favour of their candidates at various places across India.
For the first phase of elections, voting will be held in ninety-one constituencies, across 20 States and Union Territories on 11th April.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched the BJP’s election campaign in Northeastern region of the country from Arunachal Pradesh.
Addressing an election rally at Aalo in West Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh, Mr Modi accused Congress of neglecting the development of the state and its people. He said that for decades experts were suggesting that work on modern infrastructure be started in the state but the Namdar family and their supporters were busy strengthening their own base.
Mr Modi said this Chowkidar was given the opportunity to put Arunachal on rail map 7 decades after independence. Listing NDA government’s achievements, the Prime Minister said, the Centre has provided electricity connection to 50,000 families, free gas connection to 40,000 women and built toilets for over 1 lakh families of Arunachal Pradesh in the last five years.
He attacked Opposition parties, saying they were disheartened by India’s growth and success. Aalo falls in the Arunachal West Parliamentary Constituency. There are 7 candidates in the fray for this seat, including senior BJP leader and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and Congress leader and former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki.
Arunachal Pradesh will go for simultaneous elections for 57 Assembly and 2 Lok Sabha seats in one phase on April 11th. BJP has already won three Assembly seats unopposed.
Prime Minister Modi also addressed a rally at Moran under Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituency in Assam this afternoon. He is scheduled to address one more rally at Gohpur under Tezpur Lok Sabha constituency in the state.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi will start their campaign in Assam in the first week of April for their party candidates.
BJP President Amit Shah filed his nomination from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat a short while ago. Addressing the gathering before the start of his road show at Naranpura in Ahmedabad this afternoon, Mr Shah said, this election will be fought only on one issue, who will lead the country. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the leadership, for which people of the country were waiting for the last 70 years.
He said that only BJP led NDA government and leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi can give security to the country. He said Modi Government has changed the life of 50 crore poor people of the country during the last five years.
Senior BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Shivsena Supremo Udhdhav Thakre, Akali Dal leader Prakash Singh Badal and Lok Janshakti Party leader Ramvilas Paswan also spoke on this occasion.
In gujarat a large number of BJP workers gathered throughout the route of the roadshow from Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar.
Withdrawal of candidature ended last evening for the second phase of Lok Sabha polls. Ninety-seven constituencies, spread over 13 States and Union Territories, will go to the polls in this phase on the 18th of next month. All 39 Parliamentary Constituencies in Tamil Nadu, 14 in Karnataka; 10 in Maharashtra; eight in Uttar Pradesh; five each in Assam and Kashmir; and one each in Manipur, Tripura and Puducherry, will go to the polls in this phase.
In Assam, after six withdrawals, 50 candidates are left in the contest for five seats that go to the polls in the second phase.
In Bihar, 69 candidates are in the fray in the second phase after withdrawal of nominations by two candidates.
In Karnataka, 33 candidates withdrew their nomination papers yesterday. 241 candidates are left in the fray for 14 Lok Sabha constituencies that will go to polls on 18th of April. Bangalore North Lok Sabha constituency has the maximum number of 31 candidates while Hassan has the least at six.
Prominent among those in the race in the first phase include former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda from Tumkur and his grandsons Prajwal Revanna and Nikhil Kumaraswamy from Hassan and Mandya seats.
Also in the fray are Union Minister Sadananda Gowda from Bangalore North, senior Congress leaders Veerappa Moily from Chikkaballapura, B K Hariprasad from Bangalore South and Karnataka Rural Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda from Bangalore North.