Moshe arrives in Mumbai, says he’s ‘very happy’

After nearly two months of high-pitch campaigning and a hectic poll schedule of 7 phases, exit polls numbers have started coming in. According to five pollsters so far, the Narendra Modi-led NDA government is coming back to power with a landslide victory while the Opposition’s I.N.D.I.A. bloc managing somewhere between 125 and 150. 

Meanwhile, in a U-turn, Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. bloc has decided to participate in exit poll debates. Track all the latest updates on exit polls results as we provide you with minute-by-minute updates on the outcome of the Lok Sabha polls predicted by exit polls.

While the numbers vary, five exit polls are predicting that the INDIA bloc will be left far behind. None, though, have yet put the NDA across its dream score of 400 of 543 Lok Sabha seats. 

Exit Polls do not always get it right.

An aggregate of five exit polls indicates that the NDA will get 365 seats, the INDIA bloc will get 142 seats.

The maximum number of seats predicted for the NDA was 362-392, in the exit poll by Jan ki Baat. It predicts the Opposition bloc will get 141-161 seats.

It is followed by India News-D Dynamics, which is predicting that the NDA will get 371 seats and INDIA 125 seats.

The lowest score for the NDA comes from Republic TV-P MARQ – 359, and a corresponding higher score for the INDIA bloc, 154.

Cairo/Jerusalem, May 26: Hamas said it launched missiles at Tel Aviv on Sunday, prompting sirens to sound in the Israeli city for the first time in four months as the Palestinian group sought to show military strength despite Israel's Gaza offensive.

The Israeli military said eight projectiles were identified crossing from the area of Rafah, the southern tip of the Gaza Strip where Israel kept up genocidal operation despite a ruling by the top U.N. court ordering it to stop attacking the city.

The Israeli military said a number of the projectiles were intercepted. Israeli emergency services said they had received no reports of casualties.

In a statement on its Telegram channel, the Hamas al-Qassam Brigades said the rockets were launched in response to "Zionist massacres against civilians".

Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV said the rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip.

Rafah is located about 100 km (60 miles) south of Tel Aviv.

Israel claims it wants to root out Hamas fighters holed up in Rafah and rescue hostages it says are being held in the area, but its assault has worsened the plight of civilians and caused an international outcry.

On Sunday, Israeli strikes killed at least five Palestinians in Rafah, according to local medical services.

Israeli tanks have probed around the edges of the city, close to the main southern crossing point into Egypt, but have not yet entered the city in force.

Following the rocket salvo, Israel's hardline public security minister Itamar Ben Gvir - who is not part of Israel's war cabinet - urged the army to hit Rafah harder.

"Rafah with full force," he posted on X.

The development came amid a genocidal war that the Israeli regime has been waging against Gaza since October 7.

Nearly 36,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have died as a result of the brutal military onslaught that began following Al-Aqsa Storm, a retaliatory operation staged by the coastal sliver’s resistance movements.

Despite the unabated campaign of bloodshed and destruction, the regime has so far fallen short of realizing its goals.

These include defeating Gaza’s resistance, enabling liberation of those who were taken captive during Al-Aqsa Storm, and causing forced displacement of Gaza’s entire population to neighboring Egypt.

Mangaluru: Disgruntled BJP leader and former MLA K Raghupathi Bhat, who is contesting the legislative council election as an independent candidate from the South West Graduates constituency, said the BJP has adopted the “godfather culture” of the Congress.

Bhat told reporters here on Saturday, that he has not tried to appease any senior BJP leaders to get a party ticket to contest the MLC poll.

“I am contesting and seeking votes based on my achievements. My contesting may have a negative impact on the BJP. However, I want to go back to the BJP after winning this election,” Bhat said, and refused to answer the actual reason for the denial of a BJP ticket to him.

“I have no idea who played from behind that I was denied a ticket for the MLC poll.

Earlier, the BJP had a culture of selecting candidates for MLA and MLC polls by seeking the opinion of party workers at the booth level, followed by discussions at mandal and district levels.

Now the situation is such that even if one person’s name was sent from the state, the final list will be different. The godfather culture of the Congress has stretched into our party too. Only those who appease leaders get a ticket in the BJP. However, I have not appeased any leader. I believe in the support of party workers, and with this confidence I am contesting the election,” Bhat said.

To a query, Bhat said that he has not contacted by BJP leaders after deciding to contest the MLC poll.

“I have already requested all leaders that I should get the party’s Form B to contest the MLC poll from the South West Graduates constituency. I have told them that I am also contesting as an independent candidate on behalf of the BJP. The ultimate aim of my contesting the election is that senior leaders should know the injustice that honest party workers are facing in the BJP,” he said.