Modi's role in Lok Sabha polls to be focus of Goa BJP conclave

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Saturday that INDIA bloc will win 295+ seats in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, the results of which will be announced on June 4. Kharge's estimate came about an hour before the exit polls results for general elections are expected to be released. 

“INDIA bloc will win at least 295 seats. This is not based on our survey. This is what people have told us," Kharge said after the meeting of INDIA bloc leaders at his residence on Saturday. 

Kharge also said that leaders of INDIA bloc have sought time from Election Commission of India on Sunday to discuss steps to be taken during counting of votes. 

The meeting, held as the seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 is about to end, discussed the future course of action after the results of the Lok Sabha Elections are announced on June 4.

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav SP, his party colleague, Ram Gopal Yadav, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Jharkhand Chief Minister, Champai Soren, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, Sitaram Yechury of CPIM and Dipankar Bhattacharya of CPI(ML). These other than Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are also present in the meeting.

Top opposition leaders including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti are not attending the meeting. The DMK is represented by its TR Baalu in the meeting.

The meeting is underway amid voting taking place to decide the fate of 904 candidates, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, across 57 seats in seven states and one Union Territory in the last and final phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

Soon after the polling of last phase is over, the results of Exit Polls for Lok Sabha Elections 2024 will be released. In a U turn, the Congress said that leaders of INDIA bloc parties will now take part in exit poll debates this evening. The, a day after Congress said on that its leaders will not participate in debates related to Lok Sabha elections exit polls on June 4.

The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) – an amalgamation of about 28 opposition parties – was formed with its first meeting in June 2023 to put up a collective fight against BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

The BJP-led NDA, seeking a record third term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has set a target of winning 400 seats this election.

New Delhi: Acting on a one-month-old notice it sent to the BJP on complaints over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s provocative and communal remarks, the Election Commission of India on Wednesday directed the saffron party’s star campaigners not to make speeches along 'religious/communal lines' and desist from statements that may 'divide the society'.

Separately, it also asked the Congress' star campaigners not to give 'false impression' of abolishing or selling the Constitution, make speeches that create 'mutual hatred or cause tension' between religious or linguistic communities or 'potentially divisive statements' regarding the socio-economic composition of the armed forces.

The EC’s letters to BJP president JP Nadda and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge conveying its directions came 27 days after it issued separate notices to them on complaints against Modi, Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. Though the complaints were annexed in the notice that were sent to party chiefs and not the alleged violators, the names of violators were not mentioned.

It also comes ten days before the seven-phased elections are ending on June 1 though the notices were issued a day before the second phase of polls on April 25. While Nadda had responded to the letter on May 13 after seeking two extensions, Kharge submitted his arguments on May 6 after seeking one extension. They were initially given time till April 29.

In its letter to Nadda, the EC said he has not denied the utterances mentioned in the Congress complaint though it 'stoutly defended' the campaign methods and remarks while invoking a 'unilateral drawing of inferences and interpretations' of star campaigners of opponents. It said its star campaigners continued with objectionable utterances even after the April 25 notice.

The latest communication came against the backdrop of complaints by Congress and other parties which referred to Modi’s speech in Banswara as “communal” where he spoke about Congress seeking to redistribute people’s wealth to “infiltrators”, in a veiled reference to Muslims, and that women’s ‘mangalsutras’ will be snatched.

Emphasising that Nadda’s defence was 'not tenable', the EC said, 'directs you as party president to also convey to all star campaigners to not make speeches and statements, which may divide the society. Directs BJP and its star campaigners to refrain from any campaigning methods/utterances along religious/communal lines'.

In its letter to Kharge, the EC said Kharge too has justified Congress star campaigners’ contentious remarks while claiming that the complaint had 'wilfully extracted only specific portions, devoid of context, to mislead the Commission'. Kharge also claimed that the BJP leaders were making 'motivated statements' invoking religious sentiments to attract voters.

The EC, which had taken cognisance of complaints against Kharge and Rahul, said the assertion of Congress’ star campaigners about the BJP attempting to change the Constitution was allegedly instilling fear in the minds of voters about an uncertain future and an attempt to spread anarchy in the country and could be considered as “corrupt practice” under election laws.

While insisting that it cannot accept the Congress arguments and find it untenable, the EC directed Kharge to convey to all star campaigners that they do not make statements which give a 'false impression such as the Constitution of India may be abolished or sold'.

Amid the Congress making a campaign point on the controversial Agniveer scheme, it also directed him to convey to star campaigners that they should not indulge in political propaganda involving the military and not make 'potentially divisive statements' regarding socio-economic composition of defence forces.

Both the party presidents to ensure that star campaigners refrain from making any statement that may “aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic”.

The EC also referred to controversial statements after the April 25 notice by star campaigners from both sides in its letters, referring to complaints and counter complaints.

An Emirates plane was damaged after colliding with a flock of flamingos shortly before touchdown, damaging the plane and leaving several birds dead, the airline said on Wednesday. The flight, however, landed safely in Mumbai late on Monday night, the airlines added.

The Boeing 777 aircraft, flying from Dubai to Mumbai, hit the flock around 300 metres (1,000 ft) from the ground, leaving 39 of the birds dead, sources said.

"Emirates can confirm that EK508 from Dubai to Mumbai on May 20 was involved in a bird strike incident upon landing," an Emirates spokesperson told Reuters.

"The aircraft landed safely and all passengers and crew disembarked without injury, however sadly a number of flamingos were lost and Emirates is cooperating with the authorities on the matter," the spokesperson said.

The Emirates aircraft was damaged in the incident and the return flight, scheduled to depart for Dubai on May 20, was cancelled, the spokesperson said.

Images in local media showed officials carrying bloodied flamingos, which migrate to the city every winter from the neighbouring state of Gujarat.