Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah says the response from voters towards Congress is "very good" and the party would win up to 20 seats in the state in the coming Lok Sabha polls. The guarantee schemes launched by his government will not be stopped for any reason, he asserted, claiming that the Congress would return to power after completing the current term, and they would continue. "The response is very good from the voters in Karnataka, but I do not know about the other parts of the country. As far as Karnataka is concerned, we will win up to 20 seats this time," Siddaramaiah told reporters.

The BJP has alleged the Congress is advocating for Maoists for votes as it has sensed its defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate on Wednesday described Maoists killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh as "martyrs".

There has to be sanctity in the electoral process, the Supreme Court told the Election Commission of India today, asking the poll body to explain in detail the steps followed to ensure free and fair polls. The court is hearing petitions seeking cross-verification of votes cast on Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) with paper slips generated through the VVPAT system. Read here

Congress state co-coordinator Vikas Agrahari joined the BJP on Thursday in the presence of Union Minister Smriti Irani. He was inducted in the party by BJP Amethi unit head Ram Prasad Mishra. BJP spokesperson Chandramauli Singh said that all the common people of Amethi are with Smriti Irani.

Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh on Thursday took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging that after his defeat from Amethi Lok Sabha seat in 2019, he does not have the courage to stand from there this time. Mr Singh said Mr Gandhi, following his defeat, migrated to Kerala from Uttar Pradesh. "However, I have heard that the people of Wayanad have decided not to make him their MP," he claimed while speaking at an election meeting in the Pathanamathitta Lok Sabha constituency to garner support for BJP candidate Anil K Antony. (PTI)

On the eve of polling for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, BSP chief Mayawati appealed to the people to exercise their right to vote and elect a "pro-Bahujan" government. In a post on X, she said the right to vote is a "democratic power to obtain the master key to power" which will enable the poor, weak, and neglected people to uplift themselves.

"A strong appeal to you to elect a pro-Bahujan government for the poor, the working class, and the deprived by fearlessly using your valuable constitutional right to vote in the first round of polling for the seven-phase elections for the 18th Lok Sabha," Mayawati said in a post in Hindi. (PTI)

Union Home Minister Amit Shah embarked on a roadshow this morning in Sanand town of Gujarat's Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, from where he is the BJP candidate. Mr Shah, while standing on a specially-designed vehicle, greeted the people and BJP workers who gathered in large numbers on the route - from the APMC Chowk to Nalsarovar Chowk.