This Article is From May 21, 2019

Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Highlights: Chandrababu Naidu Reaches Kolkata, Meets Mamata Banerjee

Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Chandrababu Naidu flew to West Bengal today and met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Highlights: Chandrababu Naidu Reaches Kolkata, Meets Mamata Banerjee

Elections 2019: Mayawati was expected to meet Chandrababu Naidu among other opposition leaders in Delhi

The ruling BJP will form a government comfortably, as it did in 2014, predicted the poll of exit polls yesterday, after the completion of the final phase of elections. The poll of polls, an aggregate of the exit polls, said the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance or NDA, will win 302 of 542 Lok Sabha seats. The poll of polls said the Congress and its allies would win 122 seats.

The declaration of the poll of polls may have an effect on the opposition's efforts to cobble together an anti-BJP front in a bid to form the next government, although exit polls often do not get it right.

Earlier today, the Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP said its chief Mayawati would not hold meetings with opposition leaders in Delhi today, reported news agency ANI, quoting senior BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra.

She was expected to meet Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu among other opposition leaders in Delhi. Mr Naidu met the BSP chief on Saturday in Lucknow.

He also met Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Sunday as last phase of national elections was held in 59 parliamentary seats across seven states and one union territory. The TDP chief flew to West Bengal today and met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Mr Naidu was criticised by BJP ally Shiv Sena earlier today. "Why Chandrababu Naidu is exhausting himself without any reason? Hope his current excitement last till May 23. We wish him luck for the same," the Shiv Sena said in an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana.

Here are the Highlights of Lok Sabha Elections 2019:

May 20, 2019 22:13 (IST)
West Bengal: BJP's Uphill Task?

May 20, 2019 22:12 (IST)
Odisha: BJP's Uphill Task?

May 20, 2019 22:09 (IST)
Exit polls have predicted a comfortable victory for the BJP and allies on May 23. Here's a look at how often these polls have got it right in the past

May 20, 2019 21:09 (IST)
READ HERE: Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Exit Poll Predictions Turn Heat On Congress, HD Kumaraswamy In Karnataka
The voting was for the Lok Sabha polls. But Karnataka's Congress-Janata Dal Secular coalition government is feeling the heat after exit polls indicated that the BJP and allies were all set to come back to power in the centre.
May 20, 2019 19:19 (IST)
"Government is ready for floor test," says Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath

"They (BJP) have been trying this since day 1,have proved majority at least 4 times in last 5 months.They want to do it again, we have no problem.They'll try their best to disturb present govt to save themselves from getting exposed. Government is ready for floor test," Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Mr Nath's statement comes after BJP, in a letter to Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, said the Madhya Pradesh government is in a minority.

"I am writing a letter to the Governor for convening a special session of MP Assembly shortly. We want discussion important issues like the farm loan waiver and (to) test the government's strength," Madhya Pradesh Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Gopal Bhargava was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India.
May 20, 2019 19:04 (IST)
READ HERE: General elections 2019: Prepping For "Next Step", Says Akhilesh Yadav After Meeting Mayawati
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, after meeting with alliance partner Mayawati on Monday, spoke about prepping for "the next step", ahead of results on May 23 Thursday.
May 20, 2019 19:04 (IST)
READ HERE: Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Results: Arun Jaitley's "Albatross" Dig At Gandhis Over Exit Poll Predictions
Union Minister Arun Jaitley launched an unsparing attack on the Gandhi family that is at the helm of affairs in the Congress, a day after exit polls predicted a mammoth win for his party in the Lok Sabha Elections.
May 20, 2019 19:03 (IST)
READ HERE: Lok Sabha Election 2019: Exit Polls Not Final Decision, But Hint At BJP's Win: Nitin Gadkari
Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said the exit polls are not the "final decision" but indicate that the BJP will once again come to power, riding on the development work done by the NDA government.
May 20, 2019 17:36 (IST)
READ HERE: Lok Sabha Election 2019: In Chandrababu Naidu's Meeting With Mamata Banerjee, A Whiff Of Worry
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu continues his spree of post-election meetings with one in Kolkata today -- with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
May 20, 2019 17:04 (IST)
Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Chandrababu Naidu has landed in Kolkata

Chandrababu Naidu has landed in West Bengal capital Kolkata. He is due to meet Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee later today, over opposition efforts to cobble together an anti-BJP front, before poll results.
May 20, 2019 16:45 (IST)
READ HERE: Sensex, Nifty Surge To Record Closing Highs As Exit Polls Predict NDA Win
Indian equity benchmarks closed at record highs after exit polls predicted win for Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the recently concluded general elections. The S&P BSE Sensex surged 3.75 per cent or 1,422 points to close at record high of 39,353 and the NSE Nifty 50 Index climbed 3.69 per cent or 421 points to end at an all-time high of 11,828. The markets staged a gap-up opening after the poll of exit polls conducted by NDTV showed the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coming to power with 302 out of 543 parliamentary seats.
May 20, 2019 16:34 (IST)
READ HERE: Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Amit Shah's Dinner For BJP Allies Tomorrow Amid Exit Poll Euphoria
BJP President Amit Shah will host a dinner for NDA allies tomorrow, ahead of results for the national election on Thursday. The dinner-cum-meet comes after exit polls predictions of a comfortable win for the NDA.
May 20, 2019 16:33 (IST)
Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Akhilesh Yadav tweets photo of himself with Mayawati

Akhilesh Yadav tweeted a photo of himself and BSP chief Mayawati, with a caption in Hindi, saying, "Now to prepare for the next move," alluding to opposition efforts to cobble an anti-BJP front.
May 20, 2019 15:09 (IST)
Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Exit Polls A Lie, Says Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Panneerselvam, A BJP Ally
Exit polls that have predicted a huge win for the BJP in the national election and a second term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been described as "a lie" by a key BJP ally in the south. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami said, "It's a lie by exit polls".
May 20, 2019 15:06 (IST)
Chandrababu Naidu: 

There are many problems in counting process. The EC should take steps to resolve all those problems. There are many rumours regarding EVMs, including that printers may be manipulated &that control panels will be changed. EC has given scope for suspicion

May 20, 2019 13:40 (IST)

Anand Sharma on exit poll figures:

Difficult to believe in exit polls. 60 crore voters cast votes. A sample survey of 24,000 is inadequate. Exit polls have been wrong in the past as well.  

Wait till the 23rd. Exit poll is entertainment. Let it go until then. 23rd the real results will come and everything will be clear. 

We have come out and met people in the country. PM Modi has done vishwasghath (breach of trust). Even after all this, if he manages to win we will be confounded. Fairness of polls then will come under question. Election scheduled was according to convenience of BJP. 
May 20, 2019 13:20 (IST)

Chandrababu Naidu will travel to West Bengal today and meet Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after he met several leaders including Sonia Gandhi in Delhi over the weekend. 

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President will meet Ms Banerjee at the state Secretariat Nabanna in a bid to strengthen the post poll equations among the opposition parties against the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the 2019 election results on May 23.
May 20, 2019 13:17 (IST)
BJP President Amit Shah is likely to host a dinner for NDA leaders on Tuesday. According to news agency ANI, Mr Shah has invited the key leaders of National Democratic Alliance and will be meeting them over dinner two nights before the day of counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections.
May 20, 2019 12:50 (IST)
An aggregate of exit polls yesterday predicted that Prime Minister Modi's BJP will form government comfortably, touching the 300-seat mark. 

The poll of polls predicted 302 seats for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance or NDA and giving the Congress and its allies 122 sets.

Here is a state-wise poll of polls predictions:

May 20, 2019 12:43 (IST)
May 20, 2019 11:19 (IST)
Yogi Adityanath Expels BJP Ally From UP Cabinet
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today asked the UP governor to remove minister OP Rajbhar. Mr Rajbhar, who had been part of the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh since 2017, had publicly criticized the Chief Minister for nearly a year. Read here 

May 20, 2019 09:11 (IST)
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Monday clarified that their supremo Mayawati will not be holding any meetings with the leaders of Opposition in the national capital today, news agency ANI reported.

The statement from the BSP came after reports of Mayawati holding meetings with opposition parties came to fore. Speaking to ANI, Senior BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra said, "Mayawati ji has no programme or meetings scheduled in Delhi today, she will be in Lucknow."

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