PM Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah before attending the dinner (PTI)
BJP chief Amit Shah is hosting a 'thanksgiving' dinner for the allies of the NDA government, two days before the counting of the votes for the Lok Sabha elections. The dinner comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr Shah met the central ministers at the BJP headquarters in Delhi this evening. Allies like Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, BJP's Punjab ally Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Ram Vilas Paswan and his son Chirag Paswan, AIADMK's E Palaniswami and O Pannerselvan, Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel and Ramdas Athawale are all attending the dinner. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also attending the dinner.
The dinner at Delhi's Ashoka Hotel - hosted by Amit Shah -- is also expected to double up as a strategy session, even though Sunday's exit polls predicted a comfortable victory for the BJP.
An aggregate of exit polls predicted the NDA will win seats ranging from 282 to 365 Lok Sabha seats, allowing it to form a government comfortably. Amit Shah had claimed after the sixth phase of the elections that the BJP had crossed the 300-seat mark.
While most opposition leaders including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have dismissed the exit polls, many of them have also suggested manipulation of the voting machines. Mamata Banerjee had said such exit polls were cue to "manipulate or replace thousands of EVMS".
On Monday, Chandrababu Naidu had said the Election Commission should establish transparency and accountability.
Former President Pranab Mukherjee also expressed concern over allegations of EVM tampering, described by him as tampering the voters' verdict.
He also said the "onus of ensuring institutional integrity" lies with the Election Commission. "The safety and security of EVMs which are in the custody of the EC is the responsibility of the Commission," Pranab Mukherjee said in a statement.
A series of video clips have surfaced, which, opposition parties say, prove that EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) are being tampered with or being transported in private cars in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana.
Here are the highlights on Lok Sabha Elections 2019:
Arvind Kejriwal speaks to Akhilesh Yadav to discuss post-poll tragedy
Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal talked to Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over the phone on Tuesday to discuss the strategy to be followed after the announcement of the general election results on May 23, reported news agency PTI.
Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh told reporters that the two leaders decided that their priority is to stop the Bharatiya Janata Party from returning to power at the centre, reported PTI.
Mr Singh also met Mr Yadav in Lucknow and they discussed the current political situation.
Mr Yadav posted a picture on Twitter of him and Mr Singh together, saying "AAP ke saath".
Mr Kejriwal responded to the tweet in Hindi, saying, "We are also with you Akhileshji".
NDA leaders arrive for dinner-meet arranged by BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi
Amit Shah tweets on 'Abhar Milan': meeting of Union council of ministers at BJP headquarters
BJP chief Amit Shah who is hosting a dinner for the NDA government's allies, tweeted photos of the gathering today.
"I congratulate Team Modi Sarkar for their hard work and remarkable achievements in the last 5 years.
Let us keep this momentum going for a New India under the leadership of PM @narendramodi," he tweeted.
Lok Sabha Election 2019: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to attend dinner hosted by BJP chief Amit Shah
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will attend the dinner hosted by Amit Shah for NDA allies in the national capital on Tuesday, reported news agency ANI.
Other leaders like Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan will also be present for the dinner, reported ANI.
With exit polls predicting NDA to get a comfortable majority in the Lok Sabha elections, Shah has invited the key leaders of the BJP-led alliance for dinner to chalk out a strategy session before the votes are counted on May 23.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot tweets on killing of NPP assembly lawmaker Tirong Aboh
"Saddened by tragic demise of NPP MLA Sh. Tirong Aboh along with family members and others in a brutal attack in #ArunachalPradesh. I condemn this act of violence in strongest words. May god give peace to departed souls and strength to bereaved family members to bear this loss," tweeted Ashok Gehlot.
WATCH | PM Modi, BJP president Amit Shah meet central ministers at BJP office in Delhi, ahead of NDA dinner meet hosted by Amit Shah
WATCH: BJP meeting with Union Council of Ministers begins, PM Narendra Modi also present
PM Narendra Modi arrives in BJP office
PM Modi reaches BJP office, ahead of the dinner today which will be hosted by BJP chief Amit Shah at Delhi's "The Ashoka Hotel".
Amit Shah's meeting with the ministers begins in BJP office.
Dismissing the allegations of manipulation as "baseless" and "frivolous", the Election Commission of India (ECI), in a statement, said the voting machines are stored in proper security and protocol in the presence of candidates of the political parties, news agency IANS reported.
Former President Pranab Mukherjee issued a statement this afternoon on EVM tampering.
The opposition parties met this afternoon in Delhi.
Mumbai Congress chief Milind Deora writes to Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra requesting "increase of vigilance and security at counting centers, so that EVM machines should not get tampered in any manner whatsoever, news agency ANI reported.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said today that questions being raised on voting machines are "bogus". "After introduction of EVMs, elections have become transparent. It's a technology which has been questioned multiple times&have been answered by EC...Faction which begins losing says there were discrepancies in elections. It's not new," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.