April 18 campaign roundup: BJP writes to EC against airing of Sonia Gandhi ad on Doordarshan

8:54 pm: The ruling BJD today claimed to secure at least 105 seats in the 147-member Odisha Assembly and 17 of the total 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

READ: Vote for Supriya Sule or lose water, ‘threatens’ Ajit Pawar

8:50 pm: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy claims that the Election Commission’s decision to lift the ban on campaigning by Narendra Modi’s close aide Amit Shah was wrong.

8.42 pm: Congress worker booked for threatening AAP candidate Kumar Vishwas.

8.22 pm:  BJP today accused the Congress-led UPA Government of deliberately not releasing Census figures as it was afraid that poor economic condition of the Muslim community under its rule would be exposed.

There is no room for good governance and development in Tamil Nadu because the DMK and the AIADMK believe in political vendetta.

— Rajnath Singh (@BJPRajnathSingh) April 18, 2014

7.51 pm: After the Election Commission revoked ban on Amit Shah’s participation in poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today hoped the restriction on SP leader Mohd Azam Khan too would be lifted.

#Shivsena Paksha Pramukh #UddhavjiThackeray‘s #Nashik #LokSabha Rally @AUThackeray @shashikantzore1 @NashikNews pic.twitter.com/A4jNueT4C1

— Sameer Bodke (@ImSameerBodke) April 18, 2014

7.30 pm: BJP writes to EC against airing of Sonia Gandhi ad on Doordarshan. Sonia ad violates norms, polarises election scene: BJP.

7.18 pm: For Rajasthan’s second phase polling on April 24 in five remaining Lok Sabha segments, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will address an election rally at Karauli on April 20.

6.52 pm: Aam Aadmi Party today asked Lt Governor Najeeb Jung to invite the BJP to form the government in Delhi if it is really inclined to do so.

READ: Narendra Modi takes on Mulayam on rape remarks, Muzaffarnagar riots

6.45 pm: BSP chief Mayawati today asked Dalits and Muslims to support her party unitedly and wholeheartedly “so that the party gets enough seats” to elect “a daughter of the Dalit class” as the prime minister.

6.39 pm: EC issues show cause notice to SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav for allegedly threatening contractual government teachers to vote for his party.

6.21 pm: Ajit Pawar did not threaten villagers to vote for his party, says NCP chief Sharad Pawar. Ajit Pawar said he will file a defamation case against AAP candidate and former IPS officer Suresh Khopde.

6.19 pm:

#mkstalininkarur pic.twitter.com/AiQvCAhHU8

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) April 18, 2014

6.11 pm: Taking the battle to the home-turf of BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today alleged that about half the population in Gujarat lacked access to drinking water, and malnourishment among the children was high in the state.

Police is telling me that they will register FIR only if I am found injured–Dr Kumar Vishwas #CongGoonsAtAmethi http://t.co/1FshleDtUK

— Dr. Kumar Vishvas (@DrKumarVishwas) April 18, 2014

5.53 pm: Hitting out at Election Commission for lifting the ban on BJP leader Amit Shah, UP Minister Azam Khan today said he will move the Supreme Court against the poll panel’s order barring him from campaigning in the state.

READ: Mamata Banerjee alleges conspiracy to kill her

5.34 pm: Virtually dismissing the possibility of a short-circuit in her hotel room at Malda that
sparked a fire, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today alleged there was a conspiracy to kill her and said in the event of her death she would be reborn again “among the people”.

5.27 Asserting that “hijras” can do a better job than others in Parliament, transgender Sonam Kinnar has entered the poll fray against sitting MP and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi from here in what the spirited debutant terms the emergence of the ‘third front’ in Indian politics.

5.19 pm: Stepping up her offensive against Narendra Modi, Sonia Gandhi today said democracy cannot be safe in the hands of one person and accused BJP of crossing all limits by spreading “falsehoods” to come to power.

Started today’s campaign for M Chinnaswamy of DMK at Karur constituency. pic.twitter.com/29IxoXRtHD

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) April 18, 2014

5.13 pm:  BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has expressed the hope that if he comes to power at the centre, he would get cooperation of Mamata Banerjee government in creating a conducive atmosphere for industrialisation in West Bengal including resolving the Singur problem.

5.05 pm: Amethi will see development on the lines of Gujarat model if BJP comes to power at the Centre, actor-turned-party candidate Smriti Irani said today.

4.55 pm: After releasing a three-year-old CD of Uma Bharti attacking Narendra Modi, Congress today latched on to another video clip featuring yoga guru Ramdev to raise embarrassing questions on the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate’s campaign against black money.

4.42 pm: Hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani today claimed that BJP’s prime
ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had sent emissaries to him and separatist leadership in Jammu and Kashmir to create a “soft corner” for him by making a “commitment” to seek a solution to Kashmir issue.

4.40 pm: Narendra Modi today said that, if voted to power, he would give priority to preventing
corruption in future before addressing the old cases and would be ready to face investigation if charges are leveled against him “professionally”.

4.21 pm:

As you all know, I met with an accident yesterday. In spite of that, I have come here to hold this rally: Trinamool Chairperson at Farakka

— AITC (@AITCofficial) April 18, 2014

4.17 pm: In his first electioneering tour of Tamil Nadu going to the polls on April 24, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi will address an election rally in Ramanathapuram on April 21.

4.12 pm: 

Election Commission thinks of itself above the Supreme Court…bilkul jaa sakte hain (if he will move SC against Supreme Court): Azam Khan

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 18, 2014

4.10 pm:  Free laptops for meritorious students, Rs one lakh cash award for girl students, separate budget for agriculture are among the promises made by BJP today in its manifesto for the Telangana region.

3.52 pm: BJP president Rajnath Singh has said that his party would realise Mahatma Gandhi’s dreams, something which Congress could not do.

3.38 pm: Alliance with TDP will continue, says BJP’s Prakash Javadekar after meeting Chandrababu Naidu in Hyderabad. BJP likely to give more seats to TDP: TV reports.

3.36 pm:

Snapshots from Rahul Gandhi’s public rally in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh yesterday pic.twitter.com/IqRenf4rQl

— INC India (@INCIndia) April 18, 2014

3.28 pm: Demanding that Narendra Modi and the BJP should make public their source of funds, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said that the state Congress had paid Rs 30 lakh each to its 13 Lok Sabha candidates.

3.20 pm: 

We have basic evidences of Congress involvement behind the attacks. In the meanwhile, Delhi Ex-minister Satyendra Jain joins protest.

— Dr. Kumar Vishvas (@DrKumarVishwas) April 18, 2014

3.15 pm: Why should I apologise to EC? I have done no wrong: Azam Khan.

3.10 pm: Aam Aadmi Party today accused BJP of disrupting the poll campaign of its top leaders including Arvind Kejriwal and demanded the Election Commission to take action against the party.

3.00 pm: 

BJP has come to Bengal to divide the State. We will not allow our motherland to be divided: Trinamool Chairperson at Nalhati

— AITC (@AITCofficial) April 18, 2014

2.59 pm: Terming the BJP’s announcement of prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi as a “sign of impatience”, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today said they are not fighting the elections on issues, but only to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister

2.53 pm:

Chhattisgarh : Sonia Gandhi addressing a rally in Ambikapur pic.twitter.com/Pa2MSylAVb

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 18, 2014

2.41 pm: Congress nominee from Indore constituency in Madhya Pradesh, Satya Narayan Patel with assets totalling over Rs 69 crore is the richest candidate in the fray for the third phase of Lok Sabha polls to be held in the state on April 24.

2.35 pm: 

Today’s Shiv Sena have only paper tigers. Put them in the cage for once and all – Bhaskar Jadhav pic.twitter.com/aFMfW10Cp1

— NCP (@NCPspeaks) April 18, 2014

 2.24 pm: 

Heavy turnout in polls is not for status quo but for change.22 % increase in Nalanda is vote against Nkumar.

— Sushil Kumar Modi (@SushilModi) April 18, 2014

2.19 pm: The Prime Minister’s Office today came out with data to highlight the progress made under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the last 10 years in an effort to counter the damaging claims made by his former Media Adviser Sanjaya Baru.

2.18 pm: Claiming that some senior leaders of BJP were unhappy with its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Congress today asked how could the country trust him (Modi) when its own leaders lack faith in him.

2: 05 pm: Terming his rival contestant Uma Bharati a ‘pravasi chidiya’, sitting Congress MP from Jhansi Pradeep Jain has assured the voters here that his party will ensure a separate Bundelkhand state.

2: 02 pm: Four ministers are involved in Hawala network and even a leader close to 10 Janpath is involved, said Narendra Modi addressing a rally in Akbarpur.

Madam says BJP doesn’t respect institutions. Who was responsible for Emergency?There is CBI misuse, CBI-IB tension & lot more under UPA.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 17, 2014

1:32 pm: Facing protests in Varanasi, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal said that it was not unexpected as he was challenging ‘biggest vested interests in the country.’ READ FULL STORY

1:31 pm: Addressing a rally in UP, Narendra Modi slams Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav over recent rape remark.  “We have to be tough with rapists but Mulayam is soft”, he said.

1.23 pm:

Otherwise, tell me what did Congress do for coolies and tendu leaf plucker in the last ten years at the best of Rahul Gandhi.

— ShivrajSingh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) April 18, 2014

12.58 pm: Some are busy in building elephant parks and some are on lion safari. Sadly, there is no one to worry about people of Uttar Pradesh, says BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi

12.36 pm:

Reached Trichy in Tamil Nadu. Shall address three election meetings in Tamil Nadu (Thanjavur, Shivganga and Virudhunagar) today.

— Rajnath Singh (@BJPRajnathSingh) April 18, 2014

12.01 pm: The Congress has demanded the arrest of Baba Ramdev over his video.

11.36 am: Samajwadi Party leader Gaurav Bhatia has attacked Baba Ramdev, saying the released video is a proof that the yoga guru says something else in the backroom and does something else. WATCH RAMDEV VIDEO

11.32 am: The stalemate over electoral alliance between TDP and BJP in Andhra Pradesh continued even as the former reportedly offered one Lok Sabha seat in lieu of six Assembly seats to the latter. M Venkaiah Naidu and Chandrababu Naidu are slated to meet for another round of talks today.

11.26 am:

Dear hate mongers: Spread your venom, do great damage, get caught belatedly, say sorry, get off. Repeat.

— Salman Anees Soz (@SalmanSoz) April 18, 2014

11.14 am: Congress president Sonia Gandhi will address two public meetings today – Surguja (Chhattisgarh) and Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh).

10.54 am: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said that she would complaint to the Election Commission against the Omar Abdullah government in Jammu and Kashmir over the killing of sarpanch Mohammad Amin Pandith.

10.34 am:

Leaving in another 15 mins after meeting the cadres who have come in great numbers to meet & greet me!

— Hema Malini (@dreamgirlhema) April 18, 2014

10.00 am: Stage arranged for a rally of Narendra Modi in Kanpur has collapsed due to heavy rain and storm.

WATCH VIDEO: In what comes as an embarrassment for the BJP and Narendra Modi, yoga guru Baba Ramdev has been caught on camera allegedly discussing some money transaction with the party’s Alwar candidate Mahent Chandnath. CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO

9.39 am: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee will address rallies in Murarai, Suri and Farakka today.

9.07 am:

A big shout out to the noble & revered @DaljitSinghAAP for fighting the good fight in #Amritsar .

— Gul Panag (@GulPanag) April 18, 2014

9.01 am: According to reports, there have been fresh protests against Aam Aam Party leader Arvind Kejriwal in Varanasi.

8.46 am: BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi is slated to address multiple rallies in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh today.

8.20 am:

I sense we r in one of d two mind sets! One of Gloom:Other of Glee! Hitherto not experienced! Let’s see which side the Majority is on May16!

— Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) April 18, 2014