Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: PM Modi files nomination from Varanasi, eyes third consecutive term

The Congress on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi as to why he has abandoned the Varanasi villages adopted by him and why the Ganga has gotten dirtier despite spending Rs 20,000 crore.

On a day PM Modi filed his nomination from Varanasi, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the outgoing PM must answer for his "failures" in Varanasi.

"Today's questions: After spending Rs 20,000 crore, why has the Ganga gotten dirtier? Why has the PM abandoned the Varanasi villages he had "adopted"? Why is the PM determined to destroy Mahatma Gandhi's legacy in Varanasi," he asked in a post on X.

Ramesh said when he came to Varanasi in 2014, Modi had said "Maa Ganga ne mujhe bulaya hain" and promised to purify the waters of the Holy Ganga, but soon after coming to power, rebranded the existing Operation Ganga as Namami Gange.

"Ten years later, the 'Namami Gange' project has cost the exchequer more than Rs. 20,000 crore. Here are the results: the number of Polluted River Stretches has increased from 51 to 66, 71% of monitoring stations have reported dangerous bacteria at up to 40 times more than safe levels, and antibiotic resistant bacteria have now been found in the waters.

"Where has the 20,000 crore in taxpayer money gone? How much has been siphoned off in corruption and mismanagement? How can the people of Varanasi trust a man who has given a jumla even to Ma Ganga," the Congress leader asked.

Congress candidate from the Chandigarh parliamentary constituency Manish Tewari on Tuesday filed his nomination papers.

He was accompanied by the party's Chandigarh unit president HS Lucky and other leaders.

Tewari is pitted against BJP candidate Sanjay Tandon from the lone Lok Sabha seat in the Union Territory.

"Filed my nomination papers from Chandigarh. I seek your blessings and support in this fight to save our democracy and bring prosperity to our City Beautiful," said the former Union minister in a post on X.

Before filing his nomination papers, Tewari took out a roadshow in Chandigarh and was joined by a large number of Congress and Aam Aadmi Party workers.

Tewari headed for the election office standing atop a vehicle, with Chandigarh Congress president Lucky and AAP Chandigarh co-in-charge Sunny Ahluwalia beside him during the roadshow which saw supporters carrying party flags showering flower petals on him.

"The overwhelming love and enthusiasm of my people during my Nomination Padyatra in Sector 17, Chandigarh is a testament to the fact that Chandigarh is ready to embrace a new future. Humbled by the outpouring of support and encouragement from the residents of Chandigarh," Tewari said.

Kangana Ranaut filed her nomination for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. She is BJP's candidate from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi and faces a tough battle against Congress' Vikramaditya Singh.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's standing directive to party workers in the 17 seats on which alliance partner Congress is contesting in Uttar Pradesh was to fight as if "your own party is in the fray" and the ample presence of red caps at Amethi and Rae Bareli rallies shows the dictum is working.

The SP-Congress alliance may have failed to take off in the 2017 assembly polls, but in the high-profile seats of Amethi and Rae Bareli the workers of the two parties seem to be working as a team on the ground to ensure the victory of "INDIA bloc candidates" in the two constituencies.

As Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra drives a high-octane campaign in Amethi and Rae Bareli addressing back-to-back corner meetings and rallies, a constant feature in her public programmes is the presence of the SP's red cap-clad cadre.

Many leaders blamed the hurriedness of the 2017 alliance for not being able to reach the grassroots and the tie-up remaining on paper but SP and Congress workers here say that it is different this time.

"If you would recall the alliance in 2017 was reached at the last minute and it could not penetrate down the organisation. This time since the INDIA bloc had been holding meetings there was growing coordination among the workers and leaders of both parties," SP's Rae Bareli district chief Virendra Yadav told PTI.

"As soon as the alliance was announced by our leader Akhilesh Yadav ji, he called a meeting of office bearers and key leaders from the 17 seats which had been given to the Congress. He told them that 'fight the polls as if your own party is in the fray.' All SP workers are following his directive," he said.

"Today is a historic day. PM Modi filed his nomination today. People are excited to vote for PM Modi. All records of 2014, 2019 will be broken this time and PM will become the PM for the third time...Our mission (of winning 45 seats) in Maharashtra will be successful," Eknath Shinde said.

PM Modi, who filed his nomination moments ago, said he is confident of securing a third term as the prime minister. The BJP leader said that he plans to take part in the G7 Summit in Italy after the results are declared on June 4.

"I've already received the invitation (for G7). I'm preparing for the summit. After the oath-taking ceremony, I'll go," he said, as per news agency ANI.

In April this year, PM Modi had accepted the invitation of his Italian counterpart, Georgia Meloni, to attend the G7 Summit Outreach Sessions from June 13-15.

Several Union ministers, including Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, chief ministers of BJP and NDA-ruled states and leaders of the party are likely to accompany Modi to the collectorate for his nomination filing on Tuesday.

The BJP's NDA partners Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary, LJP chief Chirag Paswan, Apna Dal (S) president Anupriya Patel and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party president Omprakash Rajbhar are also expected to be present.

Besides Adityanath, chief ministers Nitish Kumar (Bihar), Pushkar Singh Dhami (Uttarakhand), Mohan Yadav (Madhya Pradesh), Vishnu Deo Sai (Chhattisgarh), Eknath Shinde (Maharashtra), Bhajan Lal Sharma (Rajasthan), Himanta Biswa Sharma (Assam), Nayab Singh Saini (Haryana), Pramod Sawant (Goa), Prem Singh Tamang (Sikkim) and Manik Saha (Tripura) are also likely to attend the prime minister's nomination filing.

Telangana has reported 64.93% voter turnout in the elections for 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state which went off peacefully on May 13, official sources said on Tuesday.

Bhongir segment witnessed the highest turnout at 76.47% while Hyderabad logged 46.08 per cent, according to the Election Commission statistics.

The state recorded 62.77% voter turnout in the 2019 general elections.

Voting seems to have picked up in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha polls held on Monday as compared to the previous phases, according to the latest voter turnout shared by the Election Commission (EC).

According to the poll authority, the turnout stood at 67.25% at 11:45 pm.

The turnout is 1.74 percentage points higher than the corresponding phase in the 2019 parliamentary polls.

The figures, the EC said, will continue to be updated by the field-level officers as polling parties keep returning.

A total of 96 seats went to polls in the fourth phase of the seven-phase election. After the latest phase, polling has been completed in 379 seats across 23 states and Union territories.

Polling has also been completed in the Assembly elections of Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the turnout recorded in the fourth phase was 65.51%. Polling was then held in 71 seats across nine states.

In the first phase of the ongoing general election, a 66.14% turnout was recorded. In the 2019 polls, the turnout in the first phase was 69.43%.

Before filing his nomination from Varanasi for the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a big prediction about Congress' performance in Uttar Pradesh. The PM said the grand old party would not be able to win a single seat in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

"The Congress has fled from Wayanad and has now come to Raebareli," PM Modi told India Today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at the Dashashwamedh Ghat on the banks of the Ganga here on Tuesday before filing his nomination from the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.

He also performed aarti at the ghat amid chanting of Vedic mantras.

Several Union ministers, including Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, chief ministers of BJP and NDA-ruled states and leaders of the party are likely to accompany Modi to the collectorate for his nomination filing.

The BJP's NDA partners Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary, LJP chief Chirag Paswan, Apna Dal (S) president Anupriya Patel and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party president Omprakash Rajbhar are also expected to be present.

A day before filing his nomination papers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a dazzling roadshow in his Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency and vowed to do a lot more to serve the holy city in his third term.

Surrounded by a sea of saffron, Modi's cavalcade covered a distance of six kilometres after which he reached the Kashi Vishwanath temple and offered prayers.

People lined the barricaded roads and gathered in balconies and rooftops of buildings - some of them holding saffron flags, balloons and small "trishuls"- along the route. Small stages were set up where cultural performances were held. Cutouts of famous people from Kashi were installed in many places.

People from different communities, including Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Maheshwari, Marwari, Tamil and Punjabi, welcomed Modi at 100 points in 11 zones marked out on the route of the roadshow.

Two hours after the roadshow began from the Malviya Chauraha in Varanasi's Lanka area, the prime minister reached the Kashi Vishwanath temple and offered prayers.