Election Tracker LIVE: TDP's Nellore Rural Assembly Candidate Joins YSR Congress Party

After Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, another BJP ally withdraws from alliance-Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) have decided to contest both Lok Sabha seats alone as BJP was supposedly reluctant to vacate the East Tripura seat (ST). This comes a week after Ram Madhav announced of a grand alliance in place in Northeast.

KL Chishi to contest as Congress candidate from Nagaland Parliamentary Constituency in the Lok Sabha Elections and Alemjongshi Longkumar as Congress candidate for by-election to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly from 26 Aonglenden (ST) Assembly Constituency.

Rahul Gandhi’s Chennai Event Lands in Trouble | Acting on a complaint given by BJP youth wing, the Election Commission has asked the Chennai district officer for a report on Stella Maris college giving permission for Congress president’s political event. Just yesterday the directorate of collegiate education had also issued a circular to the regional director seeking explanation as to how the campus was used for political event at a time when model code of conduct was in place.

Biju Janata Dal writes to State Chief Electoral Officer stating that 'BJP has been pressurizing Election Commission to stop flow of KALIA assistance being provided to over 20 lakh farmers in Odisha. The party should not be allowed to stop it,' ANI reported.

Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy tweeted, “Danish Ali, the JDS General Secretary, has joined BSP in consent with me and our national president Sri HD Devegowda in a purely political arrangement between the two parties. It is a thoughtful political decision taken by #JDS and BSP to win more seats in the Loksabha elections.”

Shah Faesal to Launch Political Party Tomorrow | Former IAS officer Shah Faesal will launch his political outfit 'Jammu and Kashmir People's Movement' at a function in Rajbagh area of the city on Sunday. He said the function will be held at Gindun Ground in Rajbagh. The 2010 batch UPSC topper resigned from the IAS in January this year to protest unabated killings in Kashmir and maginalisation of Indian Muslims. Faesal had also hit out at the Centre, accusing it of subverting public institutions of Reserve Bank of India, Central Bureau of Investigation and the National  Investigation Agency.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) releases the list of 45 candidates for the Lok Sabha Elections.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) releases first list of seats for the #LokSabhaElections2019. pic.twitter.com/0PrbhOR0c5

— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2019

Congress President Rahul Gandhi outside the residence of CRPF ASI Mohan Lal who lost his life in the terrorist attack on CRPF convoy in Pulwama on February 14. The Congress President met the family of the deceased ASI, news agency ANI reported.

Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary reaches Bahujan Samajwadi Party chief Mayawati's residence.

TDP MLC Prabhakar Reddy Joins YSRCP | TDP MLC Adala Prabhakar Reddy who got confirmed MLA ticket from Nellore Rural assembly constituency has joined in YSRCP. He is likely to contest for Nellore parliamentary seat. Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy represented in Nellore constituency 2014. Now YSRCP thinking to replace Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy with Adala Prabhakar Reddy.

There will be no elections after 'Modi tsunami' in 2019: Sakshi Maharaj | BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj has said that the upcoming Lok Sabha polls will be fought in the name of the country and there will be no elections after that. "The Modi tsunami has awakened the country. I feel there will be no election in 2024... this is the only election and we are fighting it in the name of the country with full honesty," Maharaj said during a party programme.

After addressing poll rally in Dehradun, Congress president Rahul Gandhi met the family of Major Chitresh Singh Bisht at the latter's residence in Dehradun. Major Chitresh Singh Bisht lost his life on 16 February while defusing an IED which was planted by terrorists across the LoC in Rajouri district, J&K.

After joining Congress in presence of party chief Rahul Gandhi, Manish Khanduri, son of ex-Uttarakhand chief minister & BJP leader BC Khanduri, said, “I believe that under Rahul Gandhi's leadership, Congress will make country stronger. Before coming here,I sought blessings of my father. He asked me if I can walk on path of truth. I replied yes.” 

Shiv Sena has declared that its Goa state unit chief Jitesh Kamat will contest the elections from North Goa while vice president of the state unit, Rakhi Prabhudesai Naik will fight from South Goa. The announcement was maid by senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut.

Days after BJP inducted former Biju Janata Dal MP Baijayant Panda, Balabhadra Majhi, BJD MP from Odisha’s Nabarangpur Balabhadra Majhi switched sides and joined BJP on Saturday. Majhi was welcomed by Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Jual Oram and Panda.

Delhi: Balabhadra Majhi, BJD MP from Nabarangpur (Odisha) who had recently resigned from the party, joins BJP. pic.twitter.com/eAPcZscMDi

— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2019

BJP, PM Modi trying to rake up old issues to divert public attention from failures, alleges Mayawati | BSP president Mayawati on Saturday accused the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to rake up old issues to divert people's attention from their failures ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. "In order to divert people's attention from the failures of its government and prevent poverty and unemployment for becoming real election issues, BJP and Prime Minister Modi are trying to rake up all kind of dead issues," Mayawati said in a tweet in Hindi. "This is most condemnable... people should remain cautious," she added. In another tweet, she alleged that the Prime Minister mostly remained busy in laying foundation stones and spent Rs 3,044 crore in publicity.

While welcoming Manish Khanduri, the son of former chief minister of Uttarakhand BC Khanduri, in Congress, Rahul Gandhi alleged that senior Khanduri gave all his life to the Army but when he questioned the government on national security, he was removed from the chairmanship of the parliamentary committee on defence.

Rahul Gandhi in Dehradun: He (BC Khanduri) gave all his life to Army. But when he asked a question on national security in Parliament & spoke the truth that the way govt should help Army, it is not there, then he was removed from the Chairmanship of that Committee. pic.twitter.com/db1DOBTxqr

— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2019

TRS president KCR to kick off LS poll campaign from Karimnagar | TRS president and Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will kick off his campaign for the Lok Sabha polls with a public meeting at Karimnagar on Sunday. Karimnagar has been a stronghold of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) since the party's formation in 2001. Rao had represented Karimnagar in the Lok Sabha earlier. Rao, the star campaigner for TRS, will address election rallies at various places in the state beginning from Karimnagar, party sources said.

In the season of political realignments, BJP MP Shyama Charan Gupta switches sides and joins Samajwadi Party. He will be contesting the Lok Sabha Elections from Banda constituency as a SP candidate.

Bhupendra Yadav, Sushil Modi and Bihar BJP president Nityanand Rai are meeting party president Amit Shah to decide on BJP candidates from the state. The strategic meeting is going on at BJP Headquarters now. This comes ahead of the seat sharing meeting. The BJP and the JD(U), led by of chief minister Nitish Kumar, announced in December that they will contest 17 seats each in Bihar and leave the remaining six for the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) of Ram Vilas Paswan.

Manish Khanduri, son of former BJP CM of Uttarakhand, joins Congress | Son of former BJP chief minister of Uttarakhand Major General (retd) BC Khanduri, Manish Khanduri joins Congress in presence of Rahul Gandhi in Dehradun on Saturday afternoon. Welcoming him into the party fold, Gandhi said him joining the Congress will strengthen the party. Speculation is rife that the Congress might field Manish Khanduri from Pauri, a Lok Sabha seat held by his father. Former Uttarakhand chief minister BC Khanduri was removed last year as chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on defence. The Congress had latched on to the removal of the former army general from the committee to attack the BJP.

BJP MP Rattan Lal Kataria makes objectionable comments on Congress president Rahul Gandhi. 

Rattan Lal Kataria, BJP MP, in Panchkula, Haryana: Iska baap to mar gaya, Rahul ka, Bofors kaand ke laaga chunri mein daag mitaaoon kaise, wo to iss dunia se chala gaya aur daag mite nahi. Aur wo hamein keh rahe hain. (14.03.2019) pic.twitter.com/1o9VhnvoPK

— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2019

Son of former BJP chief minister of Uttarakhand Maj Gen (retd) BC Khanduri, is likely to join the Congress in the presence of Rahul Gandhi at a rally in Dehradun this weekend. The junior Khanduri is seen seated in the front row of the Congress party’s rally on Saturday.

Uttarakhand: Manish Khanduri (extreme left in the picture), the son of former Uttarakhand CM and BJP leader Maj Gen (Retd) BC Khanduri, is present at the public rally of Congress in Dehradun. pic.twitter.com/uH8BNzlrps

— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2019

Congress MLA Resigns From Party in Odisha | In a setback for the opposition Congress ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly elections, its Salipur MLA Prakash Behera on Saturday resigned from the primary membership of the party. Earlier, three MLAs - Nabakishore Das, Jogesh Singh and Krushna Chandra Sagari, had resigned from the Congress. While Das and Singh joined the BJD, Sagaria went to the BSP. In a letter to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Behera said that he has decided to quit the party after being "ignored" by the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) leadership. "I worked in the party for last 20 years, but did not get importance in the Congress," Behera told reporters. The Congress legislator claimed that he had raised certain issues with the OPCC president, but they were "ignored".

Sitting BJP MP from Assam Quits Party | In a jolt to the BJP in Assam, its sitting MP from Tezpur Ram Prasad Sarmah on Saturday announced that he quit the saffron fold and alleged neglect of old workers by "new intruders in the party". Sarmah said he was resigning from the primary membership of the BJP after serving the RSS and VHP for 15 years and the BJP for 29 years. "I have left BJP today. I really feel pained in my heart for those old BJP workers of Assam who are most neglected in the party by the new intruders in the party," he said in a Facebook post. Sarmah's name was not included in the party's panel of probable candidate for Tezpur Lok Sabha seat. It only had the name of Assam minister and NEDA convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma. The list has been sent to Delhi and the names of the candidates for the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam is scheduled to be announced on Saturday.

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami met DMDK chief Captain Vijayakanth in Chennai on Saturday morning. DMDK, PMK, BJP and AIADMK have formed an alliance in Tamil Nadu for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Janata Dal (Secular)'s senior leader Danish Ali joins BSP | JD(S) general secretary Danish Ali joins Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the presence of BSP All India General Secretary Satish Mishra, ahead of Lok Sabha elections in Lucknow on Saturday. Ali was counted among the top leaders in JD(S). 

Lucknow: JD(S) General Secretary Danish Ali, who until recently was involved in alliance negotiations with Congress and JD(S), joins Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). pic.twitter.com/tsvqqlofU6

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 16, 2019

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Hemant Soren met Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday morning and said the announcement of the alliance among Congress, JMM, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) and RJD will be done after Holi in Ranchi. According to sources, Congress will fight in 7 seats from Jharkhand. JMM will fight in 4, JVM in 2 while RJD in 1. Babu Lal Marandi is also expected to meet Rahul Gandhi today evening.

Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan tweets in support of the #MainBhiChowkidar movement. “I will do my best to defeat corruption, crony capitalism, terrorism, poverty and illiteracy,” Pradhan tweeted.  

I will do my best to defeat corruption, crony capitalism, terrorism, poverty and illiteracy. Proud to join the #MainBhiChowkidar movement and devote myself to the cause of #SabkaSaathSabkaVikas for a #NewIndia. pic.twitter.com/Z1BAvifkno

— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) March 16, 2019

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches #MainBhiChowkidar movement, Union ministers and BJP leaders tweet in support of the campaign. 

I am proud to join #MainBhiChowkidar movement. As a citizen who loves India, I shall do my best to defeat corruption, dirt, poverty & terrorism and help create a New India which is strong, secure & prosperous.

— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) March 16, 2019