Election Tracker LIVE: Rahul Gandhi Rakes Up Migrant Attacks in West, Asks What Modi Did for Biharis

PM Modi in Karnataka:  In the last five years, your servant has tried to run the original mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. From the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to connectivity, our efforts have greatly benefitted the entire region.

Palaniswami's Remarks on Karunanidhi do not behove a CM: DMK | The DMK Tuesday hit out at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palasniswami for alleging that late DMK President M Karunanidhi was kept under "house arrest" by M K Stalin and said such remarks do not behove a CM. Senior DMK leader and Rajya Sabha MP Trichy Siva said Palaniswami's remarks amounted to "crossing the limits" and questioned why the late chief minister J Jayalalithaa was not taken abroad for medical treatment.

Union minister and BJP’s Nagpur Lok Sabha candidate Nitin Gadkari exudes 100% confidence in winning from Nagpur. “I feel the margin will be even bigger this time,” said Gadkari.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Saharanpur: We are very hopeful that we will win, there is a lot anger in the public against BJP and support for Congress. I request people to vote for our candidates here  so that we win with a huge margin.

Kerala Congress (M) chairman and former state minister KM Mani has died at 4:57pm at the age of 87. He served as Kerala finance minister several times in the past and was the state's longest serving MLA. 

Rahul Gandhi: I will not let India to get divided into two. We will always stay under one flag. The entire Mahagathbandhan team is here united. We will implement NYAY and provide jobs to the unemployed.  

Rahul Gandhi: Farmers had last year asked me why economic offenders are called NPA but why aren’t we called NPA. I had told the farmers that once Congress forms government in MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, the loans will be waived and it happened soon after we took over.

Rahul Gandhi in Gaya: We have said that if farmers fail to pay back loans, they will not be put behind bars.  

Rahul Gandhi: Nirav Modi, Anil Ambani flee with thousands of crores. Before leaving, Vijay Mallya met finance minister Arun Jaitley. Economic offenders have no fear when they loot public money but our farmers always live in fear.

Sources: Election Commission asks for report from Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer on PM's appeal to first-time workers. "I want to ask my first-time voters, can your first vote be dedicated to the soldiers who conducted the Balakot air strikes? Can your first vote be in the name of the martyrs who lost their lives in Pulwama," PM Modi said, addressing a rally in Maharashtra.

Election Commission announces May 19 as date for assembly by-elections in Goa, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The counting for the polls will be on May 23. 

Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Gaya rakes up 2008 attacks on Bihari migrants in Mumbai. Gandhi asks what PM Modi has done on the issue. "What happened to the promise of special status for Bihar," Gandhi asks. 

Senior Congress leader Vivek Tankha files nomination from Jabalpur Lok Sabha seat. Tankha, who is a sitting Rajya Sabha MP, also took a jibe on PM Modi’s statement on CM Kamal Nath regarding I-T raids.

Sources to CNBC TV18 have said that the EC has red flagged the recent raids conducted by CBDT. EC has also issued a verbal warning to CBDT and to the revenue department. EC has asked them to meet the EC advisory on keeping the commission informed on any action taken against any political party or affiliates as model code of conduct is in place. The EC has assured that on the ongoing raids, CBDT will keep EC informed on the findings. Apart from the current raids, EC is also sharing information of use of unaccounted cash during the election process.

While referring to minorities, UP CM Yogi Adityanath makes ‘Green Virus’ comments in Saharanpur. “SP -BSP is trying to send a 'green virus' to West UP but this region does not need the virus,” he said.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Gaya: As soon as Congress forms the government, 33% women's reservation in seats of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas will be implemented.   

MP CM Kamal Nath's aide Praveen Kakkar's lawyer has filed a petition in the Indore High Court challenging the income tax raids. Next date of hearing in the case is April 11.

Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy makes personal attack on PM Modi. He says, “Modi wakes up every morning, applies makeup or wax to get a shine on his face and sits in front of cameras. But we take bath once in the morning and wash our face only the next day. Our faces don’t look good on cameras.”

Two days ahead of first phase of Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission transferred Cooch Behar SP Abhisekh Gupta. New SP will be Amit Kumar Singh, a 2009-batch IPS . He was earlier posted as special superintendent, IB in Kolkata.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath at a public rally in Meerut, says, "SP-BSP believe in ‘Ali' but we believe in 'Bajrangbali'.

#WATCH UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at a public rally in Meerut, says, "Agar Congress, SP, BSP ko 'Ali' par vishwaas hai toh humein bhi 'Bajrangbali' par vishwaas hai." pic.twitter.com/ZwI3L5ZEFt

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 9, 2019

Congress president Rahul Gandhi tears into the Narendra Modi government while addressing a rally in Assam. He alleges that Modi has given benefits to only rich.
Chowkidar is not only chor, but also coward, I told him to debate with me as he talks about corruption, but he does not have the guts and fled away."

Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha addresses a rally in Bihar's Gaya for Mahagathbandhan. Sinha joined Congress last week and has been named as the party's candidate for Patna Sahib constituency. 

Huge support, huge crowds... https://t.co/xMP52bEcf9

— Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) April 9, 2019

YSR Congress Party chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy takes part in final day of election campaign in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool. The election campaign for the first phase concludes today at 5pm.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister kamal Nath reacts on IT raids. He alleges that the central agencies are defaming  him. “They can’t do anything. There’s a pressure on the agencies as BJP knows they are not going to win this elections,” he said.

After PM Modi attacked NCP chief Sharad Pawar last week, BJP president Amit Shah, too takes potshots at the Maratha strongman. While addressing a rally in Nagpur, he said, “The UPA government, in which Sharad Pawar was also the minister, gave only 1 lakh 15 thousand crore rupees to Maharashtra under the 13th Finance Commission.  When the Modi government came to the centre, under the 14th Finance Commission, we have given 4 lakh 38 thousand 760 crore rupees for the development of Maharashtra.”

Addressing a rally in Nagpur, BJP president Amit Shah said, “Modi's new government will ensure pension to small shopkeepers even after 60 years.  GST Registers traders to get Rs 10 lakh from accident insurance Central government expenditure.”

Citing the example of the 2016 surgical strike and airstrike on terrorist camps in Pakistan this year, BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday while addressing a rally in Telangana said that the Narendra Modi-led NDA  government does not believe in engaging in peace talks with countries that kill our soldiers. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government gave a befitting reply through an airstrike on terrorist camps in Balakot. After the airstrike, there were celebrations across India. There were only two places that mourned the incident - one was Pakistan and the other was in Rahul Gandhi and company's camp," said Shah.

Kerala Congress (M) chairman and former state minister KM Mani's health has deteriorated, reports ANI. 

Union home minister Rajnath Singh in an exclusive interview to ANI on UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s ‘Modi ji ke sena’ remark: Nikal gaya hoga moonh se, un ke moonh se nikal gaya hoga.... Kisi bhi system ka politicization nahi hona chahiye. Aur hum log kabhi uska politicization karne ka sochte bhi nahi hain.

Days after veteran BJP leader LK Advani remarked that the party has never regarded those who disagreed with it politically as "anti-nationals", Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said when parties like the Congress take the side of "deshdrohis", they should be exposed. The chief minister also said there was nothing wrong in what the veteran leader had said and that "Advanji was a 'maargdarshak' (mentor) of the BJP".  In a blog post, titled 'Nation First, Party Next, Self Last', Advani said, "Right from its inception, the BJP has never regarded those who disagree with us politically as our 'enemies', but only as our adversaries."