LS polls: PM Modi To Campaign In Bihar, Bengal, MP Today

by Manisha Das

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address election rallies in Bihar's Nawada and West Bengal's Jalpaiguri on Sunday. He will also hold a roadshow in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur.

New Delhi, April 7: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address election rallies in Bihar's Nawada and West Bengal's Jalpaiguri on Sunday. He will also hold a roadshow in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur.

The Prime Minister will address the rally in Nawada at noon, while in Jalpaiguri, the programme is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. His roadshow for BJP's Jabalpur candidate Ashish Dubey will start at around 6:15 p.m.

Major political events that will unfold across the country today:

* Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will hold public meetings in Rajasthan's Bikaner and Jhunjhunu on Sunday at around 11:45 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., respectively.

* BJP President J.P. Nadda will address a rally in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar on Sunday at around 2:45 p.m. From there, he will proceed to Tiruchirappalli to hold a roadshow at 5:30 p.m.

* Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will campaign for BJP candidates in Rajasthan on Sunday. He will address public meetings in support of BJP candidates in Bharatpur, Dausa and Sikar districts.

* Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav will visit the ancestral home of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari at Yusufpur locality in Mohammadabad town of Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district on Sunday. He will meet Ansari's relatives and express his condolences. Ansari died of cardiac arrest at a hospital in Banda on March 28.

* AAP leaders and party workers will observe a daylong 'collective fast' on Sunday to mark their protest against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

* Union Home Minister Amit Shah's two-day Assam visit will start on Sunday, during which he is scheduled to address rallies in Hojai, Lakhimpur and Gohpur.

* Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will hold a public meeting in Arjuni Morgaon of Maharashtra's Gondia district on Sunday for Sunil Mendhe, the BJP candidate from Bhandara-Gondiya Lok Sabha constituency.

* Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh will take out the "Wada Nibhao Padyatra" in Chachoura on Sunday. Digvijay Singh is the Congress candidate from the Rajgarh Lok Sabha constituency seat.

* Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma will address a farmers' conference in Panchu in support of the BJP candidate from Bikaner parliamentary constituency on Sunday.

* Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Choudhary will address a conference of BJP booth presidents in Dadri and Jewar assembly constituencies of Gautam Buddha Nagar on Sunday.

* Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya will address BJP's Lok Sabha Volunteers' Conference in Azamgarh.

* Union Minister Smriti Irani will address a public meeting in Meerut on Sunday to seek votes for BJP candidate Arun Govil.

* Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini will hold a rally in Tohana of Sirsa Lok Sabha seat on Sunday. After the rally, the Chief Minister will also participate in other programmes in the constituency.

* Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari will hold a roadshow in Balaghat on Sunday at around noon. He will also address a public meeting there.

* Uttrakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami will address a public meeting in Nainital's Letibunga on Sunday for BJP candidate Ajay Bhatt from Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar Lok Sabha seat.

(IANS)

People Of Odisha Will Repose Their Trust In PM Modi: EAM S Jaishankar

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

Bhubaneswar, Mar 4: External Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader Dr S Jaishankar, who reached Bhubaneswar on a two-day Odisha visit today, said Odisha is a very significant State for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"We all appreciate the history, culture, and talent of Odisha. In the last 10 years, Rs 18 lakh crore Central allocation was provided to Odisha. People of Odisha will vote to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and for a BJP Govt in Odisha for the first time," said Jaishankar

Jaishankar said the iconic Konark Sun Temple wheel took centre stage at the G20 Summit in Delhi. This shows how much respect the Prime Minister has for the State of Odisha and its culture, pointed out he.

"Odisha is a State which has an enormous resource base. It has a tremendous culture which is widely admired across the world. By branding the Konark wheel at the G20 summit, we have paved the way for international interest to come to Odisha. We hope there will be many more opportunities to boost the tourism industry here," added Jaishankar.

He said, as a Foreign Minister, he had an opportunity to appreciate the talent and skills of citizens of Odisha abroad. This visit of mine is to add my voice to those of my colleagues that the people of Odisha make the right choice when they go to vote. They will vote to strengthen the hands of PM Modi helping us to pass the 400-mark. The people of Odisha will repose their trust in PM Modi this time, he said.

Assembly and Lok Sabha elections will be held simultaneously in Odisha in four phases, starting from Phase one on May 13, Phase two on May 20, Phase three on May 25 and the final Phase on June 1.

The results will be announced on June 4.

Read More Election News

President Murmu Reaches Shimla For Five-Day Visit

by Hemanta Pande

Shimla, May 4: President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday reached Shimla for a five-day visit. She was received by Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla and Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu at Kalyani helipad in Charabra, near here, during her arrival.

President Droupadi Murmu reaches Rashtrapati Niwas, Mashobra, Shimla for the summer retreat. Governor of Himachal Pradesh Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla and Chief Minister Shri Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu received President Murmu on her arrival. pic.twitter.com/CKSAMnwAWM — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) May 4, 2024

The President will be staying at Rashtrapati Niwas in Charabra.

On May 6, she will attend the seventh convocation of the Central University of Himachal Pradesh in Dharamsala.

On May 7, she will witness a cultural programme at the Gaiety Heritage Cultural Complex here. Later, she will also be attending a dinner hosted by the Governor at Raj Bhawan. (IANS)

PM Modi To Visit Odisha Twice Before 1st Phase Poll; Tight Security Planned

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

Bhubaneswar, May 4: To boost the 'possibility of the BJP being voted to power' in Odisha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming to the State two times in the next seven days, ahead of the first phase of polls in the State on May 13.

According to the information, the Prime Minister will reach Bhubaneswar on Sunday evening and halt the night at Raj Bhawan. He would address massive rallies at Berhampur and Nawarangpur the next day.

Similarly, the Prime Minister will lead a massive roadshow in Bhubaneswar on May 10. He will address a large public meeting at Balangir on May 11.

"Prime Minister's planned visit to Odisha ahead of the first phase of polls in the State on 13 will boost the morale of the BJP workers and have a big influence on voters. The Modi wave will change Odisha's governance this election," said a political analyst.

It may be noted that, recently, in an interview, the Prime Minister stated that Odisha's self-identity, language, and culture were at risk. A BJP-led double-engine government will ensure this in this election.

Odisha will go to votes in four phases on May 13, 20, 25 and June 1.

Keeping in view the visit of Prime Minister, the State police have tightened the security arrangements for him in the city. There will be tight security from the airport to the Raj Bhawan during evening hours as the PM will reach the airport at around 9.30 pm. SPG, CISF, and State police will be deployed for this purpose.

There will be a three-tier security system at Raj Bhawan. The entire area will be declared a no-drone flying zone.

A carcade rehearsal will be conducted by security personnel this evening.

As many as three DCPs, 10 ACPs, 17 IICs, and 90 SI/ASIs will be keeping vigil. As many as 20 platoons of police force will be deployed. The traffic system in the city will be streamlined.