File picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, in New York. The billionaire congratulated Mr. Modi on the Lok Sabha election win
| Photo Credit: PTI

American tech billionaire Elon Musk on Friday said he is looking forward to his companies doing “exciting work” in India as he congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his historic election victory.

Mr. Modi will be administered the oath of office on June 9, his third consecutive term as Prime Minister.

“Congratulations @narendramodi on your victory in the world’s largest democratic elections! Looking forward to my companies doing exciting work in India,” Mr. Musk said in a post on X.

The congratulatory message came two months after the CEO of the electric carmaker Tesla and microblogging platform X in April postponed his proposed visit to India due to “very heavy Tesla obligations”.

Mr. Musk — who was expected to be in India on April 21 and 22 and scheduled to meet Prime Minister Modi — later wrote on X that he is looking forward to coming to India later this year.

In June last year, Mr. Musk met with Mr. Modi during the latter’s U.S. visit and stated that he planned to visit India in 2024 while expressing confidence that Tesla would enter the Indian market soon.

His proposed visit had raised expectations that he would announce plans for electric car maker Tesla to set up shop in the country, along with his satcom venture Starlink.

It was also expected that Mr. Musk would announce plans for Tesla to set up its manufacturing unit in India and investments could be to the tune of billions of dollars and the way forward for selling Tesla electric cars in India at the earliest.

Not just electric cars, he is also eyeing the Indian market for his satellite internet business Starlink, for which regulatory approvals are awaited.

Mr. Musk had in the past sought import duty reduction in India for it to be able to sell Tesla cars in the country.

Mr. Musk’s plan to visit India in April came on the heels of the government announcing a new electric vehicle policy, under which import duty concessions will be given to companies setting up manufacturing units in the country with a minimum investment of $500 million, a move aimed at attracting major global players like Tesla.

Patna:

Union minister and BJP candidate from Bihar’s Patliputra, Ram Kripal Yadav, had a narrow escape last night when his convoy was attacked and gunshots fired. Mr Yadav was in Masaurhi area of Patliputra parliamentary constituency when the incident took place.

Mr Yadav, once a close aide of RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav, is now with BJP and has been winning Pataliputra seat since 2014. This time, he is up against Lalu Yadav’s daughter and Rajya Sabha MP Misa Bharti. Ms Bharti lost to Mr Yadav in the last two general elections. 

The Pataliputra seat went to polls in the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha election yesterday. According to reports, local RJD MLA Rekha Paswan visited a polling booth yesterday and an altercation took place between her aides and villagers.

When Mr Yadav came to know about this, he rushed to the polling booth and spoke to the villagers. He was on his way back when his convoy was attacked. Mr Yadav managed to escape, but some of his supporters were beaten up. The minister’s supporters later blocked the road and staged a protest. Traffic movement resumed only after police assured swift action and urged them to clear the road.

Heavy force has been deployed on the spot and the police are conducting raids to nab the accused.

“We received information that on the Patna-Jehanabad road, the convoy of (BJP MP and minister) Ram Kripal Yadav was attacked and a party worker injured in the incident. A written complaint was filed and we are investigating the matter…,” Patna East Superintendent of Police Bharat Soni has said.

New Delhi:

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is expected to edge the contest for Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha seats, according to exit polls published Saturday evening. The BJP and its coalition – breakaway factions of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar’s NCP – is expected to win at least 22 seats (according to ABP News-C Voter) and a maximum of 41 (Jan Ki Baat’s prediction).

The opposition INDIA bloc, led by the Congress and including the original Sena and NCP groups, led by ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, can expect a best haul of 23-25 seats (so says ABP News-C Voter) and as little as 13 (data from India News-D Dynamics).

Health warning: Exit polls often get it wrong.

In the 2019 election the BJP and the (then undivided) Shiv Sena were dominant, winning 23 and 18 seats respectively, including a clean sweep of Mumbai’s six constituencies and registering other key wins like Sangli, Ratnagiri-Sindhudhurg, Beed, Latur, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, and Nagpur.

The Congress – decimated nationally for a second consecutive election – got just one seat; Suresh Dhanorkar romped to a surprisingly easy win from Chandrapur. Mr Pawar’s NCP picked up four seats, including the family bastion of Baramati that was won by his daughter, Supriya Sule.

Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM got four seats and the final constituency (Amravati) was won by an independent candidate – Navneet Kaur Rana. Ms Rana has since joined the BJP.

The battle for Maharashtra – which sends the most MPs to the Lok Sabha after Uttar Pradesh (80) – will be among the most-watched when votes are counted on Tuesday.

Overall the BJP has been tipped to register a big win and deliver a third consecutive term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The saffron party, however, is likely to fall short of its ambitious targets – 370+ for itself and over 400 (‘abki baar, 400 paar’ was the slogan) with support from its allies.

READ | Modi Hat-Trick, Powered By South, Bengal, Odisha: Exit Polls

The opposition INDIA bloc – formed last year, in Mumbai, in fact, to halt the BJP and its election-winning machinery – has been handed a stern reality check. Five major exit polls say the group will fall well short of the 285 seats predicted by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to NDTV this week.

An aggregate of exit polls suggests the NDA will get 367 seats and INDIA 143. Individually, the BJP will get 327 – 24 more than the 2019 – and the Congress 52, which is how much it got last time.

Tashigang, Himachal Pradesh:

Prem Lal arrived early at the sub-divisional magistrate’s office on Thursday, the icy cold and crisp morning air hinting at the challenges ahead.

As one of the 29 booth-level officers deployed from Kaza to polling stations in Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, Lal knew that the next few days would be demanding.

Wearing sunglasses to shield his eyes from the glaring sun, the trained graduate teacher joined others in a semi-circle. The SDM, carrying a bunch of papers clipped together, called out the names of the poll-booth officers and their assignments.

It is Tashigang for Lal and his team of five others. Tashigang is a tiny village perched high in the icy Himalayas at a staggering altitude of 15,256 feet. This village holds the distinction of hosting the highest polling station in the world.

Located near the India-China Line of Actual Control, the Spiti valley is part of the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, one of the four parliamentary constituencies in Himachal Pradesh and the second largest in India. Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is up against the Congress’s Vikramaditya Singh from the seat.

The polling station at Tashigang, serving 62 voters from Tashigang and Gete, has been made a model polling booth.

The hour-and-a-half-long journey to Tashigang, located on the other side of a mountain facing the SDM’s office in Kaza, is as formidable as the landscape itself — rugged terrain, narrow winding dirt roads and unpredictable weather.

Yet, for Lal and his team, the assignment carries a sense of purpose. In a place where the harsh environment shapes every aspect of life, facilitating the democratic process is both a “duty and an honour”.

“I have been part of a team that conducted elections at Hikkim (also in the Spiti valley), the second-highest polling station in the country, in the past. So I have some experience,” Lal said, laughing as he walked to board a white Bolero car with an electronic voting machine (EVM) in his hands.

After a brief pause, he added, “Thoda dikkat toh hoga (there will be some difficulties),” acknowledging the challenges ahead, especially for those unaccustomed to such a difficult terrain with no mobile connectivity and limited power supply.

But preparations are meticulous.

“The team will get a satellite phone and runners will be deployed to relay polling data to the headquarters,” Additional District Commissioner Rahul Jain told news agency PTI. “The terrain is tough, but our teams are committed and we have made all the preparations,” he added.

As the journey commenced, the paved road quickly gave way to a narrow and uneven dirt path. The brown hills on either side were dotted with white pools of snow, slowly melting in the sun. In some places, water from the melting snow accumulated on the dirt road, making it dangerous to drive through.

The landscape was breathtaking but completely desolate.” A few houses were visible only because of their bright colours against the brown hills. There is nothing for miles in between, and with no or very limited mobile connectivity, tourists frequently lose their way.

The yellow-coloured polling station with the tricolour painted on its front is perched high on a hill, bleakly empty.

There is barely any vegetation, barring wild grasses.

“Highest polling station of India, Tashigang – 72. Altitude – 4,650 metres,” read a message painted in blue and white on the front wall.

“Swagatam. We heartily welcome all the voters to the world’s highest polling station,” is written in Hindi on the welcome board, adorned with colourful frills.

On reaching the polling station, a Gujarat police personnel accompanying the polling party stepped outside and tried calling home, only to find that there was no network.

“Lag nahi raha hai (the call is not going through),” Takor Mahtoji chuckled, tension replacing the smile on his face.

“This is the first time that I have scaled such heights. Temperatures here are bone-chilling for someone who is not used to such cold conditions. I did not carry any warm clothes and bought new ones after reaching Kaza,” Mahtoji said.

Kumar Prince, the micro-observer for elections at the Tashigang polling station, is a bank clerk from Bihar’s Muzaffarpur.

“Temperatures are reaching 50 degrees Celsius in other parts of the country. Here, it is a different world. I hope everyone has got enough warm clothes,” he told PTI.

“It is a special and important task we have been assigned. If we do not make people in inaccessible terrains part of this process, how can we tell the world that we are the strongest democracy?” Prince said.

During the summer months, temperatures in Tashigang range from 5 to 20 degrees Celsius. But the mercury can drop due to sudden changes in weather.

On May 30, snowfall welcomed the polling party and security personnel, with temperatures dropping to minus 5 degrees Celsius at night.

Winters are harsh and inhospitable, with temperatures dropping as low as minus 35 degrees Celsius. The hills remain buried in snow and the sole dirt road connecting Tashigang to Kaza is closed, confining families to their mud-and-brick homes for six months, said Tanzin Takpa (54), a resident of Tashigang.

“A pregnant woman had to be carried on a yak to the hospital in Kaza at the time of delivery in February. She was lucky,” he said.

There is no hospital, clinic, school or market in Tashigang. The residents travel to Kaza, around 30 kilometres away, for medical and other needs, Takpa said.

The low oxygen concentration at high altitudes can lead to breathing issues. The icy-cold conditions pose a challenge to those arriving in higher hills. Adapting to the local environment could take days, if not weeks, said Kalzang Namgial (40).

This is the fourth time that polling will be conducted at Tashigang, which has been in the record books since 2019 as the highest polling station in the world.

In November 2022, all the eligible voters exercised their franchise despite the immensely cold conditions, Jain told Press Trust of India.

A pink-and-white tent has been pitched on one side of the polling station as a sitting area for the voters. The one-storied polling station has two rooms on each side, recently painted bright yellow.

A vehicle carried blankets and mattresses for the polling team and security personnel. Women working with the state’s public works department helped unload it.

On the ground floor, men and women PWD workers prepared tea and dinner for the polling team and security personnel.

A young woman decorated the polling rooms with colourful balloons. She did not look like a local resident.

Gaira Raba, a tourist from Israel, travelled to Tashigang to volunteer. “I have been in India for a month. I came to the Spiti valley a few days ago where I got to know it houses the world’s highest polling station. People told me it is extremely difficult to reach this place and the climatic conditions are very harsh. I could not miss seeing something so amazing. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Raba told Press Trist of India.

Lanzom (18), the youngest voter in the nearby Kee village, lent Raba a helping hand.

“Seeing the polling team facilitating the election process in such harsh climatic conditions strengthens one’s trust in democracy. We do not have hospitals, schools, paved roads and permanent jobs, but we have a polling station that is the highest in the world. This is our opportunity to let the government know what we want,” she said.

A selfie point has been set up outside against the brown of the hills and the blue of the skies. “My vote, my right,” it says, capturing the spirit of democracy in the remotest corner of India.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

As the seven-phase Lok Sabha election that started on April 19 draws to an end, a total of 904 candidates are hoping for a good show in the last phase of polling today. Fifty-seven seats across eight states and Union Territories are voting today. Among the candidates are several heavyweights from across the political aisle.

Here is a look at some key candidates in this phase

Narendra Modi: Prime Minister Modi, who is eyeing a third term, is the BJP’s candidate from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, a seat he won in the 2014 and the 2019 polls. The eastern UP seat is among the most high-profile constituencies of the country, now that it is represented by the Prime Minister. Since the 1990s, the BJP has lost Varanasi only once – in the 2004 polls. Last time, Prime Minister Modi won the seat with a margin of 4.79 lakh votes. This time, the INDIA bloc has fielded UP Congress chief Ajay Rai against the BJP’s most prominent candidate. Mr Rai had contested from Varanasi in 2019 too, but finished third.

Anurag Thakur: The country’s Information and Broadcasting minister, who also holds the sports portfolio, is contesting from Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur seat, which he has won four times in a row. The 50-year-old minister, who is among the prominent voices in the Narendra Modi government, is up against former Congress MLA Satpal Raizada. There are 17 Assembly segments under the Hamirpur parliamentary seat, six of which are held by the Congress. In fact, Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and his deputy Mukesh Agnihotri are MLAs from two of these segments. So, the Congress is going all-out to make the contest tough for Mr Thakur, who won in 2019 by a margin of nearly 4 lakh votes.

Kangana Ranaut: The Queen actor is making her election debut from Himachal’s Mandi, a seat currently held by Pratibha Singh, state Congress chief and wife of six-time Chief Minister, late Virbhadra Singh. The 37-year-old actor, who is from Himachal, joined the BJP shortly before the election. Mandi has been a stronghold of Virbhadra Singh’s family, but the BJP’s Ram Swaroop Sharma won it in 2014 and 2019. His death in 2021 forced a bye-election, in which Pratibha Singh was elected. This time, Pratibha Singh’s son and state minister Vikramaditya Singh is the Congress’s candidate in the high-profile contest.

Abhishek Banerjee: The nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and No. 2 in Trinamool Congress, Abhishek Banerjee is contesting from Diamond Harbour, a seat he has won twice. The Trinamool general secretary, who has now emerged as the second most prominent face of the party, is up against the CPM’s Pratikur Rahaman and BJP’s Abhijit Das in this Lok Sabha contest. Mr Banerjee won the 2019 polls by a margin of 3.21 lakh votes.

Misa Bharti: Rajya Sabha MP and eldest daughter of RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav, Misa Bharti is contesting from Bihar’s Pataliputra Lok Sabha seat this time as INDIA Opposition bloc’s candidate. Ms Bharti’s earlier attempts to win the constituency in 2014 and 2019 had failed as the BJP’s Ram Kripal Yadav, once a close confidant of Lalu Prasad Yadav, tasted victory. This time, too, Ms Bharti is up against Ram Kripal Yadav.

Ravi Kishan: The actor-politician has been retained by the BJP in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur, which he won in the 2019 election. The Gorakhpur seat is a BJP stronghold and has been with the party for over three decades now – BJP’s firebrand leader and current Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath won the seat five times in a row. Samajwadi Party’s Praveen Kumar Nishad had pulled off a surprise win in the 2018 bypolls, but was defeated by Ravi Kishan the next year. Praveen Kumar Nishad is now with the BJP. This time, Samajwadi Party has chosen Kajal Nishad, also an actor, for the big fight against Ravi Kishan.

New Delhi:

The seventh and final phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha election begins today.

Fifty-seven seats across seven states – 13 in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, nine in Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha, four in Himachal Pradesh, and three in Jharkhand, as well as Chandigarh – will complete a mammoth exercise that began 55 days ago – on April 19.

Ahead of this phase of voting ex-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched a final attack on the BJP, writing a letter urging voters to make the most of a “final chance to ensure our democracy and Constitution are protected from repeated assaults by a despotic regime”.

PM’s Varanasi Bastion

Much of the focus in this phase will be on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s seat of Varanasi in UP, which he is hoping to win for a third straight time. 

Mr Modi romped to victory in 2019 with nearly 6.8 lakh votes and more than 63 per cent of the vote share. He faces the Congress’ Ajay Rai.

The Prime Minister filed his nomination on May 14 accompanied by a phalanx of senior leaders from the BJP and its partners, including party boss JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah, as well as Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma. This was after a flashy six km roadshow the evening before.

READ | PM Files Varanasi Nomination, Then A Massive Show Of Strength

Mr Rai has contested each of the past three elections from the temple town; the past two as a Congress leader and the 2009 poll as a member of Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party.

His best return was in 2019 – 1.5 lakh votes and around 14 per cent of the vote share.

Hindus make up around 75 per cent of Varanasi’s demographic and Muslims 20 per cent. 

An estimated 10 per cent are from Scheduled Tribes while 0.7 are from Scheduled Castes. The rural-urban split of the population is 65 to 35 per cent.

Away from Varanasi, the spotlight will be split between Punjab and Bengal.

Battle For Punjab

There is an intriguing AAP vs Congress vs BJP battle in Punjab. The AAP and Congress are, on paper, part of the INDIA opposition bloc and are contesting as allies in neighbouring Delhi.

In Punjab, however, the two are ‘enemies’, a strange state of affairs replicated in Bengal, where the Congress and the Trinamool are rivals despite being INDIA members.

The ‘friendly fire’ contests have been criticised by the BJP, which has said the bloc’s failure to agree seat-share deals underlines its unstable nature and makes it a poor choice.

The battle for Punjab is complicated by the Akali Dal – a former BJP ally that walked out over farmers’ protests from 2020 that continue to simmer – fighting independently too.

In 2019 the Congress – then led by ex-Chief Minister Amarinder Singh – got eight seats. 

The Akalis and BJP (then allies) got two each and the AAP got one. 

Fast-forward three years and the AAP thumped the Congress in the state poll, winning 92 of 117 seats. A faction-ridden Congress got just 18, the Akalis three and the BSP got one.

Significantly, the BJP contested 73 and won just two. This was against the backdrop of farmers’ protests, which rumbles on to this day, suggesting it might struggle this time too.

Rumble In Bengal

Only nine of Bengal’s 42 seats will vote today. However, these include the prestigious Kolkata North and South seats and Diamond Harbour, which was won in 2014 and 2019 by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee.

Diamond Harbour was previously a CPIM bastion; the party held it from 1967 to 2004.

The Kolkata seats were also won by the Trinamool.

The South seat is Ms Banerjee’s bastion, which she held from 1991 till 2011; this was when she was elected as the MLA from Bhabinipur and quit her MP post to become chief minister.

Lucknow:

Two people, including a 17-year-old, died in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda today after a Toyota Fortuner SUV hit a bike. The SUV belongs to the convoy of Karan Bhushan Singh, BJP candidate from Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat and son of six-time MP and former wrestling boss Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh made national headlines last after the country’s top wrestlers accused of sexually harassing women wrestlers. A Delhi court recently framed charges in the case against him. The allegations are believed to have cost him a poll ticket this time. The BJP instead fielded his son Karan, also a wrestling administrator. His other son, Pratik Bhushan Singh, is MLA from Gonda seat.

Visuals from the accident site show the SUV with “police escort” written on the rear windscreen, suggesting it is part of a VIP convoy. The car’s number is UP32HW1800 and it is said to be registered in the name of Nandini Nagar educational institute run by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s family. 

According to the FIR, the complainant Chanda Begum has said that around 9 am today, her 17-year-old son Rehan and 24-year-old nephew Shahzad were out on a bike to buy medicines when the speeding SUV coming from the opposite side hit the two-wheeler. Both died on the spot. A 60-year-old woman, identified as Sita Devi, was injured and has been hospitalised. A huge crowd gathered at the site after the accident, as family members of the victims demanded justice.

Police have arrested the driver and seized the SUV. There is no confirmation yet on whether Karan Bhushan Singh was travelling with the cavalcade at the time of the accident. Senior police officer Radheysham Rai said the bodies of the victims have been sent for autopsy and further probe is on.

The car, with the number UP32HW1800, is said to be registered in the name of Nandini Nagar educational institure run by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s family.

Farman Khan, a relative of the victims, said there was blood on the road when they reached the spot and the youngsters had been taken to hospital. “Local residents told us Karan Bhushan Singh’s convoy of 4-5 cars was passing through and the Fortuner hit the bike. When we went to the hospital, doctors told us our children are dead. Please get us justice. We cannot think,” he said.

India will become the world’s third-largest economy in the next 10 years of Narendra Modi government, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has told NDTV while outlining the focus areas for the BJP-led dispensation.

Speaking to NDTV’s editor-in-chief Sanjay Pugalia on what would be the BJP government’s economic priorities if it returns to power, Mr Shah said, “I think that between 2014 and 2024, Narendra Modi ji has laid a clear path for the government’s economic policy. Whether it is inflation or budgetary loss or infrastructure costs, we have put all these things on the right path. PSU balance sheets, share market’s situation and acceptability… earlier, there were 2.20 crore demat accounts, now there are 15 crores. Our base has widened.”

The government, he said, had made several policies to transform India into a manufacturing hub. There has been a push to make India a pioneer in emerging sectors such as green hydrogen, electrical vehicles, and ethanol production. “These sectors will drive the global economy for the next 25 years, and India has taken the lead as a pioneer. We will reap its benefits for 25 years. And in the sectors in which we fell behind in the past 25 years, such as semiconductor (manufacturing), defence production, space technology, start-ups, we are closing the gap.”

The Home Minister said the BJP government has given a “human touch to GDP”. “When 14 crore toilets are built, GDP goes up and 14 crore families live with dignity. When 10 crore households get cooking gas connection, 50 crore people live a smoke-free and healthy life. When the Nal Se Jal programme ensures fluoride-free water to 14 crore families, GDP goes up, but his health improves too,” he said.

It is the Narendra Modi government that has given 5 kg ration to every household in its fight against malnutrition, the Home Minister said. “Every household has received power supply, we have built 4 crore homes, we are going to build 3 crore more. So, besides making India a manufacturing hub, we have taken India’s market from Rs 60-70 crore to Rs 130 crore. Earlier, the purchasing power of the people had not developed. But by fulfilling their primary needs, the Narendra Modi government has helped their purchasing power evolve.”

Stressing that India’s economy is on the right path, Mr Shah said, “We will need to step up the speed and facilitate PLI (Production-Linked Incentives), flexible approach, free trade agreement, trade in rupees, free atmosphere for share markets. I am very optimistic that in Narendra Modi’s third term, India will become the third-largest economy of the world,” he said.

India went from the 11th largest economy to No. 5 in the past 10 years after “10 years of stagnancy” during the UPA era, Mr Shah said. “Atal ji left it at No. 11. Manmohan Singh kept it at 11. Modi ji took it from No. 11 to No. 5. I believe that in the third term, we will go to No. 3,” Mr Shah said.

Mr Shah is on the last leg of his extensive election campaign, as the Lok Sabha polls near the seventh and final phase, scheduled for Saturday. A total of 57 seats are going to polls in the last phase. Results will be out next Tuesday – June 4.

The BJP is set to win most Lok Sabha seats in eastern and southern India this time, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has told NDTV in an exclusive interview. Mr Shah was speaking to NDTV’s editor-in-chief Sanjay Pugalia on the campaign trail ahead of the last phase of the general election, scheduled to be held this Saturday.

Asked what are his expectations for Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Mr Shah replied, “We will take a significant lead in Bengal too. We may win between 24 and 30 seats (out of 42). In Odisha, our target is 17 Lok Sabha seats (out of 21) and 75 Assembly seats (out of 147). In Telangana, we will win around 10 seats (out of 17). As for Andhra Pradesh, our alliance government is going to form the government and NDA is will win a big chunk of Lok Sabha seats too.”

Already the dominant force in the North and West, the BJP is pushing hard this time to expand its footprint in the East and South, where several states are ruled by the Opposition parties. Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are also voting in the Assembly polls alongside the general election. In Odisha, the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government is seeking another term. As for Andhra Pradesh, the BJP has tied up with the N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party to give a tough fight to the ruling YSR Congress.

“In the eastern zone, comprising Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, we will emerge as the biggest party. This is certain. And in the five states of the South, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, we will win the biggest party among all states,” he said.

To a question on whether “Ab ki baar 400 par” was just a slogan or a target based on facts, Mr Shah replied, “When we won the 2014 elections under Narendra Modi’s leadership on the slogan of absolute majority, many political analysts from Delhi had said this was not possible. But we got absolute majority. Then, in 2019, when we gave the slogan of ‘300 plus’, people said it is not possible. People are saying the same this time. But I think they will believe us in the next election before ‘400 par’ is happening this time.”

A total of 57 Lok Sabha seats are going to polls in the seventh and last phase of the election on Saturday. Out of these, 26 are in the eastern states of Odisha, Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand. Counting of the votes will be held on June 4.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “mujra” remark at a rally in Bihar today drew a sharp response from Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who said the Prime Minister must maintain the decorum of his post. The remark, made when the Prime Minister was accusing the Opposition of vote bank politics, was panned by other INDIA leaders too.

Mujra is a dance performance widely associated with courtesans.

Addressing a rally in Bihar, the Prime Minister doubled down on his charge that the INDIA bloc plans to rob backward classes of their rights and favour Muslims — an allegation denied by the Congress and its allies.

“Bihar is the land which has given a new direction to the fight for social justice. I wish to declare on its soil that I will foil the plans of the INDIA bloc to rob SCs, STs and OBCs of their rights and divert these to Muslims. They may remain enslaved and perform ‘mujra’ to please their vote bank,” the Prime Minister said.

He also said the people of Bihar have been hurt by remarks against migrants allegedly made by leaders of the Congress in Punjab and Telangana, DMK in Tamil Nadu and Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. In another “mujra jab” targeting the Tejashwi Yadav-led RJD, he said, “These RJD people who keep doing ‘mujra’ with their lantern (poll symbol) do not have the courage to speak a word in protest.”

The Prime Minister went on to say that the Opposition parties will change the Constitution if they are voted to power — a charge earlier levelled by the Congress on the ruling BJP. “If they are voted to power, the first thing they would do is to change the Constitution so that even the court is unable to overrule their attempts to divert reservations to Muslims. I have been challenging them to refute me in writing, but they have been reluctant because they have a guilty conscience,” he said. 

Stressing that the INDIA bloc is headed for a defeat in the ongoing general election, the Prime Minister said, “When the results are out, RJD and Congress workers will be seen tearing off each other’s clothes. The royal family of the Congress will put the entire blame of defeat on Mallikarjun Kharge and leave for holiday abroad,” he said.

Hitting back, Ms Gandhi Vadra said no Prime Minister would have used such language. “What is Modiji saying? Is it not his responsibility to maintain the decorum of his post? We respect the Prime Minister post. His reality can now be seen. Do not show so much reality to the country. He has forgotten that he represents the country. What will the future generations say,” the Congress leader said at a rally with ally and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur.

Targeting the Prime Minister over his allegation that the Congress is planning a wealth redistribution scheme under which women’s mangalsutras will be snatched, Ms Gandhi Vadra said, “On some days, Modiji talks about buffaloes and on other days, he talks about mangalsutra. The problem of stray animals began in their term.”

She also said it is the BJP’s candidates who are going around claiming that the party will change the Constitution if it returns to power.

Criticising the “mujra” remark, Tejashwi Yadav said that with each phase of the election, the Prime Minister’s language is worsening. “He is speaking a language that even his supporters do not like.”

“He had refused permission, but our 17-month government conducted a caste-based survey and provided 75 per cent reservation. I ask Modiji: which BJP-ruled state has 75 per cent reservation?”