Lok Sabha Election 2019 Phase 4 LIVE: EC issues notice to Giriraj Singh for Vande Mataram speech in Begusarai

Election Commission issues notice to Union Minister and Begusarai (Bihar) BJP candidate Giriraj Singh for a speech delivered on April 24 in GD College, Begusarai.

Giriraj Singh had reportedly said “Who don't say Vande Mataram, can't worship motherland. My father and grandfather died by banks of Ganga and did not need a grave. But you need three-arm's-length of land. If you don't do it, the country will never forgive you.”

AIADMK candidate P Kandasamy on Monday filed his nomination for the by-poll to Sulur assembly constituency scheduled for May 19.

G Mayilsamy of Makkal Neeti Maiam also filed his papers for the poll, necessitated by the death of sitting AIADMK MLA R Kanagaraj, officials said. Monday is the last date for filing of nomination.

Tamil Nadu Municipal Administration Minister S P Velumani, who accompanied Kandasamy, asserted there was no dissent in the party over the candidature and said the party was united as always.

The Congress on Monday made 30 complaints to the Election Commission about alleged glitches in EVMs across the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra where polling is underway.

A majority of the complaints came in from Dhule and Nandurbar, the party said, prompting ally NCP's state chief Jayant Patil to claim that something was "fishy" in the two seats.

"Complaints have been made to Election Commissioner, Chief Electoral Officer and other authorities concerned via e-mail," the Congress said in a statement.

CEO Rajasthan has sought a report after some voters in Jodhpur had leveled charge of bogus voting alleging that their votes had already been cast and when inquired they were told that nothing can be done now.

Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Monday termed the BJP government at the Centre "arrogant" and accused it of ignoring the farmers and leaving the youth unemployed.

Addressing an election rally in Sardarshahar town under the Churu Lok Sabha constituency, he also claimed the BJP would not be able to open its electoral account in south India in this parliamentary polls.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday slammed the central forces for allegedly firing "inside" a polling booth in Birbhum district and accused the BJP of misusing the forces in the elections.

Stating that the law and order is a state subject, she said it is not the job of the central forces to enter polling booths and they should keep vigil outside.

In Dubrajpur area of Birbhum constituency, voters allegedly engaged in a scuffle with the central forces when they were barred from entering booths with mobile phones, a senior election official said.

Security personnel reportedly fire in the air to control the mob, following which polling was stalled in the booths, the official said.

Election Commission directs to register FIR against Babul Supriyo, Union Minister and BJP candidate from Asansol LS seat, for allegedly trespassing into booth number 199 and threatening a polling agent and an officer.

AAP's East Delhi candidate Atishi Marlena on Monday wrote to the Election Commission seeking registration of FIR against her BJP rival Gautam Gambhir over his alleged violation of the poll code by distributing pamphlets without details such as printer's name.

The AAP nominee had on Sunday written to the EC seeking a 72-hour campaign ban against the cricketer-turned-politician for carrying out a road show without permission.

On Monday, Atishi again wrote to the poll panel, alleging that Gambhir is distributing pamphlets without carrying in them details such as the printer's name which is a violation of the model code of conduct.

The Election Commission on Monday "strongly condemned" Union Minister Maneka Gandhi for her "ABCD" remark in Sultanpur where she warned voters that government work suffers in areas which do not vote for her.

The commission also warned her not to repeat "such misconduct in future". The EC order said Maneka not only violated provisions of the model code, but also the Representation of the People Act dealing with "corrupt practice".

Addressing a poll meeting in Sarkoda village in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh on April 14, Maneka had said, "We win in Pilibhit every time, so what is the parameter that we work more for one village and less for the other?" "The parameter is that we segregate all villages as A, B, C, and D. The village where we get 80 per cent votes is A, the village in which we get 60 per cent is B, the village in which we get 50 per cent is kept in C category and the village where we get less than 50 per cent is marked as D." She said the development work first happens in all A category villages. Then comes B and only after work in B is done, we start with C, the minister had said.

Sachin Tendulkar, his wife Anjali Tendulkar, daughter Sara Tendulkar, and son Arjun Tendulkar after casting their vote at polling center number 203 in Bandra. Sara Tendulkar and Arjun Tendulkar are first time voters.

Former MLA and Independent candidate Kishore Samreete's car was torched by unidentified suspects in the Naxal-affected area of Lanji in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat parliamentary constituency late on Sunday night.

Samreete told IANS that while returning from campaigning in Lanji last on Sunday night, he stopped at Choriya village to offer prayers at a local temple when 18-20 people surrounded his Pajero car and set it on fire.

The former MLA and his companions had to walk several kilometres to report the incident at a police station in Lanji at 5.30 a.m. Balaghat District Superintendent of Police Abhishek Tiwari confirmed the incident and said the police was investigating it.

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar and his wife Renu Namboodiri after casting their vote at polling booth number 167 at MMK College in Bandra, Mumbai

Several incidents of stone pelting took place Monday in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir where polling is underway for election to the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, police said.

"Isolated incidents of stone pelting near polling stations have been reported from various parts of Kulgam district but the situation is under control due to timely action of security forces," a police official said.

He said there were no reports of anyone getting hurt in the stone pelting incidents so far.

EVM malfunction was reported from a number of constituencies as polling began for the fourth phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh for 13 Lok Sabha seats.

Kannauj reported the maximum number of EVM glitches in Chibramau, where polling began almost two hours behind schedule, Tirwa, Bidhuna, Niboh, Gursahayganj, Mirgaion, Naipal, Nadasia and Atara villages.

Meanwhile, polling was stalled on Monday in booths no 74 and 76 in Shahjahanpur. In Kanpur, polling was delayed in Govind Nagar and Arya Nagar due to EVM faults. This was also the case in six places in Jhansi.

EVMs were found to be faulty in Lalitpur, Akbarpur, Farukkhabad and Lakhimpur.

UP's Chief Electoral Officer L. Venkateshwarlu said that the problems were being set right at the earliest so that polling could resume.

The seats where polling is being held are Kanpur, Shahjahanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Hardoi, Misrikh, Unnao, Farukkhabad, Etawah, Kannauj, Akbarpur, Jalaun, Jhansi and Hamirpur.

Complaint filed against Bhagwant Mann, sitting Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP and candidate from the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency over alleged discrepancies in his nomination affidavit. (file pic)

Actor turned politician Sunny Deol files his nomination as the BJP candidate from the Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency. His brother and actor Bobby Deol also present.

The flying squad of the Election Commission seized ₹64,500 cash from a car parked outside the poll campaign office of Shiv Sena candidate in Maharashtra's Palghar district on Monday, a police official said.

The raid was carried out in the early hours by the EC's staff near Central Park in Tulinj area where the poll campaign office of Sena's nominee Rajendra Gavit is located, he said.

The action was taken following a complaint by Bahujan Vikas Aghadi activists, including Vasai-Virar mayor Rupesh Jadhav, who alleged that cash was being distributed to lure voters, he said.

Supreme Court issues notice to ECI and Union of India (UOI) after hearing a PIL filed by Mumbai based lawyer, Sunil Ahya, seeking to decriminalise complaint on malfunctioning of VVPAT/EVM, as presently it guarantees jail term and fine if the complaint is found false.

"They hurled abuses at us, humiliated polling booth agents of parties, and made them crouch down in punishment," villagers of Chiplotha in Jhansi said about the Election Commission's flying squad.

The Samajwadi Party has claimed that a number of its leaders have been put under house arrest in Kannauj where party President Akhilesh Yadav’s wife Dimple Yadav is contesting the Lok Sabha elections.

SP state President Naresh Uttam sent a letter to the state election commission late on Sunday night, with photographs of police personnel camping outside the houses of senior SP leaders in the district.

Sources said that more than a dozen leaders were put under ‘house arrest', which prevented them from carrying out any form of political activity.

Samajwadi leader Anil Arya alleged that the party's leaders were being harassed by police at the behest of the BJP government.

Residents of Mustak Nagar in Jalaun, have boycotted the elections, protesting lack of proper roads, water and education in their area.

Villagers have boycotted polling at booth number 262 of Kotadi village in Jaisalmer’s Fatehgarh tehsil. It has been a month since drinking water reached the village.

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear tomorrow a plea of Congress MP Sushmita Dev alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah have been violating the Model Code of Conduct during their campaigning for Lok Sabha polls.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it would hear the petition of Dev tomorrow.

Senior advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for Dev, alleged that Modi and Shah have violated the Model Code of Conduct and the Election Commission is not acting on her complaint.

Congress MP, Sushmita Dev, has filed a petition before the Supreme Court, seeking urgent and necessary directions to the Election Commission to take a decision on the complaints filed against PM Modi & BJP President Amit Shah over alleged violations of electoral laws

A 50-year-old woman poll staffer died after suffering a heart attack ahead of voting in Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat of Madhya Pradesh, an official said on Monday.

Sunanda Kotekar, who was deployed at Lodhikheda polling booth in Saunsar area of Chhindwara, felt uneasy on Sunday night, Chief Electoral Officer V L Kantha Rao said.

She died of the heart attack even before she could be provided any medical assistance, he added. The woman and other personnel of the polling team had reached the booth early on Sunday.

Polling percentage recorded till 9 am in Phase 4 : 6.82% in Maharashtra (17 seats), 11.11% in Madhya Pradesh (6 seats) and 9% in Odisha (6) and 16.90% in West Bengal (8 seats)

Clash between TMC workers and QRF and security personnel outside polling booth number 125-129 in Asansol, after disagreement erupted between BJP & CPI(M) workers after TMC workers insisted on polling despite absence of central forces.

BJP MP candidate from Asansol, Babul Supriyo's car vandalised in Asansol. A TMC polling agent says, there is no BJP polling agent here.

CPI candidate from Begusarai, Kanhaiya Kumar after casting his vote at a polling centre in Begusarai.

BJP MP candidate from Jhansi, Anurag Sharma casts his vote at a polling booth in Jhansi.

Congress MP candidate from Mumbai North, Urmila Matondkar casts her vote at polling booth number 190 in Bandra.

Villagers boycott polls at Jemua's polling booth number 222 & 226 in Asansol due to absence of central forces at the polling station. Polling has been suspended at the polling station as voters are protesting

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath casts his vote at polling booth number 17 in Shikarpur, Chhindwara.

BJP sitting MP Paresh Rawal & his wife Swaroop Sampat cast their vote at polling booth number 250-256 at Jamna Bai School in Vile Parle.

BJP MP candidate from UP's Gorakhpur, Ravi Kishan casts his vote at a polling booth in Goregaon.

Anil Ambani casts his vote at voting centre number 216 at GD Somani School in Cuffe Parade.

Union Minister and sitting MP from Nawada, Giriraj Singh offered prayers at Barahiya's Shaktidham in Bihar

Polling began for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha election 2019 across 72 parliamentary constituencies in nine states on Monday, April 29.

Voting will take place in some seats of Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

The electorate in Odisha will also vote in the Legislative Assembly election in the Assembly constituencies that fall under the respective parliamentary constituencies set to vote in Phase 4.

The votes will be counted on 23 May.