Modi In Mumbai: PM Leads Mega Roadshow In Ghatkopar With Shinde, Fadnavis Beside; Ajit Missing

The Mumbai North East Lok Sabha constituency comprises six legislative assembly segments: Mulund, Vikhroli, Bhandup West, Ghatkopar West, Ghatkopar East, and Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar.

The BJP candidate is Mihir Kotecha against Shiv Sena (UBT) Sanjay Dina Patil, a former MP of undivided NCP.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today warned voters about what he said was the dangers of going the Congress's way, citing the example of the Shiv Sena faction led by former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Campaigning in Mumbai amid the hot and humid weather, with temperature reaching 38 degree Celsius, PM Modi said Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray believed that the day the Maharashtra party starts to follow the path of the Congress, it would be the end of the Shiv Sena.

"Maharashtra has made up its mind to punish the duplicate Shiv Sena, which has kneeled before the Congress," PM Modi said.

PM Modi's roadshow in Mumbai's Ghatkopar has drawn a large number of people, sporting BJP flags and Modi banners. A group of women supporters are seen parading ahead of the PM's cavalcade. Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis are in attendance.

INDIA alliance will hold a rally in Mumbai on May 17. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will also be present. The alliance rally will be held at BKC Maidan. This is the second rally of INDIA bloc in Mumbai.

(Source: NDTV Marathi)

Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar is the notable absent in the Modi rally in Mumbai today. The NCP chief is part of the BJP-led NDA dispensation in Maharashtra.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started a mega roadshow in Mumbai's Ghatkopar. He is flanked by Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis, Ashish Shelar and other leaders.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and Mumbai Lok Sabha candidates Mihir Kotecha and Ujwal Nikal have gathered at Ghatkopar where the PM is expected to come shortly.

Thane: Mumbai's sister city will be another Sena vs Sena fight. Two-time sitting MP Rajan Vichare of Shiv Sena (UBT) will face off Shinde loyalist Naresh Mhaske. Both Vichare and Mhaske had been former mayors of Thane City. Thane is also the stronghold of Shinde, who was an autorickshaw driver here before entering politics.

Kalyan: Eknath Shinde’s son and two-time sitting MP Dr Shrikant Shinde is contesting against Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Vaishali Darekar-Rane, who had been associated with Raj Thackeray-led MNS before joining Shiv Sena and siding with Thackeray. The high-profile showdown in the Sena stronghold will test the core party voter's loyalty.

Bhiwandi: Kapil Patil of BJP will take on Suresh alias Balyamama Mhatre of NCP (Sharad Pawar) and Nilesh Sambare, who has support of the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA). The constituency has a sizable Muslim population and seat sharing negotiations where heady between Congress and Pawar.

Palghar: The ST-quota seat would witness a triangular contest where BJP has fielded former minister late Vishnu Savara's son Dr Hemant Sawara against Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Bharti Kamdi. Sitting Shinde Sena MP Rajendra Gavit returned to the BJP after his party gave up the seat to the national ally.

Mumbai South: In India's richest Lok Sabha constituency, two time-sitting MP and former Union Minister Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena (UBT) will contest against Shiv Sena’s Byculla MLA Yamini Jadhav. The high profile seat saw a public tussle between BJP and Shinde during negotiations, the former keen on fielding its first nominee from the town. Sawant is among the few who remained loyal to the Thackeray clan after the 2022 split.

Mumbai North: Piyush Goyal will make his electoral debut after 14 years of being in Rajya Sabha. The Congress has fielded Bhushan Patil to take on the BJP stalwart.

Mumbai North Central: BJP denied renomination to sitting MP Poonam Mahajan, the daughter of late BJP stalwart Pramod Mahajan and fielded eminent lawyer Ujjwal Nikam against Varsha Gaikwad, the four-time Dharavi MLA and Mumbai Congress president. Gaikwad, a prominent Dalit face rose up the Congress ranks after 2019, while Nikam, a Maratha, was the prosecutor who fought the case against Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

Mumbai North East: The Shiv Sena (UBT) has fielded Sanjay Dina Patil, a former MP of undivided NCP, against Mihir Kotecha, a BJP MLA.

Mumbai North West: Sitting Shiv Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar’s son Amol Kirtikar, who has been fielded by Shiv Sena (UBT) will contest against Ravindra Waikar, an MLA, who recently switched sides from Thackeray to Shinde.

Mumbai South Central: Thackeray has fielded former Rajya Sabha member and loyalist Anil Desai against two-time sitting MP Rahul Shewale, the party leader of Shiv Sena in the Lok Sabha.

"India is achieving big targets; blue print for first 100 days in third term ready. Development halted during Congress regime; I got things into top gear," PM Modi at election rally in Kalyan, Maharashtra.

In a strong statement after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was granted interim bail to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections, Home Minister Amit Shah has said that he does not see the Supreme Court's decision as a routine judgment and stressed that many in the country believe that "special treatment" was given.

The home minister said in Hindi, "I believe this is clear contempt of the Supreme Court. He is trying to say that if someone emerges victorious, the Supreme Court does not send them to jail even if they are guilty. The judges that granted him bail have to think how their judgment is being used or misused."

Read here.

Source: NDTV

Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, Kapil Patil, have been fielded by the BJP. Goyal will make his electoral debut after being a minister for a decade and serving in the Rajya Sabha since 2010. The investment banker-turned-politician is known to be close to PM Narendra Modi, who entrusted him the additional charge of Minister of Finance briefly in 2018.

The Congress has fielded Bhushan Patil to take on the BJP stalwart.

Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, the BJP candidate from Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat, is leading a campaign rally in the constituency.

"Entire North Mumbai stands solidly with PM Modi. The way PM Modi has, over the last 10 years, taken the country to newer heights, it has resonated very strongly with the people. That has raised the bar, it has raised the expectations," he told PTI.

Five of the 10 seats in the Mumbai metropolitan region will see direct fight between the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Shiv Sena (UBT). This will be the first major poll where the two factions faceoff since the party split in mid-2022.

While Thackeray is banking on the sympathy factor and vote transfers from Congress-NCP, Shinde is running confident of retaining the party's core base and the Hindutva consolidation for the larger alliance. For the two, the Lok Sabha performance will set the stage for the Maharashtra assembly elections later this year. A poor show by Shinde can even destabilise the Sena-BJP-NCP government in India's most industrialised state.

Mumbai Police has issued guidelines restricting assembly of people within 100 metres from polling stations for all six Lok Sabha constituencies which will vote in the fifth phase on May 20. As per the guidelines, the entry of those persons not related to elections will not be allowed in the vicinity of polling stations from 6 am till May 20 midnight.

Only those persons, including candidates or the accredited agents of candidates or officials on poll duty or a public servant engaged in duty at or in the vicinity of such polling station, shall be allowed.

The Mumbai Metro services will be suspended between Jagruti Nagar and Ghatkopar stations in Mumbai from 6 pm on Wednesday till further notice due to security reasons, authorities said. Commuters are requested to plan their journey accordingly, a spokesperson of the Mumbai Metro One said.

The advisory comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow to be held in Ghatkopar area in the evening.

PM Modi retorted Sharad Pawar's recent idea of smaller parties, especially those which sprung out of the parent, merging with the Congress overtime.

"INDI alliance leaders suggesting that small parties merge with Congress so that they can at least stand as Opposition party," he said. The PM also took a shot at Shiv Sena and NCP factions allied to Congress.

PM Modi reiterated his charge that the Congress intends to tweak the reservation system to benefit its "vote bank" among religious minorities.

"Modi is the “chowkidar” of rights of the oppressed; he won’t let them be snatched away," he said.

PM Narendra Modi is conducting an election rally in Pimpalgaon Baswant in Nashik.

"It is Congress’ thinking that 15% of country’s budget be spent on minorities. Splitting budget on religious lines dangerous; for Congress, minority means its dear vote bank. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar was against religion-based reservation," Modi said.

All the six Parliamentary constituencies in Mumbai, including Mumbai South, Mumbai North, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai South Central, Mumbai North East and Mumbai North West, will vote on May 20 in the fifth phase of elections, the last in Maharashtra.

Elections in adjoining key suburbs like Kalyan, Palghar, Thane and Bhiwandi will also vote on May 20.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heatwave warning for Mumbai, Thane and Raigad. The weather bureau also said that there is a possibility of hailstorm activity and thunderstorms this week. It expects hot weather with the maximum temperature likely to reach 37 degrees Celsius.

Read here.

Clarifying his "infiltrators" and "those with more children" remarks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that he did not only talk about Muslims but spoke about every poor family, adding that the day he starts doing Hindu-Muslim, he will be "unworthy of public life."

In an interview with News 18, PM Modi said that he does not market love towards Muslims, "I do not work for a vote bank. I believe in Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas."

Read here.

Source: NDTV

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will face Congress' Ajay Rai and independent candidate Shyam Rangeela in his hat-trick bid from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat.

Here's a detailed look at contenders for the much-anticipated contest.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, party president JP Nadda and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have named in the list of 40 star campaigners for the BJP for the June 1 Lok Sabha election and Assembly bypolls in Himachal Pradesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's taxable income doubled from Rs 11 lakh in the year-ended March 2019 to Rs 23.5 lakh in FY23, according to his affidavit filed for contesting the Lok Sabha election from Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi. Modi hasn't declared any immovable assets, while the gross total value of his movable assets is worth Rs 3.2 crore.

For the complete details of the Prime Minister's assets, click here.

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mumbai, the police has banned the use of drones, paragliders, balloons, kites and remote-controlled microlight aircraft in the city, an official said on Wednesday.

The restrictions will be in force in the jurisdictions of Vikhroli, Kanjurmarg, Parksite, Ghatkopar, Pant Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Chembur, Chunabhatti, BKC, Kherwadi, Vakola, Vile Parle, Sahar, Airport, Bandra, Worli, Mahim, Dadar and Shivaji Park police stations in Mumbai.

(Source: PTI)

Narendra Modi will hold a 2.5-km long roadshow from Shreyas Cinema on LBS Marg to Gandhi Market in Sion, starting at 8:00 p.m.

LBS Road from Gandhi Nagar Junction to Naupada Junction, Mahul- Ghatkopar road from Meghraj Junction to R.B. Kadam Junction shall be closed for all types of vehicular movement on both bound from 2.00 pm to 10.00 pm.

For the complete traffic arrangement that will be in effect during the roadshow, click here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be arriving in Maharashtra for a day-long visit to campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. He will address public meetings in Dindori in Nashik at 2:45 p.m., and Kalyan's Bhivandi at 4:45 p.m. The prime minister will reach Mumbai at 6:15 p.m. by road, where he'll attend a road show in Ghatkopar.

He will be accompanied by state's Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.