The big news: Sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls under way in 59 constituencies, and 9 other top stories
Other headlines: Narendra Modi said Congress and its allies run India on ‘hua to hua’ mantra, and the Islamic State claimed it had set up a ‘province’ in India.
A look at the headlines right now:
- Voting begins in 59 constituencies in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls: All seven constituencies in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, all 10 seats in Haryana, parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal will vote in this phase.
- Congress, allies run nation on ‘hua to hua’ mantra, says Narendra Modi in UP: He said members of the opposition have started picking on his caste and added: “I want to tell them that I belong to the caste of the poor of the country.” Meanwhile, the Election Commission sent a notice to the BJP for airing election content on NaMo TV during ‘silence period’ in Delhi.
- Islamic State claims it has established a ‘province’ in India, reports Reuters: The statement came after a militant with alleged ties to the group was killed in a clash on Friday.
- One killed after three terrorists storm luxury hotel in Gwadar, Pakistan, says military: The military’s media wing said a security guard at the Pearl Continental died when terrorists opened fire.
- Navjot Sidhu compares Modi to ‘bride who pretends to work’, BJP criticises him for sexist remark: BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said Sidhu’s remark showed his party, Congress, was racist and sexist. Sidhu got a notice from the Election Commission on Friday for derogatory remarks about Narendra Modi.
- BJP worker found dead in West Bengal, party accuses Trinamool Congress: Jhargram is one of the eight Lok Sabha seats in the state that is voting in the sixth phase of elections on Sunday.
- Delhi AAP candidate refutes son’s allegations of paying Rs 6 crore to party leaders for ticket: The Delhi Police tried to stop Balbir Singh Jakhar’s press conference, claiming it violated the Model Code of Conduct. Meanwhile, on Friday, the AAP alleged that Gautam Gambhir was using a doppelganger to campaign for him.
- Narendra Modi has a ‘personal hatred’ towards me, claims Rahul Gandhi: The Congress chief told NDTV that there was a fight between BJP-RSS and the progressive forces in the country. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, meanwhile, claimed the BJP’s brand of nationalism starts and ends with Narendra Modi’s name.
- Donald Trump raises tariffs on almost all Chinese imports: Earlier, the US president increased import duty from 10% to 25% on Chinese goods worth $200 billion.
- Thrissur administration lifts ban on parading elephant at temple festival in Kerala: The 54-year-old, partially blind elephant has reportedly killed 13 people in recent years. A team of doctors on Saturday declared it medically fit.