A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Voting under way for the last phase of polling, Narendra Modi seeks re-election: All constituencies in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh, as well as parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal will vote on Sunday.
  2. CEC Sunil Arora dismisses reports of rift within EC after Ashok Lavasa’s explosive letter: Earlier in the day, reports emerged that Ashok Lavasa has refused to attend EC poll code meetings since dissent is not being noted. The Congress claimed the ‘Election Commission has become Election Omission’.
  3. Chandrababu Naidu meets Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati for talks of a post-poll alliance: However, a Samajwadi Party leader said SP-BSP alliance leaders will hold their own meeting on May 23 before holding any formal discussions.  
  4. ‘Why does the BJP want to kill me,’ asks Arvind Kejriwal: Delhi’s Leader of Opposition Vijendra Gupta claimed that the chief minister had asked his liaison officer to keep his security away on the day he was attacked.
  5. PM Modi’s defeat from Varanasi will be more historic than his win, says Mayawati: The former chief minister claimed that the prime minister’s ‘Gujarat model’ of governance has failed.  
  6. Three Hizbul Mujahideen militants, including one who killed jawan Aurangzeb in 2018, shot dead: The police identified the suspected militants as Showkat Dar, Irfan War and Muzaffar Sheikh.
  7. Priyanka Gandhi asks Narendra Modi to state his position on Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin: Godse assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, but Pragya Thakur killed his soul, said Kailash Satyarthi. Social activist Agnivesh said Modi’s disapproval of Thakur’s remarks lacked conviction. 
  8. Police file chargesheet against six accused in Alwar gangrape: The incident had triggered widespread protests in the state after the complainant’s family accused the police of not taking timely action.
  9. Maharashtra approves promulgation of ordinance on reservation for Maratha students in medical seats: The state received permission from the Election Commission of India to promulgate the ordinance even as the Model Code of Conduct for elections were in place.
  10. Scott Morrison celebrates initial win after Opposition leader concedes Australian federal elections: The Australian Electoral Commission said the Liberal-National Coalition has won or is ahead in 70% of the votes that have been counted.