Campaign to end for phase 1 today; Rahul Gandhi in Karnataka, PM in northeast

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress continue to campaign aggressively on Tuesday, April 17, the last day of campaigning for the first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The first phase of the Lok Sabha polls is set to take place on April 19, and the top leaders of the country have a full roster when it comes to rallies and roadshows in all the states set to vote on Friday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold two election rallies today. First, PM Modi will address a public meeting in Assam’s Nalbari, after which he will hold a rally in Tripura’s Agartala.
Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari is scheduled to address people in Nagpur, his home constituency virtually. Gadkari is set to face off with Congress leader and INCIA bloc candidate Vikas Thakre in Nagpur for the Lok Sabha elections.
Further, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will address three public meetings today in Kerala – at Kannur, Kasargod and Vadakara. It must be noted that all the constituencies from Kerala are set to go to polls in the first phase of the general elections, on Friday.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also have their schedules full for the day, holding back-to-back rallies and roadshows on Wednesday.
Rahul Gandhi kicked off the last day of campaigning with a joint press conference with SP chief and INDIA ally Akhilesh Yadav, where he lambasted PM Modi for his recent interview and his comments on the electoral bonds scheme. Gandhi is in Karnataka today, addressing two rallied in Mandya and Kolar districts.
Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will conduct a poll rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur on April 17. On Tuesday, Priyanka Gandhi took part in a colourful roadshow, touching almost all major locations of the Tripura capital Agartala.
A total of 102 seats across 14 states and union territories will go to polls in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, on April 19. The general elections are being conducted in seven total phases, with voting set to end on June 1. The results for the same will be declared on June 4.