Campaign ends for the fourth phase of polling
Campaigning ended for the fourth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in 96 seats in 10 States and Union Territories on Saturday. During the campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued his attacks against the Opposition, raising a range of issues, including alleged corruption, nepotism and Muslim appeasement, while the Opposition’s campaign, led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others, was based on unemployment, threats to reservations, and general economic distress.
The release of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from Tihar jail on bail is believed to have given an edge to the Opposition on the last day of the campaign for the third phase.
Elections to all the seats in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, and 28 seats in the Odisha Assembly, will also take place on Monday.
Addressing an election rally in Telangana, Mr. Modi countered the Opposition’s attack against his government citing growing inequality and unemployment. Mr. Modi said the Congress leadership had stopped blaming the ve top industrialists and asked if the party had received tempo loads of black money from them.
The Congress countered, and Mr. Gandhi, in a video, asked Mr. Modi if receiving money in tempos was “a personal experience”. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge dared Mr. Modi to take action against “Ambani and Adani”. “I am asking why his government did not take any action if, according to his allegation, we received black money? Is it because they themselves received black money?” Mr. Kharge said on Saturday.