Campaigning concluded on Thursday for the penultimate phase of the general elections scheduled for May 25, with both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition INDIA bloc focusing on post-poll strategies.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a rally in Mahendragarh, Haryana, where all 10 seats will vote on May 25, criticized the INDIA bloc, claiming they were already arguing over potential prime ministerial candidates even before securing a victory. Modi used the metaphor of a fight over "ghee" before the cow had given milk to illustrate his point.
Conversely, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge assured that the INDIA bloc would prevent the BJP from retaining power and secure enough seats to form the next government.
The sixth phase of elections will see 889 candidates vying for 58 seats, concluding the voting process in 28 States and union territories.
In the national capital, all seven Lok Sabha seats will be contested on May 25. The BJP won all these seats in the 2019 elections. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal predicted that the BJP would lose power on June 4, when the election results are announced. He rephrased Modi's slogan “Achhe din aane wale hain” to “Modiji jaane wale hain” and campaigned for full statehood for Delhi under an INDIA bloc government.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) faced criticism over the alleged assault of its Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal. Kejriwal accused Prime Minister Modi of harassing his parents in connection with the Maliwal case, following a postponed police interrogation.
Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in a video message, urged Delhi voters to elect INDIA bloc candidates. Rahul Gandhi campaigned for Congress and AAP candidates, taking a Metro ride and addressing rallies, including one for Kanhaiya Kumar in northeast Delhi.
In Chandigarh, Rahul Gandhi highlighted systemic bias against lower castes, noting that 90% of the country's population, including Dalits, OBCs, tribal communities, and minorities, lacked representation in power structures.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, at a rally in Khardah, expressed her opposition to a Calcutta High Court order that scrapped OBC status for several classes in the State. She hinted at a possible Supreme Court challenge.
Eight seats in West Bengal will vote in the sixth phase, with approximately 1.45 crore voters eligible. The Election Commission has deployed 919 companies of security personnel and engaged forest rangers and hula parties to manage common elephant attacks in the Jangalmahal district. An orange alert has been issued for coastal districts on polling day by the Regional Meteorological Centre.
