Daily wrap: Chandrababu Naidu meets Rahul, Pawar; 4 militants killed in J&K

Final leg of Lok Sabha polls to see voting in 59 seats in 7 states, 1 UT

The polling for the final leg of Lok Sabha elections will be held on Sunday (May 19). With this polling in 543 Lok Sabha constituencies would be over marking an end of one of the most acrimoniously fought elections. The final 7th phase will witness polling in 59 constituencies across seven states and one Union Territory. Final round of polling will take place in Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. In the three states of — Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh — polling will take place in one shot covering all the constituencies.

Opposition leaders step up talks to form coalition, Chandrababu Naidu meets Rahul, Pawar

A day before the last phase of polling, leaders of opposition parties have stepped up efforts to cobble up a coalition for formation of the next government, with TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu meeting Congress and CPI leaders here. Naidu met Congress president Rahul Gandhi and discussed with him the possibilities of all opposition parties uniting and forging a joint opposition alliance. The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister also met CPI leader G Sudhakar Reddy and D Raja over breakfast, asking them to “come together”. Naidu also met NCP chief Sharad Pawar and LJD leader Sharad Yadav. The TDP chief has already held several rounds of discussions with various opposition leaders, including TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

India offers Sri Lanka full support to fight ‘Jihadi terrorism’

India has offered full support to Sri Lanka in dealing with the common threat of “Jihadi terrorism” following the deadly Easter Sunday suicide bombings that killed nearly 260 people, including 11 Indians. Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Friday (May 17) also discussed the prevailing security situation during his recent meeting with two top-ranking Buddhist monks at Sri Dalada Maligawa or the temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy, Indian Embassy here said in a statement.

Four militants killed in two encounters in J&K

Four militants, including the one who was part of a group of ultras involved in the killing of Army jawan Aurangzeb last year, were on Saturday (May 18) gunned down in two separate encounters in Pulwama and Baramulla districts of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. While three Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militants were killed in a pre-dawn operation by security forces in Pulwama district of south Kashmir, another militant was killed in Sopore town of Baramulla, a police spokesman said.

Cong wants inquiry into issues raised by Lavasa, accuses Modi of coercing EC

Demanding a probe into charges made by Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, the Congress on Saturday (May 18) alleged that eroding institutional integrity has been the hallmark of Modi government and asked whether the poll panel has become “Election Omission” and a “puppet” in the PM’s hands. Lavasa is learnt to have written to the chief election commissioner that he will be recusing from EC meetings as his dissent was not being recorded on clearances given by the poll panel to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over alleged poll code violations. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asked whether the EC will save itself more embarrassment by recording Lavasa’s dissent notes, as he accused PM Modi of “muzzling” democratic institutions.

I will be assassinated like Indira Gandhi, BJP after my life: Kejriwal

Alleging that the BJP was after his life, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday (May 18) claimed that he will be assassinated like former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by his personal security officer. “The BJP would get me murdered by my own PSO (Personal Security Officer) one day like Indira Gandhi. My own security officers report to BJP,” Kejriwal told a news channel in Punjab. “The BJP is after my life, they will murder me one day,” he added. Kejriwal was in Punjab to campaign for his party which is contesting on all seats in the state.