The intense campaigning for the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections came to an end on May 30, setting the stage for the final showdown in 57 constituencies across seven states and the Union territory of Chandigarh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking a third consecutive term, addressed rallies in Punjab, where he accused the Congress and INDIA alliance of being anti-Hindu and engaging in appeasement and dynastic politics. The Opposition parties, led by the Congress and INDIA alliance, hit back, claiming that the BJP is anti-farmer, anti-youth, and will change and scrap the Constitution if they win the elections.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in an appeal to voters, asserted that only the Congress can ensure growth-oriented progressive future where democracy and Constitution will be safeguarded. He also hit out at the BJP government for imposing the “ill-conceived” Agnipath scheme on the armed forces.
The high-decibel campaign in Punjab, where the ruling AAP and its INDIA bloc partner Congress are fighting separately in a multi-cornered contest, saw the participation of senior BJP leaders from Modi to Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Nirmala Sitharaman. For the Congress, party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra led the campaign, while Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal campaigned for his party candidates along with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
On the final day of campaigning, Modi, while addressing a rally in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, attacked the Congress for “ranting” about the Constitution when it was the one that “strangled” it during the Emergency. The prime minister also touched upon the issues of reservation, corruption and the Ram Temple. Hitting out at the Opposition for questioning the Agnipath scheme, he accused the INDIA bloc of making the Army a “weapon of politics”.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP claimed that the INDIA bloc will bring in Muslim reservation and put a ‘Babri lock’ in the Ayodhya temple, while the Opposition urged the people to vote to save the Constitution. In West Bengal, Modi took out a rally in Kolkata in support of the party candidate for Kolkata Uttar seat. TMC supremo and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also held rallies for party candidates. On the final day of campaigning, Banerjee walked a 12 km road show in Kolkata. The curtains came down on the campaign for the seventh and final phase at 6 pm on May 30, with the results set to be announced on June 4.
