India has entered full election mode: voting began on 11 April, and the final ballot will be cast more than five weeks later on 19 May. Every day, the BBC will be bringing you all the latest updates on the twists and turns of the world’s largest democracy.
The main opposition Congress party has named its candidates for six out of seven parliamentary seats in Delhi, ending the possibility of a coalition with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The AAP, which is the ruling party in the Delhi legislative assembly, and the Congress had earlier talked about forming an alliance to fight Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
But with the Congress going ahead with its list, we will now see a three-cornered contest in Delhi.
The Congress has named former Delhi chief minister, Sheila Dikshit, as its candidate for the North East Delhi seat.W
The AAP and the Congress both oppose the BJP, and analysts say a coalition would have avoided the splitting of opposition votes in Delhi.
But both parties couldn’t agree to a seat sharing agreement.
The first signs that their talks were failing came when Congress President Rahul Gandhi accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of making a U-turn in a tweet on 15 April.
In response, Mr Kejriwal had tweeted: “What U-Turn? The talks were still on. Your tweet shows that having an alliance is not your wish. I am saddened by your comment. Today it is important to save the country from the threat of Modi-Shah [BJP chief Amit Shah]. It is unfortunate that in UP [Uttar Pradesh state] and other states you are helping Modi by splitting the anti-Modi vote.”
AAP is yet announce its candidates.W
At a rally in the northern state of Rajasthan on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to India’s nuclear arsenal, sparking a storm on social media.
“Pakistan keeps threatening us every now and then by saying, ‘We have a nuclear button’. Even if they do, they should know that India also has one. Do they think our button is for Diwali?” the PM said. Diwali is a Hindu festival of lights and firecrackers.
India is no longer scared of “Pakistan’s threats”, he added.
He also attacked the main opposition Congress party, saying that they were unable to curb terrorism when they were in power. “It is the Congress that has weakened the country. The BJP, however, is in a process to strengthen it,” he said.
Mr Modi and the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have drawn flak in recent weeks for including India’s recent strikes in Pakistan in their election campaign.
Earlier this month, a row erupted over a letter from retired military officers urging President Ram Nath Kovind to ensure that political parties do not use the armed forces to “further their political agendas”.
Mr Modi has made national security the BJP’s number one campaign plank ahead of the vote, continuously accusing the Congress of being weak on terrorism.
National security has traditionally never been an election issue in India, but some analysts say that this strategy by the BJP could help galvanise voters and boost the party’s chances.
But Mr Modi’s latest remarks have prompted outrage on Twitter, with many calling them “flippant” and “unfortunate”.