Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. (File) Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. (File)

As election campaigning gathers momentum with less than three weeks to go before the first phase of voting in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, leaders pan India are canvassing their constituencies and raising the poll pitch. As the day progresses, we’ll bring you the latest election news from across the country, and some analysis of the events. Elections for the 17th Lok Sabha will be held in seven phases, between April 11 and May 19. The results will be declared on May 23.

The BJP released its second and third list of Candidates late Friday night. BJP National Spokesperson Samit Patra will contest from Puri. The Congress also released its 7th list which said UP Congress Chief Raj Babbar has moved to Fatehpur Sikri from Moradabad to contest for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

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Earlier in the day, former cricketer Gautam Gambhir has joined the BJP after being “inspired by the Prime Minister and his vision”. He was welcomed by Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad at the party headquarters in New Delhi.

The Congress, meanwhile, held a press conference in New Delhi to highlight a report in The Caravan that alleged that former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa had paid a “bribe” of Rs 1,800 crore to the “highest echelons of power of the BJP”. The Indian Express could not independently verify the claims made in the report.

Following hectic negotiations, the RJD and Congress in Bihar announced their seat-sharing agreement. “We have decided 20 seats for RJD and nine for Congress,” Bihar RJD chief Ram Chandra Purve said.