Polling for the third phase of Lok Sabha elections ended at 5 pm on Thursday. People voted for 107 constituencies in nine states and two union territories. The third phase of Lok Sabha elections will decide the fate of political leaders like Sonia Gandhi, L K Advani and H D Deve Gowda among others.

In Gujarat, polling was held in all its 26 constituencies. Besides Gujarat, polling was also held for 16 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 15 in Uttar Pradesh, 14 in West Bengal, 11 each in Bihar and Karnataka, 10 in Maharashtra and one each in Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, JD-U chief Sharad Yadav, former Karnataka chief minister S Bangarappa and union ministers Sriprakash Jaiswal and Jyotiraditya Scindia were also in fray in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections.

With the completion of the third phase, polling has now been over for 372 of the 543 seats. Polling for the remaining 171 seats would take place in two phases on May 7 for 85 seats and May 13 for 86 seats.

The Bharatiya Janata Party President, Rajnath Singh on Thursday declared himself out of the race for the PM post.

Replying to a question whether he was in the race for BJP's prime Ministerial candidate post, Rajnath said, "There is no race here (in the BJP). L K Advani is the candidate".

Rajnath's comments came after remarks were made by the senior BJP leaders Arun Shourie, Arun Jaitley and Venkaiah Naidu that they would prefer to see Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as prime ministerial candidate although they have clearly asserted that Advani will be the party's prime ministerial candidate.

Singh said he would work for the party but will not join the cabinet,even if BJP-led NDA comes to power.

The Election Commission on Wednesday night censured Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh for threatening to use the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati.

The commission on Saturday issued a notice to Digvijay Singh for which Digvijay replied that, he is the General Secretary of the Congress, not a minister in the Government or holding a public office in any Government organisation. Therefore, he cannot be charged for violation of the guidelines issued in respect of the party in power.

"The submission made by Digvijay Singh was duly considered by the commission but it did not find the same satisfactory, as he is the General Secretary of Indian National Congress, which is one of the ruling parties. The statement made by him does carry a veiled threat of misuse of Government machinery against the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh," the poll panel said in a statement.

"Therefore, the Election Commission is having an opinion that Digvijay Singh has violated the provisions of the model code of conduct and the commission has decided to censure him for the said violation,"

After the five months of horrific terror attack, Mumbai has geared up to vote for all the six Lok Sabha seats and the biggest question is that how will be the voters effected by 26/11, as a poll issue.

About 10,000 people along with additional securitymen have been put on election duty at places that are prone to vulnerability of the city for the Lok Sabha polls to be held in Mumbai for the preventive actions. The Central paramilitary forces like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF) and State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) will be deployed at polling booths along with the city police, to maintain law and order while voting sessions.

169 polling booths have been facilitated with the video recording, as these booths have been identified as the most critical places.Preventive action has also been taken against 421 people in these areas.

The police has also recovered 78 illegal firearms and 150 swords, choppers and other weapons, they said.

The question here is, there might be absence of excitement among the voters, as South Mumbai was the strongly hit area of the massacre and it is also anticipated that the mill workers will vote along side the residents of elite neighbourhoods.

Voters will have to cast their votes for either of the contestants- Milind Deora, Congress MP, Shiv sena's Mohan Rawale and banker-turned-politician Meera Sanyal, who is contesting independently.

BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani seeks a fixed term for Lok Sabha and state Assemblies and wants voting to be made compulsory with elections to be scheduled in the month of February.

Mr Advani, seeking re-election from Gandhinagar for a fifth time, suggested the political parties and the Election Commission to consider introducing compulsory voting and to have fixed tenure for Lok Sabha and state legislatures.

Talking to mediapersons soon after casting his vote in Shahpur area of the city, Mr Advani said, "I suggest that political parties and the Election Commission should think over whether we can change the Constitution for a fixed tenure for Lok Sabha and Assemblies.

"We are following the UK pattern which does not suit us and we should change it," he told reporters.

Advani also said that one of the reasons responsible for low voter turnout in the ongoing general elections is that it is being held in summer months.

Advani also suggested that if a Government, either at the Centre or in the state could not complete the tenure for some reason, then there should not be any problem in having more than one government in a fixed tenure of five years.

He expressed confidence that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would come to power after the ongoing general elections.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) candidate Varun Gandhi on Tuesday appeared before the state advisory board for a final call on the National Security Act (NSA) that was slapped on him by the Uttar Pradesh government earlier this month.

Varun appeared before the three-member board at the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court around 4 p.m. and lasted for an hour. The board's decision has been kept confidential.

Justice Pradeep Kant, senior judge of the Lucknow bench of the High Court, led the board. Two retired high court judges P.K. Sareen and S.K. Sahay were the other two members of the board.

Mr. Gandhi was booked under the NSA on March 29 following the alleged hate speeches he delivered at election meetings in Pilibhit district.

Varun Gandhi said that the U.P. Government had slapped the National Security Act against him out of political vendetta.

Mr. Gandhi challenged the invoking of the NSA against him by the District Magistrate. The Supreme Court granted him parole till May 1. The advisory board of the Allahabad High Court will take a decision on Varun Gandhi's case in a week's time.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M. Karunanidhi on Tuesday strongly backed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for a second successive term and further ruled out support to any other individual for the post of Prime Minister.

"Nobody other than Manmohan Singh can become Prime Minister," Karunanidhi told reporters in Chennai. He also said that the Congress-led UPA will retain power at the Centre and the DMK's General Council will decide its participation in the next government.

In the heat of the electioneering, the Opposition is on the warpath over CBI's suggestion to Interpol to drop Ottavio Quattrocchi, the prime accused in Bofors scam from its list of most wanted.

The CBI is being accused of closing the Quattrocchi's Bofors case in a hurry. The questions are also being raised as to why the agency closed his file after the lawyer of the Italian middleman questioned the Red Corner notice.

On Tuesday morning mediapersons had reported that the decision was taken after Attorney General Milon Banerjee called the Red Corner Notice a continuing embarrassment and said the notice cannot remain in force forever, as two attempts to extradite Quattrochi have already failed.

Law Minister Hansraj Bhardwaj is also being interrogated for allegedly interfering in the case.

Polling for the third phase of Lok Sabha elections to choose 107 members of Parliament from 1,567 candidates will be held on Thursday.

More than 14.4 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise in the third phase of Lok Sabha polls that will be held in 1.65 lakh booths across the nine states and two union territories.

Sonia Gandhi will be seeking re-election from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh for the second time and Advani, who has been representing Gandhinagar in Gujarat for the last three terms will also try his electoral luck again.

In Gujarat, polling will conclude in all its 26 constituencies. Besides Gujarat, polling will be held for 16 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 15 in Uttar Pradesh, 14 in West Bengal, 11 each in Bihar and Karnataka, 10 in Maharashtra and one each in Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Sikkim has 32 assembly seats, of which one is reserved for the Sangha monks.

The other prominent candidates in the fray of the third phase includes - Janata Dal- Secular chief H. D. Deve Gowda, Janata Dal- United chief chief Sharad Yadav, former Karnataka Chief Minister S. Bangarappa and Union Ministers Sriprakash Jaiswal and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

At the end of the third phase, polling will be completed for 372 seats of Lok Sabha.

L K Advani, BJP's prime ministerial candidate and his wife will not be able to cast their votes in Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, as their names are not present in the voter list of the area because of delimitation exercise.

Advani is contesting for the fifth successive time from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat.

However, the good news for Advani and his wife is that they will be able to cast their votes in municipal school polling booth in Bharadiavas in Shahpur area that has become part of newly created Ahmedabad West Parliamentary segment post delimitation.

THE war of words between Indian political parties over the Sri Lanka issue has now spilled over from Tamil Nadu to New Delhi. While the Congress is taking credit for the halt in air strikes and use of heavy weapons by the Sri Lankan forces against the LTTE and the Lankan government's turnaround in letting India have LTTE chief V Prabhakaran, the BJP has accused the UPA Government of not doing enough to bring the man behind former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination to book.

Even as the BJP welcomed the Sri Lankan government's decision to halt use of heavy weapons against the LTTE, it also alleged that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's fast was as an effort to take credit for the development.

Karunanidhi went on a fast on Monday morning but broke it six hours later when the Sri Lankan government announced a halt to combat operations.

The BJP termed his hunger strike a "political stunt". The BJP also alleged that this was merely a "political stunt" and instead the Indian government should ensure the safety of the Tamil civilians who are trapped in the conflict zone.

The Congress on Tuesday said that the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi must step down on moral grounds in view of the Supreme Court's directions to it to reconsider closure reports filed in over 2000 post-Godhra riot cases.

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a probe into allegations that Modi along with 50 other politicians and government officials had aided statewide communal riots in 2002.

Welcoming the court's order, Congress said that it is one such case which has opened the eyes of the judiciary. The manner in which justice has been delayed is a matter of concern, and the judiciary will have to reckon that.

A bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and Asok Kumar Ganguly directed a special probe panel headed by former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director R K Raghavan to look into allegations that Modi was involved in the killing of an MP in Ahmedabad's Gulbarga Society case. The panel was asked to file its report within three months.

The Communist Party India (CPI) on Monday attacked Congress president, Sonia Gandhi for her comment on leaders of the other parties who aspire to become prime minister.

CPI general secretary, A B Bardhan, taking on Sonia Gandhi over her reported statement that it had become a fashion for political leaders of various parties to aspire to be prime minister, said, "It is strange. She is keen when her son aspires to be the PM and it is a fashion when others do so. The prime minister's chair is not an heirloom," added Bardhan.

Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) candidate from the Pilibhit Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, Varun Gandhi's judicial fate will be determined by the Allahabad High Court Tuesday afternoon when the state advisory board takes a final call on the National Security Act (NSA) that was charged on him by the Uttar Pradesh government earlier this month.

The meeting of the board has been kept higly confidential and it's anticipated that Gandhi would appear before the judiciary at 3.30 p.m. The three-member board is headed by Justice Pradeep Kant, senior judge of the Lucknow bench of the high court, and includes two retired high court judges.

The advisory board has the right to approve or revoke the government order invoking the act against Gandhi, as the ultimate statutory authority on the NSA. The verdict of the advisory board is final and Gandhi would be set free with immediate effect, if it chooses to revoke the NSA, No NSA detenu is premitted to be accompanied by lawer before the board, as per the law but can be joined by one person.

Discounting NCP chief Sharad Pawar's view on the issue, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that the Congress and the Left parties cannot be brought together at this juncture.

"He (Pawar) believes that both Congress and the Left can be brought together but I do not believe, at this juncture, that this is possible. What would happen in future, none of us is a political astrologer. We cannot do that (forecast)," said Mukherjee.

Pawar denoted that the dislike shown by the Congress and the Left parties was "posturing" during electioneering and that he had no doubt that both the parties would show appropriateness to come together after declaration of the results.

Considering that the NCP leader has always given "mixed signals", Mukherjee said, "Until now I have no reason to believe him (Pawar) because he has stated and he believes firmly that Left support is necessary.

He further added, he(Pawar) believes that he can manage it. Therefore it is his conviction. I cannot shared his conviction.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi, who was on an indefinite fast on Monday, demanding immediate ceasefire in Sri Lanka, has finally agreed to end his fast on Monday afternoon after getting assured that the Sri Lankan armed forced have stopped their military offensive against the Liberation Tigers of LTTE.

Earlier in the morning Karunanidhi said, "Despite the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) calling for a ceasefire, the Sri Lankan government has done nothing. Rajapakse (Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse) has killed so many Tamils. Let him consider me also. I am fasting for the Sri Lankan Tamil cause."

Various leaders had gone to meet the DMK supremo, namely, senior DMK leaders and Karunandhi's daughter Kanimozhi, who is Rajya Sabha MP.

DMK President and Karunanidhi's son MK Azhagiri, who is contesting Lok Sabha polls from Madurai, also supported Karunandhi's views and too went on a fast on Monday morning in Madurai. The other regional Tamil Nadu parties too have joined DMK President in the protest.

THE BJP on Sunday accused the Congress-led UPA government of indefinitely postponing the execution of Parliament Attack convict Afzal Guru, who had been sentenced to death by the Supreme Court, just to garner minority votes.

Seeking to cash in on Mohammad Afzal's reported remarks on speeding up a decision on his death sentence, Advani demanded immediate implementation of the Supreme Court order upholding his punishment.

The Parliament attack convict, now lodged in Tihar Jail, has reportedly accused the Congress government of not being swift in taking a decision on his clemency petition. He also said that he expects BJP leader L K Advani would take a decision on his fate if he becomes the Prime Minister.

Now even Afzal knows that he is being used by the Congress to gain minority votes, Shahnawaz Hussain, chairman of the party's minority cell, said

BJP Pilibhit candidate Varun Gandhi, who was recently jailed and charged for his hate-speeches targeting Muslims, on Sunday said that, people should know him by his work rather than his Gandhi tag.

"People ask me that I am from the Gandhi family and so how do I feel. I tell everyone that I want to be known by my work, not by my name. I want to be seen as 'Gandhi by work', not 'Gandhi by name'," he said.

Mr Gandhi was campaigning for BJP candidate Radhey Shyam Gupta in Fatehpur district where he shared some anecdotes from his days in the Etah jail. He is contesting Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket from the Pilibhit constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

He also urged people to go beyond caste-based politics, and said that this was a precious time for Uttar Pradesh, as it is a test for voters to decide if they will go beyond their caste bonds or instead embrace national patriotic values.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has told mediapersons that he will revive the economy, if voted back to power. For this purpose, he will formulate a 100 day action plan to revive the economy by adding greater drive to the stimulus packages and tackling job losses.

"There is considerable scope to refuel the stimulus packages and our aim is to take the economy back to the stage where 9% to 10% growth is possible," he said, adding that such a boost would revive confidence in the economy.

Singh was quite hopeful for speedy economic recovery and creation of new jobs. He said that the economy recovery process was being initiated by cement, textiles and construction industries and these sectors would also create employment opportunities.

Singh has also added that in his 100 day action plan, he will try to bring back black money salted away in tax havens abroad by taking whatever steps required. He, however, disputed figures being quoted by BJP leader L K Advani. "I am not denying its existence but how much in Swiss banks, how much in tax havens, nobody knows." he said

On opaque banks in tax havens, he said, "We argued within a group of friendly countries for absolute transparency within the banking system and an international agreement to share information between tax authorities of different countries."

The PM has also said that given the international ramifications, his government would take immediate steps to modernize the security and intelligence mechanism if voted back to power. He also drew attention to the Taliban's growth in Pakistan and linked it to a spurt in terror directed against India.

On the role of home-grown terror, he said, "We cannot say there are no links between terrorists outside and terrorists within the country." He laid emphasis on getting the basics like ground-level policing right. "Ultimately, community policing is the best way (of handling the problem)," he said.

Congress General Secretary, Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday said, he would "refuse" to become Prime Minister "now", as he does not have the experience required for the top post.

Addressing a press conference, Rahul said that, he does not have enough experience to hold such a crucial post. It will take along time for him to become eligible for Prime Ministership.

When asked, how prepared he thinks to be at this point of time, if the opportunity to become the Prime Minister of the country arises in the not so distant future, Gandhi listed two reasons for not accepting the Prime Ministership for now.

"One is that I am working in the organization of the Congress party which I think is fundamental for this country. I think it is very important for a strong, progressive, pro-poor youth organization is developed in this country and that is a very, very big priority of mine.

"Number two is I don't think I have the experience to be the Prime Minister of the country right now," said Gandhi, who has advocated strongly for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh continuing in the post if the UPA returns to power.

West Bengal Chief Minister and senior CPI(M) leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharya has hinted that all the options are open and there is a possibility that the Left Front may join a government after the Lok Sabha polls.

"We are not committing anything. After elections, when the situation will arise, we will discuss on the concrete situation at that time," he said when asked whether Left parties could again "ally" with the Congress to keep BJP out if the situation demands.

He told a news channel that the Left Party at present was "busy with the task to defeat both the Congress and the BJP."

Asked whether Left Party, like in 2004, would again remain out of government if they get a chance to be part of it, Bhattacharya said "History does not repeat itself. What happened in 2004, I don't think it's going to get repeated again."

He referred to 1996 when the Left Party rejected the idea of Jyoti Basu becoming the Prime Minister and said "we discussed and decided that if situation demands and if we can play a meaningful role in the Government, then we have to think over and we may join this Government."

On Congress, the CPI(M) leader said the Left Party had no problem with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as an individual but were opposed to his policies.

"It is not the question of an individual. It is a question of policies. Americans are trying to take us under their umbrella and we are going for a strategic partnership with America--economic, political and military. This is dangerous.The West Bengal Chief Minister said about the Prime Minister.

To another question, Bhattacharya ruled out being a contender for the Prime Ministership of a Third Front-led Government. "Of course not. I am not in the queue. I am happy with the situation in West Bengal to perform here. I am not going to join national politics.This is my individual opinion," he said.

Congress in order to mitigate the pressure created by UPA allies on the choice of Prime Minister in a post-poll scenario ruled out any rethinking on Manmohan Singh as its candidate for the Prime Minster's Post.

"Let there be no doubt in any body's mind that UPA government is led and will be led by the Indian National Congress and its prime ministerial candidate is Dr Manmohan Singh," Senior Congress leader and Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma said.

"There is no scope of negotiation and no compromise on that. We are clear in our mind," he told a press conference.

His comment came a day later after NCP chief Sharad Pawar sought to keep the door open for the Left Parties during a post-poll scenario and said that UPA will decide its prime minister after the election.

RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav had also said on April 21 that Singh as the PM cannot be taken for granted.

Alliance partners of the UPA have cornered the Congress by refusing to openly endorse Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's candidature for a second time, but gave Left parties a message by reaching out to them, saying they were friends.

NCP boss Sharad Pawar, a PM aspirant with endorsements from BJD's Naveen Patnaik and AIADMK's J Jayalalitha already under his belt, was the first to shrewdly link the next government to Left support and preferences. As if on a cue, both RJD boss Lalu Prasad and LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan chose to underline their affinity for Left even as they were engaged in the polling fields of Bihar.

Two prominent players in the UPA, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and RJD supremo Lalu Yadav declined to toe the Congress line on Manmohan Singh as the coalitions PM candidate, saying a decision could be taken only after a meeting of all the allies. Congress has every right to declare Manmohan Singh as PM. But when you take a decision on behalf of the UPA, you (UPA allies) will have to sit together and decide, Pawar said in Baramati. It is premature at this stage to discuss the issue he said.

Almost on cue, Lalu Prasad too said that the issue of leadership would have to be dealt only after the elections. Only LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan has endorsed Singhs candidature.

Congress veterans who claimed to know Pawars mind well said he was indirectly positioning himself as a contender and trying to sell the dream of Maharashtra getting its first PM to maximise his gains.

The second phase of polling in 140 constituencies across 12 states was completed on Thursday amid an average turnout in certain states and some intermittent Naxal violence in Jharkhand.

According to the Election Commission, the average polling was over 55 per cent across the states. The polls in north-east states of Assam and Tripura passed off peacefully with a high polling percentage.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur cast their votes at a polling station in the Guwahati Lok Sabha segment in Assam amid high security.

UP and Bihar again witnessed a low turnout of 44 per cent each. With Jharkand and MP reporting 46 per cent and 45 per cent, respectively, the low turnout has raised many an eyebrow. The second phase of the five-round elections saw the electorate decide the fate of a number of political heavyweights, including Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, former Defence Minister George Fernandes, BJPs Sushma Swaraj, Ram Vilas Paswan, Kamal Nath, Akhilesh Prasad Singh ,Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and M Pallam Raju, being sealed.

There was trouble in Andhra Pradesh too, with activists of the ruling Congress, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and superstar Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam Party clashing at several places. Tripura recorded the highest turn-out of 75 pc for its two Lok Sabha seats.

Actor turned Samajwadi Party leader, Sanjay Dutt, said on Thursday that, he was not afraid of the FIRs against him and he was still ready to give 'jadu ki jhappi' (magical hug) and flowe rs to UP Chief Minister, Mayawati. "FIRs are distributed like sweets in Uttar Pradesh but I will not be cowed down", said Sanjay Dutt.

It was during an election rally on April 16 in Pratapgarh, Sanjay Dutt said, that he will give jaddu ki jhappi and pappi' to the people of Pratapgarh and also to UP Chief Minister, Mayawati, if given a chance.

Later, a notice was issued to Dutt by the district administration for which he had later apologised, saying the chief minister was just like a sister to him.

According to the sources, Mayawati allegedly said, that "Our political opponents need to remember that naachne-gaane wale (those who sing and dance), through their farzi Gandhigiri, may attract huge crowds but this will not help them get votes" at the recently held election meetings.

In reply, Dutt said, "Behenji says Gandhigiri is fake. Does that mean Mahatma Gandhi too was a fake? We have forgiven her. The more she gets angry with me, the more 'jhappi' (hugs) I will give her. I will give her flowers too."

A legislator of Congress party and Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha candidate in Uttar Pradesh's Banda constituency have been charged for trying to upset peace and communal harmony by issuing creed, caste and religion-based appeals in a newspaper, police said on Friday.

"A case has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the Congress legislator Vivek Singh and the Samajwadi Party's Banda Lok Sabha nominee R K Singh Patel for their intent to disturb peace and communal harmony," police inspector Rameshwar Maurya said over phone.

Both the leaders have been booked under section 153 (A) (Promoting enmity between two groups on grounds of religion, race, language etc), section 153 (B) (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), section 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the IPC, police said.

The case against Singh and Patel was registered on Thursday night, as per the directions of the district administration that ordered an inquiry after the appeal was issued in the local newspaper. Maurya Said.

The second phase of polling began on Thursday morning, amid tight security and fears that Naxals and terrorists would try to disrupt the process. Quite a few bigwigs including Rahul Gandhi, Ram Vilas Paswan, Sharad Pawar, Sushma Swaraj etc are in the fray in the second phase.

It would be a make or break for Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik, and Andhra Pradesh chief minister YSR Reddy, who are trying to retain their hold over theior respective states. Thursday also marks the final round of polling for Assembly elections in both states and both leaders, who have confounded experts in the past, face tough odds. They have to negotiate a three-way race, face allies-turned-foes, and also face a tough anti-incumbency factor.

Both leaders have taken significant risks. Patnaik broke with BJP which he felt was on a downswing in Orissa and has sought to regain the halcyon days when Janata Dal under his father Biju Patnaik was the sole alternative to Congress. YSR has virtually run the entire campaign by himself, sharing the dais with only Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.

In all, the fate of 140 MPs will be decided in the second phase, which involve a total of 2,041 candidates, including 121 women, are in the contest in this round. The States to be covered are Andhra Pradesh (20), Assam (11), Bihar (13), Goa (2), Jammu and Kashmir (1), Karnataka (17), Madhya Pradesh (13), Maharashtra (25), Orissa (11), Tripura (2), Uttar Pradesh (17) and Jharkhand (8).

At the end of the second phase of elections, polls would have been completed for 265 seats, seven short of the magic figure that political parties need to form a government. The third and fourth phases of polling are scheduled for April 30 and May 7, while Jammu and Kashmir will have a fith phase on may 13. Counting will be taken up on May 16.

NCP Chief, Sharad Pawar, on Thursday said, that he will try to bring back SP, RJD and LJP to the UPA for which the support of left parties was required to form the Government.

Pawar also said, that the UPA will decide its Prime Minister after the elections.

"I honestly feel that this time we require the blessings and support of the Left (parties). Pawar told a news channel.

Pawar also said, he will hold discussions with leaders of RJD, SP and LJP, who are contesting against Congress in Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, to come back into the UPA.

When questioned about the UPA partners contesting elections separately,Pawar said: Those who have been together in the UPA might be contesting separately but after elections we will sit together. We want to work under the umbrella of the UPA.

An alliance with the Left parties was also not ruled out by Pawar. When asked whether the Left parties were untouchables, as considered by the Congress Pawar replied: "I don't think so."

Rashtriya Janta Dal leader, Lalu Prasad Yadav, another UPA member, said, in Patna on Thursday, that the UPA would form the next government and "if we fall a bit short, we have kept open a window for the Left".

The NCP is contesting Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra in coalition with the Congress party. Pawar is contesting elections from Madha Lok Sabha seat while his daughter Supriya Sule is contesting from Baramati.

Orissa Chief Minister and Bjiu Janta Dal chief (BJD), Naveen Patnaik on Thursday said, his party will not show "any flexibility or elasticity" to support either a Congress or BJP-led government at the Centre after the Lok Sabha polls.

Patnaik said that his preference was for a non-BJP and non-Congress government at the centre after the elections.

The Chief Minister further added that his party is not interested in taking the support of BJP in case BJD falls short of majority in the state assembly polls. He also showed confidence in securing majority on own.

The BJD chief said, the ties with the BJP ended because of the communal violence in the state, especially the Kandhamal district.

When asked whether he would support a left leader or Nationalist Congress Party chief and union Agriculture Minister, Sharad Pawar, for prime ministerial candidate, he said, "as long as the Prime Minister is reasonable and rationale to the demands of Orissa, we will consider supporting it."

When asked a question, what will be his stand if he emerges as a consensus Prime Minister, he replied, "I have no such wild ambitions and crazy dreams."

Actor and Samajwadi Party General Secretary, Sanjay Dutt, has tendered an apology to the Pratapgarh district magistrate, Ms. Pinki Jowal on Tuesday night for his alleged offensive remarks on Chief Minister Mayawati during an election meeting in the district.

Recently, at a public meeting in Pratapgarh, Dutt had reportedly said, he would give "Jadu ki jhappi and pappi" to everyone, including Chief Minister Mayawati.

According to additional district magistrate NC Srivastava, Dutt, in a letter faxed to the office of the district magistrate, has said, There was no intention to humiliate anybody, yet if my comments have hurt the sentiments of anybody, I offer my unconditional apologies.

According to additional district magistrate NC Srivastava, Dutt, in a letter faxed to the office of the district magistrate, has said, There was no intention to humiliate anybody, yet if my comments have hurt the sentiments of anybody, I offer my unconditional apologies.

Saying, Miss Mayawati is just like a sister to him, Dutt said the only motive to use those words was to strengthen bonds of love and respect between brother and sister.

In Barabanki, an FIR was lodged against Dutt on Tuesday for making similar comments in an election meeting. A show cause notice was served to Dutt for his remarks against the BSP supremo during an April 16, election meeting here. The district election officer had given him three days time to file his reply.

Three FIRs have been registered against Dutt for his alleged remarks against Mayawati that he will "give 'jaadu ki jhappi and pappi' (magical hug and kiss) to the people of Pratapgarh, and given a chance he will do the same with the BSP supremo Mayawati".

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), which leads the Left Front and is the heart of the multi-party Third Front, is open to join a secular government if needed after the Lok Sabha Elections but has made it clear that they will not be a part of Congress-led government.

CPI-M General Secretary, Prakash Karat,told mediapersons, that his party will support a non-Congress secular government at the Centre if required. However, if there is a Congress-led government then no one in his party will think of joining a Congress led government.

He, however made it clear that his party has not yet decided whether they should join a government."We will discuss after elections whether we should participate in or join a government. That will become a serious question if there is a non-Congress government in the offing," he said.

Prakash Karat further added that it will be the responsibility of the Congress' party to ensure that a secular government is formed at the Centre.

Karat's statement can be seen as a major shift in the CPI-M policy, which supported the UPA government from outside before making a move out of the alliance last year.

Karat also said, the Third Front, which is the alliance of several regional and state parties, is working in progress and the candidate for the post of Prime Minister will be decided only after the elections.

It is not only the numerical strength of a party that will be the criteria to select a Prime Minister, he said. PM-the leader should be most widely accepted.

Questioned, if the Left Front would nominate its own leader for the PM's post, he said: "I doubt that now--I don't think that it is on the cards. It is important to decide if we are going to join the government. We will discuss after elections whether to join govt or not. In case there is a non-Congress government on the offing then we will think of it."

Karat also said that the Left Front was the real political alliance in the country today and the UPA and the NDA were extinct.

We are the real national level alliance today. We have worked with all these parties earlier too, whether it is Telugu Desam,JD-S or the AIADMK. We have had electoral understanding. We have all come together to present non-Congress, non-BJP alternative at the Centre.