Patna/Amethi, May 7
Two Bihar BJP leaders today filed separate cases against Priyanka Gandhi for her 'neech rajniti' barb at Narendra Modi even as Rahul Gandhi countered the saffron offensive over the remark, saying “people's actions are low, not their caste”.

The controversy over the remark also refused to die down with the BJP and Congress sniping at each other.

BJP Bihar unit's general secretary Surajnandan Mehta filed a case in the court of Patna Chief Judicial Magistrate Rama Kant Yadav alleging that the remarks would promote enmity between groups and lead to breach of peace.

The case was filed under Sections 153(A) (promoting enmity between different groups), 153(B) (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 171 (G) (false statement in connection with an election), 500 (defamation) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the IPC.

Head of the state BJP fishermen community cell Arjun Sahni filed a case in the court of Darbhanga Chief Judicial Magistrate Shailendra Pandey against Priyanka levelling similar charges.

Rahul, who was in Amethi today on the day of polling, came to the defence of his sister and lashed out at Modi for dubbing his sister's 'low-level politics' remark as an attack on his caste.

"Jaati nahi, karm neech hote hain (It is not caste but ones action that are low)," he said when asked by reporters in Amethi about the controversy.

"Neech soch hoti hai, gusse ki soch hoti hai, krodh ki soch hoti hai. (It is ideology which is low. There is an ideology of anger," Rahul said, adding his focus was that more and more people vote and women get empowered.

Taking a dig at the Congress, BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman asked Rahul whether Gujarat's growth and development model was low thinking. "So much energy was spent on 'neech' (low) comment. What actually was 'neech' supposed to mean. We just do not understand what is this 'neech soch' (low thinking) explanation that is coming out now," she added. — PTI

New Delhi, May 7
It is not a routine for Rahul Gandhi, scion of the ruling Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, to be in his Lok Sabha constituency on the voting day. Normally, he would have won his seat comfortably returning to the Lok Sabha.

But today was different. Rahul stayed put in his constituency the entire day, moving around and being visible to the people. The signs of anxiety though palpable were dismissed by the Congress when asked why Rahul was in Amethi this time when he normally doesn't stay in the segment on the voting day.

"It is normal for a candidate to be in his constituency on the day of voting. If Rahul was not in Amethi on the past occasions, he might have been busy," Congress spokesperson Shashi Tharoor said.

But Congress leaders admit these elections are different from the past two Rahul contested and won in 2004 and 2009. Though they vouch for his comfortable win, they are at a loss for words to explain the presence (a first) of Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Amethi this season and a more than aggressive campaign by Priyanka Gandhi.

"This is a tough election but there is no two ways about Rahul winning comfortably," say party leaders admitting that BJP's PM nominee Narendra Modi's last moment canvassing in Amethi on May 5 was "aggressive". They, however, dismiss his speech as "typical of Modi". "Modi lied as always," said a leader rejecting the BJP's leader's rally's impact despite a huge visitation by locals.

That the tide is not favourable for the Congress this time is clear, with the contest being four cornered (AAP's Kumar Vishwas, BJP's Smriti Irani and BSP are in the race) is clear to the Congress which ensured Priyanka's full-time presence in Amethi. For two-time MP Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, the challenge is not only to win, but win with a respectable margin. 

Hyderabad, May 7
Over 75 per cent polling was recorded in the Seemandhra region in a historic simultaneous election to the 25 Lok Sabha and 175 Assembly seats. This was the last election held in the united Andhra Pradesh.

Following bifurcation, two states — Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh — will come into existence on June 2.

The Seemandhra voters, spread over 13 districts, came out enthusiastically and waited patiently in long queues to exercise their franchise to decide who should form the first government of the new state, a truncated Andhra Pradesh after Telangana has been carved out as a separate state. About 75 per cent of the 3.65 crore electorate exercised their franchise.

The main fight here is between the YSR Congress Party, headed by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and the Telugu Desam Party-BJP combine while the ruling Congress has been reduced to a virtual non-entity in view of widespread public anger against division of the state.

Barring a few incidents of group clashes between the TDP and YSRCP workers, the polling was peaceful, State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Banwarlal said.

A group of five suspected Maoists forced their way into a polling booth in the Paderu Assembly constituency in Viskhapatnam district and destroyed two EVMs and set a vehicle afire, the CEO said.

A total of 333 candidates are in the fray for the 25 parliamentary seats and 2,243 for the 175 Assembly seats.

Police sources said six persons were injured in a clash between the YSRCP and TDP activists in Parachur in Prakasam district. Three police vehicles were damaged in an attack by villagers in Devagudi in Jammalamadugu of Kadapa district. A police officer was also injured in the attack. Clashes were also reported from Anantapur, Chittoor and Guntur districts.