From curses to threats: controversial remarks heat up the 2019 campaign

Campaign rhetoric in the 2019 Lok Sabha election reached fever pitch, with leaders across parties facing complaints at the Election Commission over their remarks. With six more phases of polling to go until 19 May, the trend suggested the language could get worse.

The latest controversies

Maneka Gandhi, a Union Minister, and Sakshi Maharaj, a BJP MP, were the latest to come under the EC’s scanner. Maneka Gandhi, contesting from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh, was heard saying that a victory without Muslim support would leave a bitter taste and suggesting she might not help Muslims seeking work. Sakshi Maharaj told voters that if they turned away a sanyasi who came to their door, the sanyasi would take away the family’s good deeds and leave them his sins.

Remarks by senior leaders

• Narendra Modi asked first-time voters in Latur whether they could dedicate their vote to the soldiers behind the Balakot air strike and to those killed in Pulwama, which the opposition said went against the EC’s advice not to use the armed forces in campaigns. He also said Rahul Gandhi had chosen Wayanad, a place where the majority is a minority.
• Amit Shah asked whether Wayanad was in Pakistan, referring to the green flags of the Indian Union Muslim League, and drew criticism for his comments on extending the National Register of Citizens nationwide.
• Rahul Gandhi faced a contempt petition for suggesting the Supreme Court had said ‘chowkidar chor hai’ in its Rafale order.
• Yogi Adityanath said the Congress fed ‘biryani’ to terrorists while ‘Modi-ji ki Sena’ gave them bullets, and made the ‘Ali and Bajrang Bali’ remark.
• Arvind Kejriwal tweeted questioning whether Pakistan had killed 40 soldiers in Pulwama on 14 Feb to help Modi, and alleged large-scale deletion of anti-BJP voters and faulty EVMs.

What happened next

The Pulwama attack took place on 14 February 2019 and the Balakot strike on 26 February 2019. The BJP won 303 of 543 seats in the election, and Modi was sworn in for a second term on 30 May 2019.

Originally published on 13 April 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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