Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi has accused the BJP of distributing cash to people in Amethi to win their votes. Speaking to reporters in Amethi, Priyanka said that while her party is sending copies of its manifesto to village pradhans, the BJP is sending similar envelops with Rs 20,000 inside. “This too is hilarious that they think that the Amethi pradhan will sell himself for Rs 20,000,” she told news agency ANI.

Priyanka is campaigning for her brother and Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Amethi and mother Sonia in Raebareli for the last few days where polling will take place in the fifth phase on May 6. Besides Amethi and Raebareli, 12 more constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will go to polls in the next phase. Amethi has turned into a high-stake battleground with BJP again fielding its vociferous leader Union Minister Smriti Irani against Rahul. In 2014, Irani had given a tough fight to Rahul, reducing victory margin of Congress president to just 1.08 lakh from 3.5 lakh in 2009. The BJP has nominated Dinesh Pratap Singh against Sonia.

Meanwhile, campaigning for 51 parliamentary constituencies spread across seven states will end today evening. On the last day of the campaign, both the national parties BJP and Congress have fielded their bigwigs in the field to give a final push to their bid. While BJP president Amit Shah will join Irani for a roadshow in Amethi, PM Modi will campaign in other parts of UP and Bihar. Both Priyanka and Rahul will also hold a roadshow in Amethi. The silent period for the fifth phase will begin at 5pm.

World’s largest democratic exercise is currently underway in India with the Election Commission holding general elections for all 543 seats in seven different phases. So far, 373 seats have seen polling in four different dates on April 11, April 18, April 23 and April 29. Polling in the remaining three phases will take place on May 6, May 12 and May 19. Results will be out on May 23. The tenure of 16th Lok Sabha ends on June 3.

Earlier on Friday, Priyanka issued a clarification over National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) notice on children raising anti-Modi slogans and using abusive words against him. She said that children were playing among themselves when she got down to meet them during her campaign in Amethi.

Also read: Lok Sabha elections 2019: PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi to make final push as campaigning for fifth phase ends at 5pm

“They raised some slogans. As soon as they raised wrong slogans, I stopped them and told them to raise good slogans instead,” she said.

The viral video of a group of boys abusing PM Modi went viral on social media in no time, invoking a sharp reaction from Irani, who took a dig at Priyakna saying “cultured families should keep their children away from such a person”.