Mayawati and Yogi Adityanath get India campaign bans

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India has entered full election mode: voting began on 11 April, and the final ballot will be cast more than five weeks later on 19 May. Every day, the will be bringing you all the latest updates on the twists and turns of the world's largest democracy.

Temporary campaign ban on Yogi Adityanath and Mayawati What happened? India's Election Commission has temporarily banned Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Dalit leader Mayawati from campaigning for violating election guidelines. Are India's election guidelines toothless? A really simple guide to India’s general election Mr Adityanath, a senior politician from the ruling BJP, cannot address any public meetings or rallies, and cannot even speak to the media for 72 hours starting from tomorrow 06:00 local time. The same applies to Ms Mayawati, president of the regional Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), but her ban ends in 48 hours. Why does this matter? Ms Mayawati was pulled up for cautioning Muslims against splitting their vote - she urged them to vote against the BJP and for her party and its allies. And Mr Adityanath has been reprimanded for two different remarks against Muslims, both made during rallies leading up to the first phase of voting on 11 April. In one speech he had said the main opposition Congress party was infected with a "green virus", a reference to Muslims. In another speech, he said, "If you have faith in Ali, we have faith in Bajrang bali". The provocative remark plays on the religious differences between Muslims (Ali is the son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad) and Hindus (Bajrang bali is another name for the Hindu god, Hanuman). The remarks by both leaders violate election guidelines because they are polarising and appeal to voters on the basis of identity. Mr Adityanath, a Hindu hardliner, has repeatedly made controversial remarks, especially against Muslims. And the action against him comes on the heels of the Supreme Court asking the Election Commission what is was doing to curb violations This commission's decision is also a setback for Ms Mayawati and Mr Adityanath ahead of the second phase of voting in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. Both leaders are regional heavyweights in what is a crucial state for any party looking to win a majority at the centre - it sends 80 MPs to parliament.