Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a virtual rally. (PTI)2022 Assembly Election Highlights: Prime Minister Narendra Modi hitting out at the opposition in Uttar Pradesh said they are daydreaming about the division of votes in western Uttar Pradesh but people of the region will defeat them again like in the past. On a day the BJP released its manifesto for the UP Assembly polls, Modi said the party is known for fulfilling promises made in its manifestoes. Modi was addressing a virtual rally for Assembly constituencies in Rampur, Badaun and Sambhal districts.
With all the rallies and manifestos released, electioneering has ended for the first phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh. Union Home Minister Amit Shah tried to put the spotlight back on alleged “exodus” of Hindus from Kairana before 2017. He held door-to-door campaigning in Mathura. Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav claimed that people have made up their mind to vote out the BJP from power. The SP-RLD alliance has centred their electioneering on farmers’ issues and attacked UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over poll promises. BSP chief Mayawati, who started campaigning late, reminded people of her government’s track record on law and order in the past. The Congress under the leadership of its general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has generated interest as seen in road shows and door-to-door campaigning by her.
The Bharatiya Janata Party released its manifesto for the Assembly polls in Punjab on Tuesday, promising to completely waive off debt of farmers with less than 5 acres land-holdings in the state. In Goa, the party promised to transform the state into a destination for co-working spaces and remote working in the post-pandemic world, if elected. Goa CM Pramod Sawant while releasing the manifesto along with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that three free gas cylinders will be provided in a year to empower homeowners in the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked up the BJP government’s record in development and welfare initiatives | PTI
Punjab Lok Congress chief Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said the Congress had made a big mistake by declaring Charanjit Singh Channi as its chief ministerial face as a “chief minister should be decided on grounds of capability and not on the metric of caste”.
Stating that Punjab was never before divided on caste or religious lines, he claimed, “Channi does not have the caliber of a chief minister and his tall claims cannot fool the people of the state.” “Channi claims he has done ‘everything' in 111 days. He is fooling the people. Every project has a gestation period and takes months to start,” he noted, warning people against getting carried away by such “brazen lies”.
He added that all the projects mentioned by Channi were initiated by his (Amarinder's) government. (PTI)
If it retains power in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party has promised to increase the punishment in ‘love jihad’ cases to a minimum 10 years with a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
The BJP’s promise, which comes barely days ahead of the first phase of polling in the state, will be an upgrade to the existing law on ‘love jihad’, which refers to interfaith marriages, particularly of Muslim men and Hindu women.
At present, those convicted for forcible conversions are sentenced to jail for a term ranging between one to five years, and a minimum fine of Rs 15,000. (Read the full report by Lalmani Verma)
Aam Aadmi Party leader Amit Palekar on Tuesday said the BJP's manifesto for the Goa Assembly elections was a "scam". Goans will not fall for the ruling party's promises, said Palekar, the AAP's chief ministerial candidate.
“The 22-point manifesto of the BJP is nothing but a scam,” he told reporters. To fulfill ten promises made ten years ago, the BJP is asking people to vote for it for another five years, Palekar said.
“If they have not succeeded in implementing all these things in the last ten years, how will they succeed now?” he asked. The BJP has promised to create jobs but at the same time there were job scams in the state's Health and PWD departments which the AAP has exposed, Palekar claimed.
The Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court has taken note of these scams and ordered vigilance inquiry, he added "The BJP, therefore, is scared and asking people to vote for it in order to scuttle these things (the probe). If the truth comes out, they will go to jail,” he added. (PTI)
The National Peoples Party (NPP) on Tuesday alleged that several militant organisations are openly campaigning for ruling BJP in Manipur and has demanded adequate security cover for its candidates in the coming Assembly poll in that state, party spokesperson said.
The NPP, itself an ally of the ruling BJP for the last five years in Manipur, has also urged the authorities to push back all militants in that state to their camps and seize all arms from them for a free and fair election, the spokesperson said.
A formal complaint was also lodged with the state's election office and the Election Commission on the issue, he said.
The NPP made the demand following reports of armed militants campaigning openly for BJP and Naga Peoples Front in Manipur for the February 27 and March 3 election.(PTI)
AAP's chief ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday accused the BJP, SAD and the Congress of colluding together to stop his party from forming government in Punjab.
The APP's state unit president made the allegation, asserting that the people of Punjab have made up their minds to "uproot the monarchy of traditional political outfits".
He asked the electorate to stay wary of "nefarious alliance" the Congress, SAD and BJP, which, he said, are "colluding" to stop AAP's ascendancy.
“In order to prevent the Aam Aadmi Party from forming a government in Punjab and to maintain the rule of traditional political parties, Shiromani Akali Dal, BJP and Congress have colluded,” he alleged. “But the people of Punjab have decided to uproot the monarchy of the traditional political parties and form an AAP government, which has left all the opposition parties anxious and apprehensive," he said, addressing workers in a meeting. (PTI)
Congress leader and former Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat on Tuesday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief J P Nadda to release a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report which purportedly pointed out a Rs 35,000 crore mining scam in the state.
The BJP had accused Kamat of being involved in an illegal mining scam to the tune of Rs 35,000 crore when he was chief minister. Then Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar had cited a PAC report which purportedly named Kamat as accused in the scam.
“Today @BJP4India President @JPNadda is coming to Goa. Tomorrow @PMOIndia @narendramodi will be in Goa. @BJP4Goa has an opportunity to Release Public Accounts Committee Report on Mining with 35k crore scam referred in 2011 by then Leader of Opposition @manoharparrikar. #Challenge,” Kamat tweeted on Tuesday.
During the 2012 Goa assembly elections, the BJP had accused Kamat of being involved in a multi-crore scam. The Supreme Court-appointed M B Shah Commission had also indicted him. (PTI)
Goa All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) wrote to the Chief Electoral Officer demanding strict action alleging "Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and others flouted the Covid-19 norms in their poll campaign in Navelim Assembly constituency on 7 February." news agency ANI reported.
BSP supremo Mayawati on Tuesday lashed out at the successive Congress governments at the Centre and in Punjab for their alleged anti-Dalit stance and policies.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) decided to have an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab for the February 20 polls so that aspirations of Dalit stalwarts like Dr B R Ambedkar and BSP founder Kanshi Ram could be fulfilled, she said.
Kickstarting her party's and its alliance SAD-BSP's election campaign at a "Chon Jan Sabha" at Dana Mandi here, she said time had come when Congress government in Punjab too needs to be shown the door.
Terming Congress "a jabardast Dalit virodhi party" (anti-Dalit party), she said the party had always been against the weaker and deprived sections including adivasis, Dalits and backward classes.
"Congress because of its anti-Dalit and anti-poor stance neither conferred Barat Ratna on Dr B R Ambedkar nor on Kanshi Ram though they qualified for it in all respects," she lamented, adding that the then Congress government at the Centre did not announce even a day's mourning on the death of Kanshi Ram. (PTI)
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Yadav on Tuesday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
'BJP is going to lose in Uttar Pradesh. People in the state are tired of BJP's propaganda. They have only been talking about riots, religion and temple,' Lalu said.
Lalu also hit out at the BJP ally and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He said, 'He can go to any extent to stay on the chair of Chief Minister of Bihar.'
Bharatiya Janata Party National President JP Nadda while campaigning in Goa said, "BJP tries to represent every section of society. We're the only party to do this because other parties work on the basis of religion, caste and vote bank. We've to take Goa forward and build Golden Goa as per the dream of Manohar Parrikar."
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra said here on Tuesday that the poll panel had zero tolerance towards misuse of government machinery and abuse of money power as he reviewed the preparedness for Manipur elections, scheduled to be held in two phases on February 27 and March 3.
Chandra, who is here with his team on a two-day visit, also stated that polling officials found to have malafide intention or bias of any kind would be taken to task.
Addressing a press meet, he said that voters could report violations of Model Code of Conduct on the Election Commission's cVIGIL App.
Lauding the state's efforts to promote gender parity despite logistics challenges, the CEC said that 16.4 per cent of all polling stations in Manipur would be managed by women. Five Assembly constituencies -- Singjamei, Thoubal, Yaiskul, Wangkhei and Churachandpur -- would have its booths managed exclusively by women, he stated. (PTI)
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said that special recruitment drive will be conducted for women in the Uttar Pradesh Police.
'A separate women's police unit will be formed with 33 per cent reservation given to women in UP police force,' Yadav while launching party's manifesto.
Electioneering ended Tuesday evening for the first phase of assembly polls in western Uttar Pradesh after a busy day during which the ruling BJP and the main opposition Samajwadi Party released their manifestoes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed one last virtual rally aimed at the voters of the region, winding up his speech with less than four minutes to go for the 6 pm deadline when campaigning for the February 10 polls had to end.
Polling will take place for 58 assembly constituencies spread across 11 districts, out of the 403 seats in the state, on Thursday. Under Election Commission guidelines, campaigning has to end 48 hours before the close of polls for each phase. The canvassing for the first phase remained confined to the virtual medium due to a ban on road shows and physical rallies in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday dismissed the possibility of division of votes in western Uttar Pradesh. The Western UP constitutes mainly of Jats and Muslim voter and was influential during the Farmer's protest.
"The BJP will win as in previous elections (2017)," Modi said addressing a virtual rally for upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections.
AIMIM chief, Asaduddin Owaisi during a rally in Uttar Pradesh said, 'I pray that our sisters fighting for their right to wear hijab are successful in their fight. Grave violation of the Constitution's Art 15, 19 and 21 is being committed in Karnataka. I condemn this decision of Karnataka's BJP government.'
The five Congress MLAs in Meghalaya on Tuesday joined the ruling MDA, which is backed by the BJP.
Once a formidable opposition with 17 MLAs, the Congress was left with only five MLAs after 12 legislators, including former chief minister Mukul Sangma, defected to the TMC last year.
The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) formally handed over a letter of support to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma. (Read more)
Ahead of state assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday hit out at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath alleging mismanagement by him during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The AAP also slammed Adityanath for his “indecent” language against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, equating his expressions with those of a “chauraha chhap neta”. The attack came a day after Adityanath and Kejriwal engaged in an online fight trading barbs over the “mismanagement” by their governments during the pandemic.
“His (Adityanath's) language against a popular and elected Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal -- he said 'Suno Kejriwal' – this kind of indecent language for an elected chief minister reflects that Adityanath ji might have unfortunately become the CM of UP but he speaks like a 'chauraha chhap neta',” AAP leader Sanjay Singh said.
“He is talking about COVID-19 mismanagement but I am saying if there is any live example of mismanagement, it is Adityanath. We have seen decomposed dead bodies along river banks in Prayagraj, Kanpur, Ballia and Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh, with birds and animals nibbling on them. People have not forgotten those images,” Singh told reporters in Noida. (PTI)
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday performed Yamuna Pooja at Vishram Ghat in Mathura, Uttar Pardesh.
Meet Thounaojam Brinda, a former police officer well known for her campaign against drug lords of Manipur, who has now joined the political fray to continue her fight to make her state “drug-free, corruption-free.” Four years back, Brinda made headlines for busting several drug cartels and being awarded a Police Medal for Gallantry.
Today she is creating ripples by announcing her decision to contest as a Janata Dal (United) candidate from Yaiskul constituency of Imphal East district in the assembly elections to be held in two phases On February 27 and March 3.
Brinda, who had resigned from her job as additional superintendent of police in 2021 after run-ins with the powers that be, told PTI that her foray into electoral politics “was due to the urgent need to save the state and its youths from corruption and malpractices compounded by the wide-spread drug (abuse) and narco-terrorism.” Though she never thought of joining politics in earlier years of her career, “huge public support” not just from her constituency but from all over the state saw her deciding to plunge into electoral politics.
Brinda is a 2012 batch Manipur Police Service officer who is known for her derring-do as an upright officer who fought against drug mafias that straddle life in the state. The former cop claimed that while in service she was consistently harassed by those who are in power thereby crippling her ability to deliver as a law enforcer. (PTI)
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that like West Bengal Assembly polls Uttar Pradesh will see a one-on-one fight between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party with Akhilesh Yadav emerging victorious.
At a joint press conference with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Banerjee tweaked the "khela hobe' campaign anthem of her party for last year's Assembly polls to 'Khela Hoga' (the game is on) and stressed that if "Bengal can do it (defeat BJP), so can Uttar Pradesh".
Banerjee, the West Bengal chief minister, who defeated the BJP in the high-octane assembly polls in her state last year, said, "If Yogi (Adityanath) Ji comes to power, he will eat you up politically as well as economically." "He does not know anything and hence he is going (away). Let him go. A person, who wants to go should be allowed to go." She egged on the people to defeat the BJP without paying heed to the caste equation. (PTI)
In a bid to reach out to farmers in Punjab, the BJP said in its manifesto, released Wednesday, it will waive off all debts of agriculturists owning less than five acres of land, if elected in the state.
It also promised “Mehnat Da Pakka Mull (the right price for hard work)” under which the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers growing fruits, vegetables, pulses and oilseeds will be guaranteed as a part of the central government’s MSP extension programme. (Read the full report by Man Aman Singh Chhina)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday while holding a virtual rally for Punjab Assembly Elections said, "We'll form border area development authority in Punjab. Congress could not keep Kartarpur Sahib in India. In order to remain in power some people let Punjab burn in fire of terrorism. It has been identity of Punjab to keep India ahead."
All India Congress Committee general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday hela a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing first virtual rally for Punjab Assembly Elections. "BJP always stand for Sikh community," the PM said during the rally.
The assembly elections are to determine if the people of Uttar Pradesh want to reject the “misrule” of last five years in the state and send a message to those ruling in Delhi and pushing “regressive” policies, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Tuesday.
Making his debut in the Uttar Pradesh poll campaign from Noida, the Lok Sabha MP told people “not to underestimate” the elections as he stressed that political developments in the state have a “resonance and impact” throughout the country.
Interacting with a group of city residents, Tharoor, who was batting for Congress' Noida candidate Pankhuri Pathak, said even though people have a single vote to cast but its importance in multi-pronged.
“Your first vote is to elect who is going to be your voice in the elected assembly and who is going to look after your interests as a city and an urban space. Your second vote is to help determine who forms the government in Uttar Pradesh in the aftermath of these elections,” he said. (PTI)
At 94, Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal can be forgiven for skipping rallies and not going door to door for votes. His people are there to handle the electioneering in his Lambi constituency.
“It had been the practice earlier too that the party's local leadership takes care of the electioneering in Lambi while Badal Sahib remained busy in campaigning in the state,” his close aide and party leader Tejinder Singh Middukhera said. “Badal Sahib is in regular touch with us,” he said.
In the run-up to the February 20 assembly polls in Punjab, there has been help from others as well in Lambi, which falls in Punjab's Muktsar district.
SAD leader and daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal campaigned for him in the constituency. So did Indian National Lok Dal president Om Prakash Chautala, asking voters to return the SAD veteran to the assembly yet again. (PTI)
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said, "Atal Bihari Vajpayee always wanted to make Uttarakhand an 'ideal and developed' state. Today, I want to say that BJP is determined to make Uttarakhand an "ideal and developed" state and we will do whatever it takes. Singh was campaigning in Gangolihat.
The Speaker of Tripura Legislative Assembly Ratan Chakraborty On Tuesday accepted the resignations of Sudip Roy Barman and Asish Kumar Saha. With Barman and Shah leaving the Assembly and the party, strength of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs has come down to 33 as Das was disqualified for joining TMC. BJP won 36 seats in the last assembly elections.
At least 26 per cent of candidates contesting the Goa legislative Assembly elections have criminal cases registered against them and eight per cent have been booked for serious crimes, a report released by an election watchdog revealed on Tuesday.
The highest number of candidates with criminal cases are with the Congress, followed by the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and BJP, it was stated. The details are part of a report released by the Goa Election Watch and Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) on Tuesday.
Of the total 301 candidates contesting the polls, 26 per cent (77) have declared in their affidavits criminal cases pending against them in various courts, of which eight per cent are facing serious criminal offences, the report stated.
At least 35 per cent of Congress candidates have criminal cases against them, followed by the MGP with 23 per cent, BJP with 18 per cent, NCP and TMC with 15 per cent each and AAP with 10 per cent, the ADR said. (PTI)
The Bharatiya Janata Party released its manifesto for the Assembly polls in Punjab on Tuesday, promising to completely waive off the debt of farmers with less than 5 acres of land-holdings in the state. Besides offering free electricity up to 300 units for all houses, it also guarantees a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers growing fruits, vegetables, pulses, and oilseeds.
Virtually addressing a rally in Uttarakhand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said, "Congress' intention and loyalty can be figured out with their election campaign and slogans. They were in power in Delhi and UP for years (and) used to travel to Uttarakhand for leisure, but never thought of its pilgrimage, tourism, or Char Dham. Villages got empty and people migrated."
West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee held a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow.
Goa CM Pramod Sawant while releasing the manifesto along with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that three free gas cylinders will be provided in a year to empower homeowners in the state.
In BJP's manifesto, the party promises to transform Goa into a "destination for co-working spaces and remote working in the post pandemic world".
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday released the BJP's manifesto for the upcoming Goa Assembly elections.
Speaking in Lucknow, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said, "History will never forgive those responsible for the Hathras and Unnao incidents, as well as the bodies dumped in River Ganga during Covid-19."
"Yogi Ji, where were you when these things were happening? Yogi Ji must apologise to the people of Uttar Pradesh," Banerjee was quoted as saying by ANI. She has come out in support of SP for the upcoming Assembly elections in UP.
West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday urged the people of Uttar Pradesh to support Samajwadi Party, make them win and defeat BJP.
(Photo: Twitter/Samajwadi Party)
"Don't fall for false promises made by BJP," she was quoted as saying by ANI. She said she will also visit Varanasi on March 3.
Interest will be taken from sugar mills if there is a delay in the payment of cane dues to farmers beyond 14 days, the BJP's manifesto for UP polls states.
Union Home Minister of India Amit Shah along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deupty CM Keshav Maurya, BJP state President Swatantra Dev Singh and senior leader Anurag Thakur released the BJP manifesto for 2022 Uttar Pradesh Elections in Lucknow on Tuesday.
The manifesto promises free electricity to farmers for irrigation and states that the BJP will strengthen the procurement of wheat and paddy at MSP.
It also promises free scooties to college-going girls under the Rani Laxmi Bai Yojana. The BJP will also ensure free public transportation for women over 60 years of age.
Under the PM’s Ujjwala Yojana, the party will provide two free LPG cylinders on the occasion of Diwali and Holi.
The BJP's ‘Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra’ for the UP polls states that if elected, the party will ensure a minimum of 10 years of imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh Love Jihad cases.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to grant any relief to Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan who was seeking interim bail to campaign in upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
The apex court has asked Azam Khan to approach the concerned court with his plea, ANI reported.
The SP has fielded Khan from the Rampur constituency and his son Abdullah Azam Khan from the Suar seat in Rampur district.
Releasing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s election manifesto, 'Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra', UP CM Yogi Adityanath said that the party has fulfilled all its promises that it made five years ago during the 2017 Assembly polls. He added that law and order have improved in the state, daughters feel safe and riots have stopped.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday released the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s election manifesto, 'Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra' for the upcoming Assembly polls in the state.
An FIR has been registered against Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) MLA Simarjeet Bains and others from his group for 'attempt to murder'. following a complaint by Congress candidate Kamaljit Karwal’s aide.
Supporters of Bains and Karwal had clashed last night in Ludhiana's Atam Nagar. According to ANI, Karwal alleged that Bains had attacked and fired at his convoy.
With just over a week to go for polling, the streets of Lalkuan constituency in Nainital district are covered in poll posters and banners. This is one of the hottest seats in Uttarakhand, not only for the fact that Congress heavyweight Harish Rawat is now in the race, but also because both the Congress and BJP are up against strong rebels in own camps.
Rawat admits he is facing a tough contest. And that while, as Congress campaign head, he bears the burden of carrying the party out of the rut of its worst-ever performance in the 2017 polls, he will need to spend more time in his own seat. Read more
Responding to the Prime Minister's speech in the Parliament Monday, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said, "People whom he had deserted, who had no way of returning to their homes, who were coming back on foot -- did he want that nobody should help them?"
"What did Modi ji want? What does he want? What about the big rallies he did?" Gandhi was quoted as saying from Panaji, Goa.
PM Modi had singled out the Congress party for criticism in his 100-minute-long speech while replying to the debate on Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, accusing the party of “instigating” migrants to breach lockdown during the Covid pandemic. "During the first wave of Covid-19, you (Congress) gave free train tickets to migrant workers to leave Mumbai. At the same time, Delhi govt told migrant workers to leave the city and provided them buses. As a result, Covid spread rapidly in Punjab, UP and Uttarakhand," he said.
In compliance of the Election Commission directions, 10,500 licensed arms have been deposited in police stations across Ghaziabad district, officials said on Monday.
The Ghaziabad district administration had issued orders to deposit the licensed arms in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India to ensure conduct of free, fair and peaceful polls. Twenty-five arms licences have also been cancelled in the district, an official said.
"Eighty-one companies of paramilitary forces have been allocated to the district for election duty. Six thousand home guards, five thousand police constables would be pressed into the election service," SP (Rural) Iraj Raja, who is holding the charge of SP elections, told PTI.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be releasing the BJP's manifesto for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections today (Tuesday) in Lucknow, ANI reported.
The release of the 'Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra' was delayed as a mark of respect to singer Lata Mangeshkar, who passed away on February 6.
Having lost his father Ajit Singh to Covid last year, Jayant Chaudhary, 43, is gearing up for his first Assembly election as head of the Rashtriya Lok Dal. The family legacy goes down even further, to western UP’s foremost farm leader, former prime minister and Jayant’s grandfather Charan Singh. Born in Texas, US, with a degree in accounts and finance from LSE, Jayant has proved sceptics wrong by energising his party that won just 1 seat in 2017 and forging an alliance with Akhilesh Yadav that has been generating a lot of buzz.
As west UP, the only region of the state where the RLD has a credible chance of making an impact, heads to polls in the first phase on February 10, Chaudhary gives a wide-ranging interview while on the road from Shamli to Muzaffarnagar during a hectic schedule. Read the Express Interview here
A day after Congress named incumbent Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi as the party CM face for Punjab, the electorate in his bastion Chamkaur Sahib is both “warm” and “cold” to the development.
While Channi’s 111-day rule and the “freebies” offered to the people are a part of the narrative, many voters in this reserved seat also talk about the Enforcement Directorate raids and arrest of CM’s nephew. Channi’s filing his nomination from a second seat, Bhadaur Assembly segment, is also an issue. A few are even toying with the idea of giving an opportunity to a third alternative.
Here are some must-read stories on Congress' Channi pick:
A CM face, his 2 seats and voter preception
As Congress banks on Channi, the Dalit factor has many layers
Parties promise top spots, but Dalit community says its issues missing from poll campaign
Just days ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls, Dev D fame Mahie Gill and Punjabi movie actor Hobby Dhaliwal on Monday joined the BJP. Apart from Dev D, Gill has worked in the movie, Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster.
Gill said she wanted to do something for girls in Punjab and felt confident that she could do it with the BJP only. "I have always felt that my home was calling me back and I wanted to serve it and I did not find any better party than the BJP," she said.
Hobby Dhaliwal said he was impressed by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Punjab. Haryana CM Manohar Khattar welcomed the actors into the party fold said a strong BJP wave is building up in Punjab and the party is set to form the government in the state.
The Haryana CM said that more and more people having exceptional achievements to their credit are joining the party in Punjab as they were fed up with other political parties. (PTI)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is unlikely to campaign for TMC for the February 14 assembly poll in Goa, where the party is in the fray.
Banerjee, who left for a two-day visit to Uttar Pradesh on Monday to campaign for Samajwadi Party for the assembly election in that state, virtually ruled out the possibility of visiting Goa herself saying "someone else is looking into it,"
The TMC supremo told reporters before leaving for Lucknow on Monday that she will be campaigning in the most populous northern state for the sake of opposition unity. (PTI)
deleting_message
Accusing the SP, the BSP and the Congress of doing the politics of appeasement and spreading hatred among Hindus and Muslims, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the BJP followed the message of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (the world is a family).
He also advised the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party to do politics of humanity instead of politics based on caste or creed.
"SP, BSP and Congress do politics of appeasement. They have always done the work of spreading hatred among Hindus & Muslims, whereas for the BJP, all Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jews are brothers... as this country is of sages and mystics, from where the message of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' has gone all over the world," the Defence Minister said while campaigning in the Miranpur Katra assembly segment here. (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address his first virtual rally for the Punjab Assembly polls on Tuesday. In his rally, Modi will address people from 18 Assembly segments of Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib parliamentary constituencies, according to a statement issued by the BJP.
The party has set up LED screens all over the 18 Assembly segments. About 50,000 people are expected to watch the PM's address, it said. The party has scheduled some more rallies of the PM for the coming days, the statement said.
Modi had visited Punjab on January 5 but he returned without dedicating development projects and addressing a rally as his convoy was stuck on a flyover due to a blockade by some protesters in Ferozepur. (PTI)
With just over a week to go for polling, the streets of Lalkuan constituency in Nainital district are covered in poll posters and banners. This is one of the hottest seats in Uttarakhand, not only for the fact that Congress heavyweight Harish Rawat is now in the race, but also because both the Congress and BJP are up against strong rebels in own camps.
All along the Bilaspur-Haldwani highway, the air is filled with poll pitch for candidates blaring out of vehicles. Apart from Rawat, they seek votes for the BJP’s Mohan Singh Bisht, and Independents Sandhya Dalakoti and Pawan Kumar Chauhan. Dalakoti is contesting as an Independent after the Congress replaced her in favour of Rawat; Chauhan had been a ticket hopeful on the BJP side. Read more
Only Congress can provide a stable government and ensure progress in Goa, the party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Monday and alleged that "outsiders" like AAP and TMC cannot rule the coastal state as their agenda is only to expand their base.
Addressing an indoor public meeting at the St Cruz assembly constituency in North Goa ahead of the February 14 polls, she said that an unstable government that is constantly trying to save itself cannot provide stability.
The Congress leader also accused the ruling BJP of failing to ensure the safety of women and provide jobs to young people. “Unless we have a stable government, it is impossible to make progress. An unstable government that is constantly working to save itself cannot provide you development,” she said, adding that only Congress can provide a stable government.
“AAP or TMC cannot provide you what is required in Goa. They have come here to expand their parties. They have not come here to usher in the progress of Goa,” Priyanka Gandhi alleged. All the parties that come here from outside to destabilise the government cannot rule Goa, she said while apparently referring to the Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party. (PTI)
A long-time bastion of the Samajwadi Party, Azamgarh has been a particular focus of attacks by the BJP in the run-up to the polls. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said it had become a “fortress of terror” under the SP government; Union Home Minister in a speech here accused the SP of standing for “Jinnah, Azam Khan and Mukhtar Ansari”.
Amidst this grandstanding between the two parties that are the main contenders this election, it’s easy to not notice Rajeev Yadav. However, it’s his presence that is the message. Read more