Voters cast their votes in the first phase of assembly elections at Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna)Elections 2022 Highlights: The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday further relaxed restrictions on physical campaigning for the assembly elections across the five states – Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. The poll body allowed political parties and candidates to campaign between 6 am and 10 pm in adherence to Covid-19 norms. “Padyatra consisting not more than the permitted number of persons as per SDMA limitations and only with prior permission of district authorities will also be allowed. All other existing provisions related to electioneering shall continue to operate,” it added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at an election rally in Kannauj of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, targeted the Opposition and said that after first round of voting in UP, dynasts are sleepless and unable to dream. For them the mantra of democracy is ‘government of the family, by the family and for the family,’ Modi said taking a swipe at Samajwadi Party. Earlier, in Rudrapur of Uttarakhand, Modi accused the Congress of spreading rumours about Covid vaccines, saying the party did it for politics because it thought it will not have anything to speak against the government if things got back on track. He also charged the party with abusing the country’s first CDS late Gen Bipin Rawat and asked people of Uttarakhand to give a befitting reply to it for this “insult” in the February 14 polls, PTI reported.
In another news. soon after being sworn in, the BJP in Uttarakhand will form a committee to draft a Uniform Civil Code in the state, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Friday. Implementing Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand will help boost equal rights, he said. “It’ll enhance social harmony, boost gender justice, strengthen women empowerment and help protect the extraordinary cultural-spiritual identity and environment of the state,” he added.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during a roadshow in Moradabad on Thursday. (Photo: PTI)
Pointing out that no major riot has taken place in Gujarat since the last two decades, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that voters in Uttar Pradesh have also realised that only the BJP government has the antidote for rioters and criminals.
Addressing an election rally here, he also hit out at “dynastic parties”, saying after the first round of voting in Uttar Pradesh their leaders are sleepless and unable to dream anymore. Read More
Campaigning came to an end on Saturday for the single-day election in Uttarakhand and Goa, two states known for political volatility where the BJP is attempting to retain power, and for the second phase of assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh on February 14. While the BJP leaders have been asking voters to again go for a 'double-engine government', a reference to the same party being in power at the Centre and in the state, to ensure development, opposition parties like the Congress and the AAP have been targeting the saffron party on issues like price rise, farmers' protest and alleged divisive agenda.
Polling is scheduled to be held on all the 70 Assembly seats in Uttarkhand and 40 constituencies in Goa, besides 55 seats in Uttar Pradesh, on Monday while the counting of votes will be taken up on March 10. A host of top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a series of rallies in support of their party candidates as the ban on physical rallies was lifted in a phased manner by the Election Commission's (EC) from February 1. (PTI)
Accusing the Congress of resorting to the "politics of appeasement", Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the party has begun to push Rohingya Muslims into the hills of Uttarakhand and asked people to foil its gameplan in the coming polls. Addressing a slew of rallies in Uttarakhand on the last day of campaigning, Shah said the party's plans to establish a Muslim University is part of the party's politics of appeasement.
He said in the first phase of polls in Uttar Pradesh the SP, BSP and Congress have been wiped out and something similar was going to happen in Uttarakhand where the BJP has been in power for the past five years. He said Uttarakhand is a tourist spot for the Congress but for the BJP, it is the soul of India's culture.
The ruling BJP on Saturday fielded its biggest political leaders on the last day of campaigning in Uttarakhand, which goes to the polls on Monday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressed multiple rallies on the day.
While Modi addressed a public meeting in Rudrapur, Shah held rallies in Dhanaulti, Sahaspur and Raipur, followed by a door-to-door campaign and Ganga aarti in Haridwar. Read More
The Election Commission of India on Saturday issued fresh relaxations allowing poll campaign padayatras with limited number of people.
The Election Commission of India on Saturday issued fresh relaxations in connection with the Assembly poll campaigning. It reduced the campaign ban period to between 10 pm and 6 am. (PTI)
The BJP-led NDA on Saturday released its manifesto for the February 20 Punjab polls, promising a slew of sops including 75 percent reservation in government jobs and 50 percent reservation in private jobs for the state's youth. It also promised an unemployment allowance, 35 percent reservation for women in government jobs and massive infrastructure development to revive the state's economy if it forms the government in Punjab. As per the manifesto, a dope test will be made mandatory before the filing of nomination forms for the elections.
An unemployment allowance of Rs 4,000 per month for all graduates for two years after completion of their degrees will be provided, it said. The manifesto promised 35 percent reservation for women in all government jobs including contractual jobs. Fast-track courts will be established to deal with any kind of violence, harassment and oppression against women, it said. A special act will be formed to deal with the cases of NRI abandoned brides, it further said. (PTI)
Campaigning came to an end on Saturday for the 70 Assembly seats of Uttarakhand going to polls on February 14 with a host of star campaigners, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, holding a series of rallies in support of their party candidates.
Electioneering, which drew to a close at 6 pm in accordance with the Election Commission's (EC) guidelines, was affected for the most part by COVID-19 restrictions, including a ban on physical rallies, forcing the political parties to resort to virtual rallies and scaled-down door-to-door campaigns. However, the ban on physical rallies was lifted in a phased manner by the EC from February 1 onwards. (PTI)
Across the world, a democratic Govt is defined as Govt of the people, by the people, & for the people. The dynastic parties of our country have changed this essence of democracy. Their mantra is: Govt of the family, by the family, & for the family: PM Modi in Kannuj, UP.
Invoking the Sikh gurus, BJP national president JP Nadda attacked the Congress party and said that the hands of its leaders are soaked with the blood of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, but now they are coming to seek votes from Punjab’s electorate.
“Their big leaders used to say about the anti-Sikh riots in the country that when a big tree falls, then the earth shakes. Now it’s time to shake them,” said Nadda, adding that these leaders put humanity to shame. He was speaking in Nawanshahr district’s Balachaur constituency on Saturday while campaigning for party candidate Ashok Bath. Read More
An interfaith langar was organized in Ludhiana where Sikh, Hindu & Muslim communities came with their traditional delicacies and ate together at Rose Garden.
Among the candidates in the fray in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections' second phase, 114 are educated up to Class 8 while 12 have declared themselves to be "illiterate", according to an analysis report. There are also 102 'post graduate' candidates and six with Ph.D in the fray, stated the report by polls reforms advocacy groups Uttar Pradesh Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). Voting is scheduled for February 14 on 55 assembly seats spanning nine districts of Amroha, Bareilly, Bijnor, Budaun, Moradabad, Rampur, Saharanpur, Sambhal and Shahjahanpur in western Uttar Pradesh.
The report is based on the analysis of self-sworn affidavits of 584 candidates out of 586 who are contesting the second phase elections, it stated. Affidavits of two candidates could not be analysed because they were either badly scanned or incomplete,the report said. According to the analysis, 12 candidates are 'illiterate', 67 'literate', 12 have passed Class 5 and 35 have passed Class 8 while 58 have cleared Class 10 and 88 have cleared Class 12. There are 108 'graduate' candidates, 89 'graduate professionals', 102 'post graduate', six 'doctorate', five 'diploma' holders in the fray while two contestants have not presented their education details, it noted. In terms of age, 56 candidates are between 25-30 years, 150 between 31-40 years, 179 between 41-50 years, 130 between 51-60 years, 62 between 61-70 years, six between 71-80 years and one contestant is aged between 81-90 years, according to the report. Of the analysed candidates in the second phase, 515 (88.2 per cent) are men and 69 (11.8 per cent) are women, the report noted. (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at an election rally in Uttarakhand, accused Congress of creating fear in minds of people about vaccines against Covid-19. "Congress also abused first CDS Bipin Rawat. Will you tolerate this insult?" he asked. (PTI)
UP CM Yogi Adityanath, during an election rally in Kotdwar of Uttarakhand, said, "..Surprised to hear Rahul Gandhi say definition of Hindu. He should be told that his great-grandfather called himself 'Accidental Hindu'. Doesn't suit someone,whose ancestors weren't proud of being Hindus, to tell us its definition.."
PM Modi, while speaking at election rally in Uttarakhand, said that Congress has been wiped out from many states and that Uttarakhand has that opportunity in the upcoming polls. (PTI)
India is one, this country is one...Congress says there is no nation. Congress is not even ready to consider India a nation (rashtra). BJP will secure the 'Devatava' (divinity) of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand: PM Modi speaking at a public rally in poll-bound Uttarakhand.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at an election rally in Uttarakhand, said that BJP government is leaving no stone unturned for the development of the state. He added that developmental projects were carried out despite pandemic challenge. (PTI)
Congress will definitely come to power in Uttarakhand because the people are tired of BJP government. Chief Minister should tell the people what he is going to do to check inflation and boost employment. What is he going to do for women?: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Khatima (ANI)
The Shiv Sena will eventually contest all polls, Aaditya Thackeray said on Saturday while campaigning in Goa. "Shiv Sena is needed in all states. The good governance in Maharashtra should be replicated in all states, it's our expectation," he added. (ANI)
Addressing a rally in in Uttarakhand, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said: "There's a competition in Congress to insult 'Hindu'. People who don't know if they are Hindu or not are now defining the meaning of it. Swami Vivekanand said, feel proud to call yourself Hindu. 'Hindu' isn't a communal word, it's our cultural identity."
Struggling to regain lost ground in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is betting on the mother of the Unnao rape survivor from the Unnao Sadar Assembly segment, hoping to convert public sympathy into votes.
Stepping into electoral politics for the first time, Asha Singh wants to convert the contest into a fight for women's honour. She wants to ensure justice for the victims of such heinous crimes. Through her, the Congress hopes to reclaim the seat it had last won in 1967. "I am in the fray to reclaim the lost honour of women. I hope the people will elect the Congress this time," Singh said. (PTI)
The Manipur BJP has expelled its chief spokesperson, Chongtham Bijoy Singh, for six years for violating the party's rules and regulations, days after he had called the NPP a "parasite that had proved a menace" to the ruling coalition in the past five years.
After his expulsion from the saffron camp, Singh said he would support JD(U) candidate from Uripok Kh Suresh in the upcoming assembly elections as he wanted to contest the polls from there. He said the BJP did not nominate him from the assembly segment as he is fighting against corruption. (PTI)
The governmnet's policies are shaped based on the interests of two industrialists, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said while campaigning in Khatima, Uttarakhand on Saturday. "Policies of entire country are going on just for 2 industrialists who are friends of the PM. When the Budget comes, it offers nothing for the poor, farmers, middle class, small & medium businessmen - they're nation's spine," she said.
Addressing a rally in Uttarakhand's Khatima, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi accused BJP leaders of only thinking about their own development. "What is the biggest duty of a political leader? Serving the people, their development. Today all BJP leaders - starting from your CM to the country's PM - are only thinking about their own development. Nobody is thinking about you," she said. (ANI)
Addressing a rally in Kapkot on Saturday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that while Atal Bihari Vajpayee accorded special status to Uttarakhand, the Congress took it away. "When PM Modi came to power,he reinstated the status," he said. (ANI)
Addressing a rally in Balachaur, BJP President JP Nadda said: "PM Modi did the work of making 'langar' tax-free in India. Kartarpur corridor was possible because of our PM. He spent Rs 120 cr on its construction. No one has done the development of Sikhs & farmers as much as PM Modi did."
Seeking re-election from Chamkaur Sahib seat for the fourth time, Charanjit Singh Channi is banking on the development work he undertook in his constituency as an MLA and during his 111-day tenure as Punjab chief minister.
Channi recently made an impassioned speech telling the people of his long-time constituency that it would not be a victory if he wins by less than 50,000 votes. With the poll campaigning in Punjab entering its last phase, Channi, whom the Congress recently declared as its chief ministerial candidate, has been criss-crossing the state holding poll meetings in Malwa, Majha and Doaba regions. (PTI)
Speaking about implementing a Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said: "Soon after its swearing-in, new BJP govt will form a committee to prepare draft of Uniform Civil Code in state. This UCC will provide for same laws regarding marriages, divorce, land-property & inheritance for all people, irrespective of their faith" says Uttarakhand CM."
"The announcement I'm going to make is a resolution of my party & will be fulfilled as soon as the new BJP govt is formed. To keep the culture and heritage of 'Devbhoomi' intact is our prime duty, we are committed to this," he added.
Implementing Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand will help boost equal rights, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Saturday. "It'll enhance social harmony, boost gender justice, strengthen women empowerment and help protect the extraordinary cultural-spiritual identity and environment of the state," he added. (ANI)
For days now, two women have been sending letters and making the rounds of offices of different political parties here with one request: that a ticket not be given to Aman Mani Tripathi. On Thursday, the BSP fielded the murder accused from Nautanwa, in Maharajganj, the seat that the 31-year-old had won as an Independent in 2017.
Nidhi Shukla, 34, and Seema Singh, 65, see it as one more blow to their campaign for justice. While Aman Mani is an accused in the alleged murder in 2015 of his wife and Singh’s daughter Sara, and is out on bail, Aman Mani’s parents Amar Mani and Madhumani are serving life term for the killing in 2003 of Nidhi’s elder sister Madhumita.
Singh says that in the letters to political leaders, “I said that if people like Aman Mani and his parents come to power, they would damage the society and also harm the public.” Read more.
In a flip-flop, Congress party's sitting MLA from Sri Hargobindpur Balwinder Singh Laddi on Friday rejoined the BJP after parting ways with the saffron party last month. BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh welcomed Laddi into the party fold in Batala. BJP candidate from Batala Fatehjang Bajwa was also present. (PTI)
Two candidates have been booked for concealing information about being proclaimed offenders while filing nomination papers for the February 20 Punjab assembly elections.
Punjab's Chief Electoral Officer S Karuna Raju said an FIR has been registered against candidate Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra alias Harmeet Singh Dhillon from the Sanaur assembly constituency in Patiala district. Pathanmajra is a candidate of the Aam Aadmi Party. (PTI)
With campaigning set to end in Uttarakhand, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi will visit Khatima, Srinagar and Haldwani today. Home Minister Amit Shah is also slated to hold public programmes across the state. Meanwhile, PM Modi is scheduled to address a public meeting in UP’s Kannauj this afternoon.
In a major setback to the Congress, the party’ candidate from UP’s Amroha constituency, Salim Khan, on Friday announced that he was quitting the party and joining the Samajwadi Party due to a “communication gap”. “I have joined SP as there’s communication gap in Congress, created by second-line leadership which doesn’t want ground-level workers to meet national leadership. I wanted to meet Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi, but second-line leadership didn’t let me,” he told ANI.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's criticism that Goa's liberation was delayed due to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was a "desperate attempt to distort history" and asserted that India's first PM intervened at the right time to free Goa.
In an interview with PTI, Chidambaram also stressed that no Congress MLA elected in the upcoming assembly polls can be poached by the BJP in Goa this time, saying "our house is well-guarded" and though the "thief” is still out there, the people "will teach him a lesson".
He said that with every passing day, it is becoming clearer to the voters that they have to choose between the BJP or the Congress and "small parties" such as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) are "splitting" the non-BJP votes.
Chidambaram also said that announcing a chief ministerial candidate is "not a factor" in this election. (PTI)
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb asserted on Friday that no other party was capable of challenging the BJP, which was “set to emerge victorious in the assembly elections of five states”.
Deb, during a programme here to mark the death anniversary of BJP forerunner Deendayal Upadhyaya, said speculation had been rife over poll results during the general election in 2019, but the party, led by Narendra Modi, made it to the hot seat, surprising many.
Elections to five states -- Punjab, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Uttarakhand -- are being held in phases, starting February 10. (PTI)
Twenty-five percent of 1,276 candidates contesting the Punjab assembly elections have declared criminal cases against themselves, according to a report prepared by the Punjab Election Watch.
PEW, an affiliate of the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), analysed the affidavits of 1,276 candidates out of the total 1,304 in the fray for the February 20 elections. PEW said it could not analyse the affidavits of 28 candidates as they were either badly scanned or complete details were not uploaded on the website of the Election Commission of India.
As far as educational qualifications of candidates go, more than half of them have studied up to Class 12, the report said. It was released by PEW state coordinator Jaskirat Singh. (PTI)
BJP leader Uma Bharti on Friday alleged efforts were being made to influence the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls through rhetorics on the 'hijab' row in Karnataka as a part of a conspiracy and advised political parties to refrain from commenting on the issue.
About Uniform Civil Code, the former union minister said the first consultation on the matter will be held with all the constituents of the society. "Only when it is discussed, we will move forward in that direction," Bharti said.
The senior BJP leader said the 'hijab' row is gaining momentum at this point but no political party should speak on this issue. "I have appealed to the leaders not to comment on this matter as their remarks were acting as petrol to fire. I also don't want to comment on this either. It's being done to influence the Uttar Pradesh elections. We should not fall prey to any such conspiracy," she told reporters. (PTI)
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Friday that in Uttar Pradesh, those who ran vehicles over farmers got bail while his party MP Azam Khan was jailed for offences such as the theft of buffaloes, goats and books.
Akhilesh was campaigning for Azam and his son Abdullah Khan, party candidates in Rampur Sadar and Swar seats respectively, aboard his ‘chunav rath’ for the Assembly elections. He was referring to the Allahabad High Court’s granting bail to Ashish Mishra, son of Union minister Ajay Mishra, in a case where his car ran over four farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri last year.
Alleging harassment, the former chief minister said that Azam had set up a university and was working in the field of education, but the BJP government booked him on “fabricated” charges. Azam, who has over 80 criminal cases including those related to land-grabbing registered against him, has been in jail for over two years. His wife and Abdullah too were in jail as co-accused in some of these cases. Both are now out on bail. Read More
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday released its poll manifesto for Uttarakhand, titled ‘Vachan Patra’, along with an affidavit signed by the party’s Chief Minister candidate Col (Retd) Ajay Kothiyal, which allows people to file cases against the party if the promises are not fulfilled.
The poll manifesto includes 10 guarantees from party national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and 119 promises from Kothiyal.
The 10 guarantees include corruption-free Uttarakhand and doubling the Budget of Uttarakhand in five years. The AAP also promised to provide 300 units of free electricity every month and a 24-hour power supply to every household. If elected to power, the AAP said it will send elders on free pilgrimage and will develop Uttarakhand as the spiritual capital of Hindus. Read More
The Manipur BJP on Friday expelled its chief spokesperson, Chongtham Bijoy, a day after he called the National People’s Party (NPP) a “parasite that had proved a menace” to the ruling coalition in the past five years.
Bijoy, who wanted to contest the upcoming Assembly election from Uripok, reacted strongly after the ticket was given to a retired IAS officer, L Raghumani, on February 6. He alleged that Raghumani, despite being “corrupt”, got the ticket at the instance of the RSS. Read More
Like a report by the Association of Democratic Reforms said, as many as 60% of the MLAs in Goa have jumped parties since 2017, from the ones on whose ticket they were elected. The Congress is the worst-hit, with 16 of its 17 MLAs elected in 2017 now in other parties, barring just former chief minister and Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat. Read More
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the BJP's flag was flying high after the first round of voting in Uttar Pradesh and asked people not to vote for the ‘dynasts' who intend to stop the government's welfare schemes for the poor if they come to power. Modi was addressing a physical rally in Kasganj district which will vote in the third phase of the ongoing Uttar Pradesh assembly elections on February 20.
In an apparent dig at the Samajwadi Party, Modi said, "The dynastic leaders are so desperate that they have made up their mind to stop all the schemes (of BJP government) which are run for the poor. Hence, these people should never be given an opportunity." Urging the people of Uttar Pradesh to "remain alert", he said, "The blessings and love that you have showered on Modi and Yogi ji, have robbed these pariwarvadis (dynasts) of their sleep. No matter how much efforts they made to divide you on the basis of caste, they have failed." These “dynasts” filled their coffers, but were never bothered about the poor. They do not the lives of the poor to become easy, he said.
Taking a jibe at the political rivals, Modi said after the first round of voting in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP's flag is flying high while its rivals are disappointed. "In all the interviews given by the leaders of opposition parties, they have a long face… Even those who are staunch dynasts have realised this. Hence, they have started raising questions over the EVMs and Election Commission," Modi said. (PTI)
The richest candidate in fray for the second phase of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh has assets worth Rs 296 crore, while the poorest has just Rs 6,700, according to a report. Voting is scheduled to take place on February 14 on 55 assembly seats of the state, spanning the nine districts of Amroha, Bareilly, Bijnor, Budaun, Moradabad, Rampur, Saharanpur, Sambhal and Shahjahanpur in western UP.
The Uttar Pradesh Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) in a report said they have analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 584 candidates out of 586, who are contesting the second phase elections.
The richest candidate, Nawab Kazim Ali Khan, the Congress candidate from Rampur assembly seat, has declared assets worth Rs 296 crore, the report said. He is followed by Supriya Aron of Samajwadi Party from Bareilly Cantt seat with Rs 157 crore in assets while BJP's Devendra Nagpal from Naugawan seat declared Rs 140 crore in assets, the report noted. (PTI)
The Election Commission (EC) has warned the Uttarakhand BJP to be more careful in the future and advised it to follow all provisions of the poll code, days after it tweeted a morphed picture of Congress leader Harish Rawat.
Last week, the poll panel had issued a notice to the Uttarakhand unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for tweeting a morphed image of former chief minister Rawat, in which he was shown as a Muslim cleric.
An EC order issued on Wednesday said the Uttarakhand BJP has submitted that the purpose of the tweet was neither to violate any provisions of the Model Code of Conduct nor to create any differences between groups on the basis of religion, race, caste and language. It has also told the poll panel that the tweet has since been deleted from its official Twitter handle. (PTI)
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of distracting the attention of people of Goa from real issues like environment and employment. Criticising Modi over his statement that if Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru wanted, Goa could have been liberated "within hours" in 1947 when India attained independence, Gandhi said the prime minister does not understand the situation of those times and what was happening post-World War II.
Modi, while addressing an election rally at Mapusa near here on Thursday ahead of the February 14 assembly polls, had said it took 15 years for the Congress government to liberate Goa from the Portuguese rule.
Speaking in a press conference in Margao, Gandhi said, "PM does not understand the history of those times, he does not understand what was going on post-World War II. He is coming to Goa to distract people from the real issues like environment and employment." Gandhi refused to comment on the raging controversy over 'hijab' and said he would not get into any kind of conversation that will distract the people of Goa. "My mission is to focus what is important for the people of Goa," he said.
Gandhi, who is on a day long visit to the coastal state, said the Congress will win majority of seats in Goa and there won't be any need for post-poll alliances. "Congress will get majority and act immediately to ensure we have a government in Goa," he said. (PTI)
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressing a press conference in poll-bound Goa's Margao.
Addressing a press conference in poll-bound Goa, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Goa's environment will be protected by the party. Stating that the three "anti-Goa" linear projects will be scrapped after Congress comes to power, Gandhi said, "We will do it by resisting the idea of these central projects just as we opposed the anti-farmer laws."
He further promised that the Congress will restart legal mining in a sustainable way after coming to power, and added that his party already has a panel of lawyers working on the same.
Addressing a rally in poll-bound Uttarakhand, Assam CM Himata Biswa Sarma said, "Modi Ji is talking about making India a world leader but others are talking about hijab... Congress questioned India's Covid vaccines. Rahul Gandhi is here to do appeasement politics, not here for the country. PM Modi lives for the country."
AAP national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's wife and daughter arrived in Punjab on Friday to campaign for the upcoming state assembly elections. They will attend AAP CM face Bhagwant Mann's 'Jansabha' in the Dhuri area of Sangrur district on February 11, the party said.
Speaking to ANI, Kejriwal's wife Sunita said, "We've come here to appeal for votes for Bhagwant Mann, but here people already have decided to vote for Bhagwant Mann. People understand that they (AAP) have done work in Delhi and will do it here too."
In front of the lush lawns of new Moti Bagh palace, the private residence of the scion of erstwhile Patiala royal family Captain Amarinder Singh, vehicles line up as the former chief minister prepares to hit the campaign trail.
Inside, Punjab Lok Congress' supporters have a quick word with him before the PLC chief sets out to address back-to-back poll meetings in Patiala's neighbouring constituencies. Potraits of Baba Ala Singh, the city's founder and Amarinder Singh's ancestors are put up on the palace walls. In his over 50 year-long political journey, the veteran leader's prestige may never have been at stake more than what is now.
After Singh's unceremonious exit as chief minister in September last year following a bitter tussle with Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, he floated PLC, which is jointly contesting the February 20 polls with BJP and SAD (Sanyukt). Singh, who represented Patiala (Urban) seat in 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2017 as a Congress candidate, is seeking re-election from the segment as PLC nominee. (PTI)
Our double engine government works at double the speed of other governments. During Covid19, where was the brother-sister duo? Was 'Behenji' present amongst you all? Only BJP worked for people of the State: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath during election rally in Budaun
There were people who used to say that it’ll be difficult to build roads in the mountains. However, today, not only roads, but the Dhami government has also ensured rail connectivity in those areas: PM Modi
Meanwhile, at a rally in Bareilly, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said: “SP and BSP are casteist parties that provide protection to mafias. BJP isn't that as we believe PM Modi's mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.”
After March 10, Dhamiji's government will work aggressively to further develop the tourism sector in Uttarakhand. You (public) have to decide whether you want those who promote 'Paryatan' (tourism) or 'Palayan' (migration), says PM Modi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a rally in Uttarakhand’s Almora, said: “After the first phase of polling in UP yesterday, it's clear that the BJP will win with record numbers. More than us, people are determined to bring back the BJP government. Voters never leave the side of those who have good intentions.”
Addressing an election rally in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said: “SP, BSP, Congress, live for their families and they encourage dynasty politics. If we talk about nationalism, they talk about casteism; we talk about development, they talk about religion & graveyards. I talk about “ganna’ (sugarcane), they talk about Jinnah.”
Punjab Congress chief Navjot S Sidhu's daughter, Rabia Kaur Sidhu, while speaking on the party’s decision to move forward with Charanjit Channi as the Chief Ministerial face, said: "Maybe they (high command) had some compulsion. But you can't stop an honest man for long.”
BJP Punjab in-charge Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has assured Sikh bodies of a “positive development” soon from the Centre’s side on Sikh ‘political’ prisoners who were to be released as per a 2019 Union government notification. This was after the Sikh organisations approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard. Read our Explainer to understand more about the Sikh ‘political’ prisoners whose fate hangs in poll balance
From the moment you enter Kumaon at Haldwani, Golu Dev appears to be present everywhere: Roadside shops, taxis, private cars, even homes hail “Jai Golu Dev”. Unlike in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, the Muslim community is absent from villages in the hills. While Muslims make up over 13% of Uttarakhand’s population (2011 Census), they are largely concentrated in the Terai districts (Uddham Singh Nagar, Dehradun, Haridwar) and in larger towns like Haldwani and Almora. And yet, despite their differences, the minority community and Golu Dev’s devotees have both been affected by the increasingly assertive cultural nationalism in the BJP-ruled state.
Yusuf Tiwari, a CPM member and ex-Almora Municipal Corporation councillor, says: “Since the formation of Uttarakhand, there hasn’t been virulent Hindutva politics here… It is a religious society, yes, but not a bigoted one.” Tiwari, whose grandfather Shiv Dutt converted to Islam, fears that is changing. Read Aakash Joshi's report