24 women in Congress 4th list of 61 candidates for UP polls
The Congress party Sunday released its fourth list of 61 candidates for the upcoming UP Assembly polls, 24 of whom are women nominees, mostly newcomers.
The Congress has fielded a woman candidate, Reeta Maurya, from the Ayodhya constituency. It has also named a few candidates from Ayodhya and Rae Bareli districts, fielding Sudha Dwivedi from the Sareni seat in Rae Bareli. The party fielded Mohd Fateh Bahadur from the Gauriganj constituency in Amethi.
In Rae Bareli’s Harchandpur seat from where its sitting MLA Rakesh Singh had defected to the BJP.
‘Golden Goa’ or Cong’s vacation spot: Amit Shah tells Goa to choose
On his maiden trip to Goa to campaign for his party, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that Goa’s voters would have to choose between a “Golden Goa” and a “Gandhi parivar ka Goa”.
“For us, Goa is Golden Goa and for the Congress, Goa is the Goa of Gandhi parivar – they need a good vacation spot. Their leaders take a lot of vacations. They need a vacation spot. You tell me, Golden Goa chahiye, ya parivar ka Goa chahiye?” he told a gathering in Ponda, from where the BJP has fielded former CM Ravi Naik, who quit the Congress last month.
At his three public addresses in Ponda, Sanvordem and Vasco, the themes were recurrent. Shah trained guns on the Congress’s “parivar first” approach, said parties like the Trinamool Congress (TMC) or the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had no plan for Goa’s development, and, at every address, paid tribute to late defence minister and former Chief Minister of Goa, Manohar Parrikar.
Must Read stories on Elections 2022:
A poll panel official has demanded BJP candidate for the Kannauj Sadar assembly seat, former IPS officer Asim Arun's explanation over alleged violation of the model code of conduct by him.
Kannauj's sub-district electoral officer Gajendra Kumar has slapped the show-cause notice on Arun accusing him of using over a dozen children to campaign for him by wearing caps and T-shirts bearing his poll campaign symbols. Kumar has sought Arun's reply within 72 hours.
monthly limit of free stories.
with an Express account.
A week ago, the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights had given instructions to take action against those using children in campaigning, citing child abuse, said Kumar. This information was also shared with various parties and their candidates personally as well through newspapers, he added.
Arun was issued notice on media reports as well as those of the poll observer teams which said 15 or 16 children had been campaigning for the former IPS officer, wearing caps and T-shirts with the poll symbols of the BJP candidate and raising slogan in his favour. (PTI)
With the Ram temple coming up in the heart of Ayodhya, the ruling BJP’s key plank in this high-profile constituency in its campaign for the upcoming Assembly polls is expectedly the temple issue. The saffron party is also banking on its development agenda for Ayodhya, which is scheduled for polling on February 27 in the fifth phase of UP elections.
The BJP is, however, still not sitting pretty in Ayodhya whose social composition and equations pose a challenge to the party that has fielded its sitting MLA Ved Prakash Gupta. Read more
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address a digital rally on February 4 covering nearly 20 assembly constituencies of western Uttar Pradesh, BJP sources said. It would be Modi's second digital rally with the first one being on January 31.
The digital rally would cover nearly 20 assembly seats in western Uttar Pradesh.
While the first phase of assembly polls is on February 10, the second and third phases are on February 14 and 20. (PTI)
Accusing the BJP of spreading communalism, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary said on Wednesday that those fighting polls on issues of “Jinnah, Aurangzeb, Pakistan” will face a major defeat in the upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.
Addressing a poll event in Shamli's Kairana area with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Chaudhary said the tie-up between their parties for UP assembly polls is to usher in a “practical and positive” change in the state.
He said their slogan and the issues are the same: “Ganna jitega, Jinnah haarega”, referring to farmers of western UP and Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
“Those fighting polls on issues of Jinnah, Aurangzeb, Pakistan will face a major defeat. The farmers, the poor, and the youth will win this time,” he said. Slamming the BJP-led Centre over the budget 2022, he said the annual financial statement had “nothing” for youths, farmers and job creation. (PTI)
The Samajwadi Party on Wednesday declared Union minister Anupriya Patel's sister Pallavi Patel and former UP Cabinet minister Swami Prasad Maurya in the Yogi Adityanath government among three new candidates for the state assembly polls.
Former UP minister Abhishek Mishra in the Akhilesh Yadav government was declared the third candidate. Patel, Maurya and Mishra will be fielded respectively on Fazilnagar seat in Kushinagar district, Sirathu in Kaushambi and Sarojini Nagar in Lucknow assembly seats. The assembly seats in Lucknow district go to polls on February 23, Kaushambi district on February 27 and Kushinagar district on March 3.
Maurya, who quit the Adityanath government within days after the announcement of the assembly poll schedule and joined the SP, was fielded on the Fazilnagar assembly seat in the Kushinagar district. (PTI)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday claimed that no other prime minister has been as sensitive to farmer issues as Narendra Modi who announced repeal of the agri laws because "some farmer brothers disagreed with them".
He termed the BJP as a party that has chosen the path of development and where casteism, regionalism and communalism are not acceptable.
Lashing out at the Samajwadi Party, Singh alleged that "crimes like loot, murder, abduction were a routine" during its rule. Whereas "the Yogi Adityanath government during its five-year term has changed the scenario and even hardcore criminals are behind the bars", he said.
The Union minister was scheduled to address a meeting at the local Yuvraj Palace and then go on a door-to-door campaign for BJP candidates Yogesh Verma from Lakhimpur and Manju Tyagi from Srinagar constituencies. (PTI)
Emphasising that she was working for the party when everyone thought she was absent, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati Wednesday launched her party’s campaign for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls from the “Dalit capital” of Agra.
The public meeting was BSP’s first show of strength for the Assembly election in Western UP which will go to polls on February 10. The rally comes at a time when other parties in the fray claimed Mayawati was absent on the ground leaving her supporters in the lurch.
“A news was flashed on many channels that I am not visible anywhere. I would like to tell everyone that I came to Lucknow from Delhi the moment the Covid scare subsided. Since then, I have been working constantly to strengthen the party from there. I reviewed the entire state functioning and the party affairs. It was a narrative built by the media that I am absent,” said Mayawati. Read More
Denied ticket from the Sarojini Nagar assembly constituency, Uttar Pradesh minister Swati Singh and her husband and state BJP vice-president Dayashankar Singh on Wednesday reposed faith in the party leadership, saying they will ensure victory of the nominee chosen by it.
The Sarojini Nagar assembly constituency in Lucknow hit the headlines recently due to a tussle for the party ticket between the husband-wife duo. The BJP, however, denied both of them and has nominated former Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer Rajrajeshwar Singh from the seat.
Reacting to the development, Dayashankar Singh said he accepted the party's decision and would wholeheartedly campaign for Rajrajeshwar Singh to ensure his victory. (PTI)
The BJP may have sprung a surprise by fielding Union Minister of State S P Singh Baghel from Karhal against Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. But that's where the surprise ends, as per voters of this Yadav bastion. “Local boy” Akhilesh, they say, is up for a huge win.
Karhal is located just 4 km from SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav's village Saifai which, with its wide roads, multi-specialty hospital and colleges, is a shining example of what being a political titan's home can mean.
SP flags are fluttering at Jain Inter College in Karhal, where “Netaji” (as Mulayam is called) studied and briefly taught. Among a group of Class 12 students playing cricket there is Sanjay Yadav. Waiting for his turn to bat, the 18-year-old says: “Who knows Baghel here? Even a child here will tell you their leader is Akhilesh. Bhaiyya’s popularity is unmatched. Yogi Baba (Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath) too would lose from here.” Read More
Senior Punjab Congress leader Sunil Jakhar has claimed that 42 MLAs wanted him to be the chief minister of the state after the unceremonious exit of Amarinder Singh last year. Jakhar could be heard saying this in a video -- that has surfaced online -- while addressing a gathering in Abohar on Tuesday.
Jakhar's nephew Sandeep Jakhar is contesting the Punjab assembly polls as a Congress candidate from the Abohar seat.
Sunil Jakhar was among the front runners for the chief ministerial post. But the party preferred Charanjit Singh Channi, who became the first chief minister of Punjab from the Scheduled Caste community. (PTI)
A row has erupted over Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's 'UP-type' remark, with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra saying on Wednesday that people of Uttar Pradesh are proud of their dialect and culture and that there was no need to "insult" the people of the state Sitharaman's remarks had come after Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, who is also an MP from Uttar Pradesh, said on Tuesday that Rahul Gandhi did not understand the budget.
After the former Congress President said that the government had delivered a zero sum budget, Chaudhary had said, "Probably, Rahul Gandhi did not understand the budget, which is futuristic".
Reacting to Chaudhary's remarks on Rahul Gandhi, Sitharaman had said, "I think he (Chaudhary) has given that typical UP-type of an answer which is good enough for an MP who ran away from UP." (PTI)
All 40 candidates of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the upcoming Goa Assembly polls on Wednesday signed affidavits promising that they will not indulge in corruption or defect.
“The biggest problem with Goa's politics is the frequent defections. We want to weed it out even before people vote for our candidates,” AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said addressing a press conference where all the 40 party nominees were present with their affidavits.
Elections to all 40 Assembly seats in Goa are scheduled on February 14 and results will be declared on March 10.
Kejriwal said his party candidates, by way of the affidavit, have given an undertaking that they will not indulge in any corrupt practices and also not switch over to any other political party during the tenure (as MLA if elected). The affidavit is significant as its violation by any AAP candidate will amount to legal breach of trust, he said. (PTI)
Addressing a virtual rally in Dehradun, Priyanka Gandhi said that there was nothing in the Budget for the poor or middle class.
"Somebody told me this morning that the price of diamonds has gone down and that of medicines has gone up. I'd like to ask you -- when will you open your eyes?" Gandhi said.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said that people of Uttarakhand must choose vikas (development) if they want to see change. “When a candidate talks about religion or castes, ask them what they will do for development,” Gandhi said, while addressing a virtual rally in Dehradun.
Releasing the Congress manifesto for Uttarakhand, Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday said that the party will ensure 4 lakh employment in the state, of which 40 per cent of government jobs will be reserved for women. She added that the party will focus on reviving the tourism sector post-Covid.
Aam Aadmi Party's chief ministerial face Bhagwant Mann in Punjab on Wednesday stated, "Contesting from two seats means that he (Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi) is scared of losing."
"I'd like to assure him that if he's scared of losing from one seat, he can add the other one as well. He'll lose from both, Bhadaur and Chamkaur Sahib," Mann said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will address a public meeting via phone after bad weather prevented his chopper from reaching the venue in Lakhimpur Kheri, ANI reported.
He will travel by road to attend a public meeting in Pilibhit.
Reacting to Congress campaign chief Sunil Jakhar's claim that 42 MLAs wanted him as Punjab CM, BJP minister Meenakshi Lekhi said, "It's not new. When Nehruji had become (party) chief, everyone supported Patel Ji, not him. If Patel Ji wasn't respected, how can you expect it for Jakhar Ji," ANI reported.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi will be releasing the party's poll manifesto for Uttarakhand shortly.
BSP chief Mayawati will sound the poll bugle for the UP elections from Agra on Wednesday.
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that his party candidates have signed a legal affidavit and taken a pledge to remain loyal to the party and work honestly if elected.
"All of our candidates are honest but this affidavit is needed to assure voters that these candidates are honest. Our candidates will send photocopies of the signed affidavit to every household in their constituency. By doing this, we're giving the right to voters to file a case of breach of trust against our candidates if they violate the terms of the affidavit," Kejriwal was quoted as saying by ANI.
Congress campaign chief in Punjab, Sunil Jhakar on Tuesday said he had received support from 42 MLAs after Capt Amarinder Singh resigned from the post.
"Present Punjab CM Channi received 2 MLAs' support, Sukhjinder Randhawa got 16 MLAs' support and Navjot Singh Sidhu got 6 MLAs' support," he was quoted as saying.
This comes as the Congress is mulling over its CM face for the Punjab polls. Both Channi and Sidhu are stated to be top contenders for the post.
Speaking to party workers on the Union Budget 2022, PM Modi said, "Migration from border villages not good for national security. The budget has provisions to develop 'vibrant villages' along the border."
"Vibrant village programme will benefit border villages in Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh," he said. "Government plans to impart National Cadet Corps training to youth in border villages. It will help them join armed forces," he added.
Former Uttar Pradesh minister and Azad Samaj Party candidate Uma Kiran and at least 100 supporters were booked for violation of the model code of conduct and Covid-19 norms as she allegedly took out a rally, police said on Wednesday.
The action against Kiran and her supporters was taken after a viral video showed them taking out a procession in Tejalheda village under Purkazi police station limits on Tuesday without permission, they said.
Kiran was expelled from the Samajwadi Party last month for "anti-party" activities after she shared dais with Azad Samaj Party chief Chandra Shekhar Azad.
Purkazi Assembly constituency will go to the polls in the first phase of voting on February 10. (PTI)
The Samajwadi Party on Wednesday announced that Swami Prasad Maurya will contest the upcoming UP polls from Fazilnagar in Kushinagar. Maurya had recently joined the party after quitting the BJP.
Meanwhile, Pallavi Patel has declared as its candidate from Sirathu in Kushinagar. She will be up against the BJP's Keshav Prasad Maurya.
In Lucknow's Sarojninagar, SP has fielded Abhishek Mishra.
"The budget also focused on modernizing Indian agriculture with a focus on organic farming. This will make farming more lucrative. Kisan drones and other machinery will be made available to the farmers at reasonable prices," PM Modi said.
Addressing party workers on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Ken-Betwa river interlinking project is set to change face of Bundelkhand spanning Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh."
The government has earmarked Rs 1,400 crore for implementation of the project in its Union Budget 2022-23.
What is the Ken-Betwa Linking Project? Read our Explainer to find out!
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the house provided under the PM’s scheme has turned the poor into “lakhpatis”. “In the last seven years, we have given 3 crore poor people pucca houses, and made them lakhpatis. Those who lived in slums, have their own houses. Our government has increased the price and size of these houses. Out of this, most of the houses are in the name of women. We have made women “maalkins” (owners),” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said, “There is a possibility of a new world order post-Covid pandemic. Today, the world’s perspective of looking at India has changed a lot. Now, the world wants to see a stronger India,” while addressing party workers on the Union Budget 2022.
"It is very important for us to make a self-reliant and modern India. This Budget has several important provisions to take India forward in the direction of modernity. India's economy is expanding continuously due to the decisions taken in the last 7 years," he added.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi has reached Dehradun. She will be releasing the party's manifesto for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, at the 'Uttarakhandi Swabhiman Pratigya' virtual rally.
Days after the BJP had extended a hand to RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary, which the latter refused, Chaudhary in Mathura said, "What will you get out of pleasing me? I don't want to be Hema Malini."
He claimed that Amit Shah had offered Yogesh (Nauhwar) to switch to the BJP.
He went on state, "What will the BJP do for people? Why is Ajay (Teni) still a minister? Every morning, they get up and spread hatred."
The Samajwadi Party (SP) is likely to field BJP's Allahabad MP Rita Bahuguna Joshi's son Mayank Joshi from Lucknow Cantonment seat for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, news agency ANI reported.
The speculation comes after the Bharatiya Janata Party denied a ticket to Mayank. While the SP has already declared its candidates from Lucknow, sources told ANI that it may change some of its candidates to make way for Mayank.
On Wednesday, when Mayawati kicks off her election campaign in Agra, amid rumours and intense speculation over her party’s strategy and prospects, many will hang on to every word of hers to assess which way the BSP leans or whether she would stay neutral and keep her options open.
With the party that once dominated UP’s political scene now increasingly becoming a fringe player, the chatter on the ground is all about whether Mayawati, a four-time Chief Minister, will fight to retain her party’s hold over the Dalit votes or prepare the ground for the BJP to return to power in Uttar Pradesh.
While die-hard supporters of Mayawati maintain that “Behenji” will be the kingmaker post counting day on March 10, a section of the Jatavs, her core supporters, appear unsure. It remains to be seen whether they will end up shifting their loyalty either to the BJP or to the SP-RLD alliance. Read more
Good morning and welcome to our Assembly Elections live blog! Here's what is in store for today:
Senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will campaign for party candidates in Badayun district in Uttar Pradesh.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi will be releasing the party's manifesto in Dehradun for Uttarakhand assembly elections.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh will take part in the Prabhavi Matdata Samvad function of the party in Pilibhit district.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and President of RLD Jayant Chaudhary will be in Bagpat, Shamli and Ghaziabad for campaigning.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Chief Mayawati will launch her party’s electioneering for UP assembly polls from Agra.
The Election Commission on Tuesday said, "Fifteen former civil servants who hold impeccable & brilliant track record of domain expertise and have past experience with election processes, have been included in the team as Special Observers for the current poll going states."
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's scheduled visit to Goa for assembly election campaigning on February 2 has been postponed for February 4.
The Congress party on Tuesday released a list of four candidates for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections.
A retired bureaucrat will take on a former babu in Ludhiana's Gill Assembly constituency where BJP nominee Sucha Ram Ladhar is pitted against Congress' sitting MLA Kuldeep Singh Vaid.
A 1991 batch Punjab cadre officer, the 63-year-old Ladhar says he has taken the plunge to continue serving the people.
Among others, Ladhar is pitted against Congress' sitting MLA Vaid, who is also a former bureaucrat. Interestingly, Vaid's brother Sarabjit joined the BJP on Saturday.
A M.Tech degree holder, Ladhar joined Punjab's Irrigation Department in 1982 and after serving for few years, he became an IAS officer in 1991 and was posted as Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Ludhiana. (PTI)
Samajwadi Party released a list of candidates for 10 constituencies, including for all six seats in Lucknow.
More than 81 lakh voters of Uttarakhand will decide the fate of 632 candidates when it goes to polls on February 14. After the withdrawal of 95 candidates on the last day for withdrawal of nominations on Monday there are a total of 632 left in the fray, the Election Commission said.
The number includes 136 Independents apart from candidates fielded by different political parties like the BJP, the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, the BSP, the Samajwadi Party and the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal.
The maximum number of 117 candidates are contesting from the 10 constituencies of Dehradun district, 110 from 11 constituencies in Haridwar. The minimum number of 14 candidates each are contesting from seats located in Champawat and Bageshwar districts. (PTI)
Uttar Pradesh's Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya accused Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav of practicing vote bank politics.
In a tweet in Hindi, Maurya said that during Yadav's 2012-17 tenure as CM, "only the daughters of a particular religion got the benefit of government schemes". He went on to say that the BJP government in the state, with its 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' motto, helps daughters of all religions financiall without any discrimination from birth till graduation.
Punjab Chief Minister Charanji Singh Channi filed nomination papers from the Sri Chamkaur Sahib constituency on Tuesday. He is also contesting from the Bhadaur Assembly Constituency.
In a jolt to Punjab Lok Congress (PLC), former Officer on Special Duty to the state's ex-Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, Sandeep Singh Sunny Brar is set to join the Shiromani Akali Dal. Brar, who was the PLC district president in Faridkot, was expelled from the party.
Former Punjab minister and Congress leader Jagmohan Singh Kang and his sons Yadvinder Singh Kang and Amarinder Singh Kang joined Aam Aadmi Party in the presence of party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday. He jumped ship after one of his sons was denied a ticket to contest the upcoming Assembly polls from the Kharar constituency.
As Punjab prepares to vote for a new government on February 20, the state’s altered political landscape could spring numerous surprises.
Traditionally, Punjab elections have largely been a bipolar or three-cornered contest but this time it is a five-cornered fight. Also for the first time the Shiromani Akal Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party are contesting all the 117 Assembly seats separately, with separate alliances. The farmers, the most vocal and crucial vote-bank of Punjab, have formed Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM), a conglomeration of farmer unions, to directly test the political currents for the first time.
Read more
Nawanshahr Congress MLA Angad Singh Saini Monday filed nomination as an Independent candidate from the seat after being denied ticket for the February Punjab Assembly polls, a decision, he alleged was taken by the party high command based not on his performance but on matters and issues related to his wife.
Angad’s wife Aditi Singh was a Congress MLA from UP’s Rae Bareli and had quit the party to join the ruling BJP there recently. She had reportedly dared Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to contest from Rae Bareli.
Read more
Granted 37 seats to contest from, Capt Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress has now “returned” three of them to senior alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), days before the state votes to elect its new government. The last date of filing nominations is Tuesday.
The PLC was not able to find candidates for Raja Sansi, Zira and Nawanshahr Assembly constituencies. It had earlier nominated Satvir Singh Pallijhikki, who had quit Congress to join PLC, from Nawanshahr. Pallijhikki, however, ditched the PLC on Sunday and returned to the Congress, which nominated him from Nawanshahr.
Read more
Amid hectic politicking ahead of the February 20 elections in Punjab, party-hopping has become the hottest trend in the poll-bound state. Punjab, in fact, has never seen party switching of this magnitude as it is now during a multi-cornered contest where rejects from one party easily finding greener pastures in the other.
With the former CM forming his own Punjab Lok Congress outfit and entering into an alliance with the BJP and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa’s SAD (Sanyukt), most leaders who could not land tickets from their respective parties have seen the alliance as an opportunity. But while many leaders from Congress, SAD, BJP and AAP have jumped ship, AAP and PLC have also seen their candidates return tickets to join the Congress.
Read more
The BJP has fielded wives of two convicted MLAs, while the Congress one from the seats won by their husbands five years ago.
The three MLAs are Ashok Singh Chandel (Hamirpur), Indra Pratap alias Khabbu Tiwari (Gosaiganj in Ayodhya district), and Sanjeev Raja (Aligarh, City). Notably, all the three had won on a BJP ticket in 2017 Assembly polls. Among them, two — Ashok Singh Chandel, convicted in a murder case; and Indra Pratap, convicted of forgery – are currently in jail.
Read more
Sanjha Sunehra Punjab Manch, a pressure group formed in August last year by former diplomat KC Singh, on Monday announced that it was transforming itself into a political party, Sunehra Punjab Party (SPP).
Addressing a press conference on Monday, KC Singh said that the SPP will not contest the upcoming February 20 elections, but would support candidates of the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM), who remained associated with the farm agitation.
Read more
As Punjab gets set to elect a new Assembly, an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Punjab Election Watch has found that 81% of sitting MLAs of the outgoing House are crorepatis, while 38% are between Class 8 and 12 pass in terms of educational qualifications.
The ADR and Punjab Election Watch findings are based on analysis of 113 poll affidavits of sitting MLAs of the outgoing Punjab Vidhan Sabha filed during 2017 (or later in case of bypolls). Punjab Assembly has strength of 117 members and the remaining 4 constituencies out of 117 are currently vacant.
Read more
A third gender candidate on Monday filed their nomination papers from Mohali Assembly constituency for the upcoming Assembly polls, thereby becoming the first candidate to contest elections from the community.
Maniksha (26), a graduate from Panjab University (PU), was among 14 candidates in the district who filed their nomination papers on Monday on behalf of the Samaaj Adhikar Kaylan Party.
Read more
As the election dates close in, there is a scramble among parties to get the social formula right in the selection of candidates. The last few days have seen major political players like the Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party and the AIMIM announcing a significant number of Muslim candidates.
The NDA, too, has announced one Muslim candidate. The Muslim-majority districts of Uttar Pradesh are expected to play an important part in the first phase of elections, the results of which may hold the key to power.
This suggests a growing claim for greater political representation from the community and the deepening of secular democracy in a society that is diverse and divided along caste and religious lines. It also seems to suggest that the BJP under CM Yogi Adityanath is under pressure as it tries to consolidate the votes of all caste fragments under the Hindutva banner.
Read more
AAP’s Mohali candidate Kulwant Singh is the richest candidate contesting the election in the district so far while SSM’s candidate is among the most qualified. A total of 14 candidates filed the nomination papers on Monday, including former Cabinet minister Balbir Singh Sidhu who is the Congress candidate from Mohali.
In his affidavit Kulwant declared that he did not have a criminal case pending against him. He had studied up to matric. He declared his movable assets worth Rs 196.13 crore.
Read more
On a day Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav filed his nomination from Karhal Assembly constituency in Mainpuri district for the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP sprung a surprise by fielding Union Minister of State Satya Pal Singh Baghel against him.
Baghel, currently an MP from Agra, also filed his nomination papers on Monday soon after Akhilesh submitted his papers. However, this would not be the first time that Akhilesh Yadav and Baghel will be facing each other in an electoral contest. The two had contested from Firozabad in the 2009 Lok Sabha election. Baghel had then lost to Akhilesh.
Read more
The Congress released its fifth list of candidates for the Assembly elections. The party sprung a surprise by fielding the mother-in-law of gangster Vikas Dubey’s nephew and associate Amar Dubey from Kalyanpur in Kanpur district.
Amar was killed in a police shootout on July 8, 2020, almost a week after eight policemen were gunned down in an ambush in Kanpur’s Bikru village when they were on their way to arrest Vikas. On July 10, Vikas was shot dead after he allegedly tried to flee while being brought back to the state from Madhya Pradesh.
Read more
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi mocked the allegation that his party was working as a “B Team” of the BJP to divert Muslim votes away from the Samajwadi Party, saying that he is working to elevate his party's status to “A-plus”.
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief asserted that he was willing to join hands with any party, barring Congress to defeat the BJP in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
The party of the Hyderabad MP is fighting the UP assembly elections on 203 seats as part of the 'Bhagidari Parivartan Morcha', a pre-poll alliance of a former UP minister Babu Singh Kushwaha's Jan Adhikar Party and BAMCEF, headed by Waman Meshram. (PTI)
“Elections need to be fought over real issues — development, why is there no water in your taps, why is there no electricity and no roads, why are people not able to find employment,” said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, All India Congress Committee General Secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, as she kickstarted her door-to-door campaign from Noida on Monday.
“You are talking about 80 per cent and 20 per cent, why are you not talking about how many people are unemployed in Uttar Pradesh? We are saying that the election needs to be fought on these matters,” she said, adding that only political parties benefit from spreading casteism and communalism, not the public.
Read more
On a campaign tour last week, Syana MLA Devendra Singh Lodhi had no sooner entered the Maakdi village in his constituency than he had to leave. Just as his SUV had stopped, angry locals surrounded it, shouting slogans. Lodhi speed away, without asking for votes.
Lodhi is one of the three sitting MLAs retained as candidates by the BJP in Bulandshahr. Four others MLAs have been dropped, just like many across the state, over voter dissatisfaction. In 2017, he had won the seat, dominated by the Lodhi Rajput caste followed by the Muslims and the Jats, after defeating BSP’s Dilnawaz Khan by 70,000 votes. Khan was the defender then, having won the 2012 polls on a Congress ticket.
This year, Khan is pitted against Lodhi again, but as the SP-RLD combine candidate. And with the protests in Maakdi, the BJP MLA might not have it easy at all.
Read more
Enforcement teams have seized liquor, psychotropic substances and unaccounted cash worth Rs 305 crore in Punjab since the model code of conduct came into force in the state with the announcement of assembly elections on January 8, according to state Chief Electoral Officer S Karuna Raju.
The seizure was made till January 30. Raju said the surveillance teams have seized 26.64 lakh litres of liquor worth Rs 12.11 crore. Similarly, the enforcement wings have also recovered psychotropic substances worth Rs 273.13 crore besides confiscating unaccounted cash worth Rs 18.48 crore.
The chief electoral officer said 2,860 people have been identified as probable sources of trouble. Preventive action has already been initiated against 1,835 people, while the remaining will also be brought to book, according to an official statement. (PTI)