News Analysis India

Tag: Polls

  • Former Manipur cop Brinda to contest polls on JD-U’s ticket

    By Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Former decorated cop Thounaojam Brinda will contest the Manipur elections on the ticket of Janata Dal (United).

    After she had joined the party on Sunday, it was decided to field her from the Yaiskul constituency in the Imphal valley. 

    Brinda told this newspaper that she believed JD-U was a good choice. “I took into consideration the local conditions. People wanted me to contest from a party that is a partner of the ruling party (BJP),” she said.

    She said she could have contested from the Congress but it did not have a bright prospect. She will be up against sitting MLA Thokchom Satyabrata Singh of the BJP among others.

    BJP leader Thangjam Arunkumar, who resigned from the party after being denied a ticket, also joined the JD-U.

  • Congress to launch booklet highlighting rising prices under BJP govt

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday will highlight the issue of rising prices and will launch a ‘BJP brought inflation’ booklet in poll-bound states.

    The Congress will organise a series of press conferences underlining the problems faced by the people due to inflation and hold the central government responsible for it.

    Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala will hold a press conference in Lucknow, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in Chandigarh, and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan in Goa.

    Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh will address a press conference in Jalandhar, Sachin Pilot in Dehradun, Hardik Patel in Meerut, and Ranjit Ranjan and Supriya Srinate in Varanasi.

    “The people of the country are suffering from inflation and BJP is enjoying. The double whammy of rising prices and falling income has made life difficult for people,” AICC Secretary Pranav Jha said.

    ALSO READ: Congress to launch booklet highlighting how BJP ‘compromised’ with interests of armed forces

    “The back-breaking prices have spoiled the budget of families. Modi ji, BJP took votes by serving lies of ‘acche din’ and served the poison of inflation in people’s lives,” he said.

    The party will highlight that the wholesale price index has reached a 12-year high under BJP rule and the high excise duty on petrol and diesel, a statement said.

    It will also highlight that the BJP increased rail passenger fare by 205 per cent since January 1, 2022 and how it has made clothes, shoes, children’s books, withdrawing money from ATM, auto booking from app and ordering food, among other things, more expensive, the statement said.

    ALSO READ: Congress releases booklet titled ‘Kisne Bigada Uttar Pradesh’ to sensitise workers in UP

    This will be the third booklet that Congress releases in poll-bound states. Last week, Congress had launched a booklet to highlight how the BJP government “compromised” with the interests of armed forces and held press conferences on it.

    Before that, the party had launched a booklet to highlight the farmers’ plight under the Modi government and held press conferences in various cities.

  • Protests erupt in Manipur after BJP announces candidates’ names

    By Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Protestors torched BJP flags, posters and allegedly forced the closure of its offices in some parts of Manipur on Sunday after their leaders were denied party tickets.

    The incidents were reported from a few constituencies, including Kakching and Sagolband. Protests were also staged in the state capital of Imphal. However, there were no violent incidents. Apprehending trouble, the authorities had tightened security across constituencies in the Imphal valley. 

    The BJP’s Manipur election in-charge Bhupender Yadav claimed members with a long association with the party had been fielded while two sitting MLAs were denied tickets. 

    A large number of police commandos and personnel from central paramilitary forces have remained deployed at the party’s head office for about a week while the security of partys’ state president A Sharda Devi, ministers and MLAs were also tightened.

    As immediate fallout, an aspirant at the Wangkhei seat, Thangjam Arunkumar, resigned from the party. Opposition Congress and National People’s Party said several BJP leaders, who missed the bus, were likely to contest the polls on their tickets.

    After declaring the names of all 60 candidates in Delhi, Yadav exuded confidence that the party would retain power with more than a two-thirds majority. In the 2017 polls, the party had won 21 seats against Congress’ 28 but managed to cobble up the numbers to form the government.

    However, the list has the names of over a dozen who had won the last election contesting from the Congress and other parties and later, defected to the BJP.

    Three retired IAS officers – Dinganglung Gangmei, Yengkhom Surchandra and Raghumani Singh and three women – Soraisam Kebi Devi, SS Olish and Nemcha Kipgen – are among the BJP candidates.

    Chief Minister N Biren Singh will contest from his pet Heingang seat, Assembly Speaker Yumnam Khemchand from Singjamei and senior minister Thongam Biswajit from Thongju. The two-phase polls will be held on February 27 and March 3.

  • UP polls: Akhilesh Yadav to contest elections from Mainpuri’s Karhal seat, say sources

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav will contest the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections from Mainpuri’s Karhal constituency, informed sources on Thursday.

    However, the SP chief on Wednesday said that he will contest Assembly elections after taking permission from Azamgarh residents. Yadav is currently a Lok Sabha MP from Azamgarh.

    Elections to the 403 assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases starting February 10.

    The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27, and March 3 and 7 in seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.