News Analysis India

Tag: UP elections

  • UP election: Modi holds roadshow in Varanasi as last phase of polling nears

    By PTI

    VARANASI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi started his roadshow here on Friday afternoon, drumming up support for BJP candidates ahead of the last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on March 7.

    Modi arrived in his Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency after addressing a rally in neighbouring Mirzapur.

    He began the roadshow after garlanding a statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at Maldahiya crossing.

    The crowd chanted “Jai Shri Ram” and “Har Har Mahadev”, and showered rose petals as the prime minister’s convoy moved through the city to cover a distance of a little over three kilometres.

    Modi wore a saffron cap and a “gamcha” (towel) around the neck.

    According to the planned route, the roadshow would end close to the recently renovated Kashi Vishwanath complex, where the PM would offer prayers.

    Modi had begun his first roadshow in Varanasi from the same spot after filing his nomination papers for the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

    BJP city president Vidyasagar Rai said Modi will stay the night at the Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) guesthouse.

    Modi’s roadshow will cover the three assembly segments of Cantonment, Varanasi North and Varanasi South.

    The prime minister will wind up his trip on Saturday with a rally in Khajuria village under the Rohaniya assembly seat, also addressing people from the other five assembly segments under the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, Rai said.

    During an earlier stay at the DLW guesthouse, Modi had written in the visitors’ book that it reminded him of his childhood days when he used to vend tea at Vadnagar railway station in Gujarat.

    After the mega Modi event, Varanasi will see another roadshow by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav from 8 pm to 10 pm.

    SP’s Varanasi district president Vishnu Sharma told PTI that earlier they had sought permission from the district administration to hold the event from 5 pm to 10 pm.

    As the UP elections near their end, Varanasi is abuzz with the arrival of top leaders from all major parties.

    Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra landed in Varanasi Friday and headed to Phulpur middle school grounds for a rally after praying at the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

    The two reached the rally venue after holding a roadshow of their own in favour of Congress candidate Ajay Rai from Pindara assembly segment.

  • Mafia will be set free if Samajwadi Party voted to power: Amit Shah

    By PTI

    AZAMGARH: The mafia serving time in jail will be released if the Samajwadi Party comes to power in Uttar Pradesh, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday, adding that the Akhilesh Yadav-led party and the BSP have “tasted defeat” in the first five rounds of polling.

    Shah also announced free electricity to farmers, gas cylinders to women on the eve of festivities and scooters to young women, if voted to power again in the state.

    “I had promised that the rule of mafia will end in Uttar Pradesh, and in five years, all mafia have been finished. Atiq Ansari and Mukhtar Ansari are in jail under the Yogi Adityanath government. It will not be the same if the SP comes to power in UP and such elements will be released,” Shah said during an an election rally here.

    The SP and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have been defeated in the first five rounds of polling and now the BJP needs votes to ensure that it gets more than 300 seats, the home minister said.

    Hitting out at Akhilesh Yadav, Shah said the SP chief is wearing black glasses so he can see only darkness.

    Hailing the Yogi Adityanath government, he said there has been a sharp decline in the crime rate in the last five years.

    In order to woo women voters and farmers, Shah announced that a free cylinder will be given to every house on the occasion of Holi and Diwali and that free electricity will be provided to farmers for five years if the BJP reassumes power.

    He also announced that jobs will be given to the youth on basis of their qualification while he promised free scooters for young women.

    Hitting out at political rivals, Shah said the opposition parties kept Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, for over seven decades.

    “Our government withdrew it and nobody dared to throw a single stone (in protest),” he said.

    Azamgarh will go to polls in the last phase of the ongoing Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on March 7.

  • UP polls: Phase–6 registers moderate 55.79 per cent voter turnout

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: A total of 57 constituencies across 10 districts covering the religious-political belt of UP from Ambedkarnagar in the central region to Gorakhpur and Kushinagar in the far east bordering Bihar and Nepal on the other side recorded a moderate – 55.79 per cent – voters’ turnout in the penultimate phase of ongoing 7-phased Assembly election of the state on Thursday.

    However, the voting continued till 6 pm and the final figures of Phase-6 will be revised by the state election commission on Friday. After phase-6, voting for 292 of the 403 Assembly seats has been completed. The final phase of polling in the remaining 54 seats across seven districts including Varanasi will be held on March 7.

    The bigwigs whose fate was sealed in phase-6 included UP CM Yogi Adityanath who made his debut in assembly electoral politics from Gorakhpur Urban. Others included BJP deserter Swami Prasad Maurya from Fazilnagar in Kushinagar, leader of opposition in state assembly Ram Govind Chaudhury of SP from Bansdih and UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu from Tamkuhiraj also in Kushinagar. Besides the fate of seven Yogi ministers was also at stake in this phase.

    The voters’ turnout in the sixth phase of the current elections has been slightly lower than the corresponding phase of 2017 Assembly polls as it was 55.52 per cent.

    In the sixth phase, of 57 seats up for grabs across Ambedkarnagar, Deorai, Ballia, Sant Kabir Nagar, Gorakhpur, Balrampur, Maharajganj, Basti, Kushinagar and Siddharthnagar, 48 were won by the BJP and its allies. The Bahujan Samaj Party had fared better than the Samajwadi Party in this phase in 2017 winning five seats. The SP could manage to bag just two seats and Congress one. Amanmani Tripathi had won as independent from Natutanva.

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    In phase-6, the fate of total of 676 candidates was sealed in the EVMs. Around 2.14 crore voters were eligible to cast their vote to elect their favourite MLA. The trend of voting in phase-6 was in consonance with the corresponding phase in 2017 assembly polls. While Ambedkarnagar recorded the highest 62.66 per cent voters’ turnout, Balrampur logged the lowest count at 48.90 per cent. In 2017, Ambedkarnagar has registered 64.05 per cent voting and Balrampur was at bottom with 50.91 per cent.

    Ambedkarnagar was considered to be a bastion of BSP till 2017 when the party had won three out of five assembly constituencies. However, this time, it would be interesting to BSP bastion on March 10 as the party stalwarts including Lalaji Verma from Katehari, Ram Achal Rajbhar from Akbarpur and Tribhuvan Dutt from Alapur are contesting on SP ticket from their respective constituencies.

    The district which stood out in phase-6 defying the voting pattern of 2017 polls was Gorakhpur, the traditional bastion of Yogi Adityanath. In the land of Gorakshnath, the 11th-century saint, 58.89 per cent of voters turned up to exercise their franchise which surpassed 55.44 per cent recorded in 2017.

    Similarly, Kushinagar has been the other district to have registered 59 per cent voting which was slightly higher than 2017 when 58.16 per cent of voters had turned up to cast their vote.

    Meanwhile,  Ballia had 52.01 per cent, Balrampur 48.90 per cent, Basti 57.20 per cent, Deoria 56 per cent, Mahrajganj 59.50 per cent, Sant Kabir Nagar 52.21 per cent and Siddharth Nagar 51.60 per cent.

    Prominent among those who cast their votes in the morning included Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Basic Education Minister Satish Chandra Dwivedi, Rural Development minister Upendra Tiwari, Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chowdhury, Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party chief Om Prakash Rajbhar and former minister Narad Rai.

    Additional Chief Electoral Officer (ACEO) BDR Tiwari said that polling was going on peacefully in the state.

    In the re-polling at a polling station in Handia assembly seat in Prayagraj district, 59.55 per cent polling was recorded till 5 pm.

  • UP elections: Mamata shown black flags in BJP stronghold Varanasi

    Express News Service

    GORAKHPUR: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, who landed in Varanasi on Wednesday to campaign in support of Samajwadi Party, was shown black flags while on her way to Dashashwamedh ghat from airport.

    As soon as Mamata proceeded to Dashashwamedh ghat, she was faced protests at several places when BJP supporters showed her black flags first in Chetganj locality and then at Godowliya.

    In Chetganj, on seeing the black flags by a crowd shouting Jai Shree Ram, the west bengal CM lost her cool, stopped the car and came out on the road.

    Pushing the protestors, Mamta dared the BJP workers to come forward with black flags. 

    “You all are losing the elections. These are not black flags but your fear of losing elections,” she shouted on the mike.

    The west bengal CM also shouted the slogan : “Jai UP, Jai Hind.”

    Subsequently, as she proceeded further, she was shown black flags at Gowdowliya. However, the district police pushed the protestors aside.

    On getting the information about protests, SP workers gathered at Godowliya crossing in retaliation. Both the groups of protestors came face to face to be sent away by the cops.

    Then Mamata Banerjee reached Dashashwamedh ghat and paid obeisance at Ganga Mandir. She also watched the famous Ganga Arti while sitting on the stairs of the ghat.

    Mamata is expected to address a couple of rallies along with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in and around Varanasi which will vote in final phase on March 7.

    Mamata is scheduled to stay in Varanasi for the next two days.

    However, in the wake of protests against the west bengal CM, the district administration has beefed up the security.

  • Ex-UP minister Swami Prasad Maurya’s son taken for questioning by police

    By PTI

    GORAKHPUR: The son of former UP minister Swami Prasad Maurya, fighting from the Fazilnagar assembly constituency as a Samajwadi Party candidate, was on Wednesday taken to the police station for questioning on the allegation that he was distributing money to people on the eve of polling.

    Kushinagar District Magistrate S Rajalingam gave this information while denying Mauray’s claim that his son Ashok Maurya was arrested in a “false” case of instigating violence against BJP supporters.

    DM Rajalingam denied the allegation saying Maurya’s son has been taken to the police station only for questioning after allegedly being found distributing money to voters on the eve of voting in the area.

    “The information of arrest is totally wrong. We got information in the evening that Swami’s son is distributing money and campaigning and he along with some others were found on the spot in three vehicles and police took him to the police station,” the DM said.

    “He is not a voter of the area and what he was doing there within 48 hours of the poll is a clear violation of the Model Code of Conduct,” the DM said, adding he has been taken to the police station only for questioning.

    “The information of arrest is wrong. A probe has been initiated in the matter,” the DM said.

    Maurya, a former Cabinet colleague of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, made the claim of his son’s arrest in a social media post soon after two cross-FIR were lodged by the Kushinagar police on Wednesday on complaints by his party supporters and those of BJP candidate Surendra Singh Kushwaha.

    In the FIR and the counter-FIR, each of the two sides has alleged attack on it by the other side.

    The FIR lodged on the complaint of the BJP side accused former UP minister Maurya, his daughter Sanghmitra Maurya, a BJP MP, and son Ashok Maurya of leading and instigating their supporters to attack the participants of a saffron party’s poll procession, police said.

    The second FIR lodged by Maurya’s supporters made similar allegations against Kushwaha, block head Vashisht Rai alias Guddu Rai and others, police said.

    The two FIRs together named 39 people from both side and hundreds of other unidentified people in them, the police said.

    Both sides accused each other of a planned attack and based on their written complaints, FIRs were lodged against 39 named people, including 25 of Maurya’s side and 14 belonging to the BJP side besides hundreds of other unnamed people of both sides, police said.

    “Based on written complaints from both sides, FIRs have been lodged under sections 147, 148, 171-F, 308, 323, 352, 392, 427, 504, 506 of the Indian Penal Code,” Kushinagar Superintendent of Police Sachindra Patel said.

    These sections respectively pertain to rioting, rioting using deadly weapons, exercising undue influence during elections, attempting culpable homicide, causing injury, using criminal force, committing robbery, causing mischief, breaching the peace and issuing threats.

  • Rakesh Tikait urges people to camp near counting centres in UP, claims irregularities can take place

    By PTI

    BAGHPAT: Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait on Wednesday urged people to come on tractors and camp near counting centres in Uttar Pradesh, claiming “irregularities” could take place.

    Counting of votes for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections will take place on March 10.

    “What was done in the zila panchayat (elections) cannot be ignored. Reach the counting centres a day before the counting is taken up and camp with tractors at the counting sites from March 9 itself,” Tikait told reporters in Baraut in Baghpat.

    He also asked people to reach with beddings a day ahead as they will not be allowed to go there on March 10.

    During the zila panchayat polls held in the state last year, opposition parties had alleged large scale irregularities.

    Attacking the government, Tikait said that the dues of sugarcane farmers in this area had not been paid for a year but in view of elections, pending payments were cleared in 10 to 15 days.

    “I mean, the government can get payments made whenever it wants. If elections are held every year, then payment of sugarcane (farmers) can also be made every year,” he said.

    Slamming the BJP government at the Centre, he said it is looking for votes even in the Ukrainian crisis by making students returning from there give statements on the evacuation operation.

    “Those who give statements in favour of the government are being shown and those who are telling the reality are not being shown. The elections are more important for the Indian government, are children of India not dear to them. (They are) Looking for votes in a war,” Tikait alleged.

  • ‘Dumdaar sarkar’ must for development of UP, only BJP can guarantee it: Yogi Adityanath

    By PTI

    GORAKHPUR/SIDHARTHNAGAR/BALRAMPUR: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said a ‘dumdaar sarkar’ (strong government) was a must for the all-round development of the state and only a BJP-led dispensation could guarantee it to the people.

    “Yogi will do everything to make your life easier under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Adityanath said, asserting that he will work for the welfare of all.

    On governments led by other parties, he said the people have been a witness to the workings of three governments led by the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the BJP.

    “You must have noticed the difference (among these dispensations). The previous governments failed to provide safety and security to people, risked youths’ lives and looted money meant for development,” the chief minister claimed.

    “Their governance was extremely poor. Whereas we have ensured safety and security of every citizen while carrying out development programmes as well as welfare schemes for the poor and the needy with total transparency. They provided power after looking at people’s faces, while we provide electricity to everyone,” he said.

    Adityanath said his government provided 5 lakh government jobs in the last five years, and if it is elected again, it would give a job to every family.

    He said none of the earlier governments would have built a Ram temple in Ayodhya which was pending for five centuries.

    Continuing his attack against the SP in Siddharthnagar’s Kapilvastu and Domariyaganj constituencies, Adityanath accused the party of sheltering criminals and goons.

    “The SP blatantly supports criminals. It is evident from the fact that the SP leaders visit houses of murderers and not of victims. They do not care about the sufferings of the people,” the chief minister claimed.

    He said his government has made the state safer while ensuring its development and asserted that women and daughters are blessing the BJP in abundance.

    Adityanath greeted the people on the occasion of Maha Shivratri and compared the current situation with that prevailing five years ago, claiming that only riots took place in the past.

    “There are no riots today, only ‘Kanwar Yatra’ passes through the state with chants of ‘Har Har Bum Bum’,” he added.

    The chief minister alleged that for the Samajwadi Party development meant building boundaries of cemeteries but development for the BJP government it meant providing water, power, ration etc at the doorsteps of people.

    “We’ll give smartphones and tablets to two crore youths,” he said.

    Addressing rallies in Tulsipur and Utraula assembly seats of Balrampur, Adityanath said the district was the ‘karmbhoomi’ of the former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and it was touching new heights of development under the BJP government.

    Attacking the SP, he alleged, “The sentiments of our government are with every section of the society but the Samajwadi Party’s support base comprises terrorists.”

    Bulldozers are being used to construct roads as well as to extort money from mafias, he said, adding that when leaders of the SP and the BSP hear about bulldozers they panick.

    “They (opposition) have already made arrangements for their foreign escape on March 11. They have booked their tickets because they know the result. Some (will flee) to England, some to Australia, and the remaining to Nepal,” he claimed, adding that patrolling has been increased on Nepal border and they would not be able to escape.

  • EC orders re-polling at polling station in Handia Assembly segment in UP’s Prayagraj

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday ordered re-polling at the Manikpur primary school polling station of Handia Assembly constituency in Prayagraj district of Uttar Pradesh.

    The re-polling will take place from 7 am to 6 pm on Thursday (March 3), Chief Electoral Officer of the state Ajay Kumar Shukla said in a statement.

    The commission has ordered re-polling at polling station number 311 — Manikpur Handiya primary school — where polling was held on Sunday, the statement said.

    The decision was taken after certain important documents went missing from the polling station after the conclusion of polling, it added.

  • BSP’s list of candidates for UP polls resembles ‘Muslim league’, says Adityanath

    By PTI

    GORAKHPUR/DEORIA: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday accused the opposition of playing politics of “appeasement” and alleged that the Bahujan Samaj Party’s list of candidates for the state polls resembled a “Muslim league”.

    Addressing a series of meetings in the poll-bound state, he said the opposition parties are spreading hatred among communities to increase their votebank.

    “While the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) candidate list gives a clear message that the party is not ready to leave criminals, goons and rioters, the Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) list of candidates resembles a ‘Muslim league’. This proves that they will not give equal representation to all sections and regions,” he said during public meetings at Pathardeva, Salempur and Rudrapur assembly constituencies in Deoria.

    Targeting the alleged appeasement policy of the Samajwadi Party, Adityanath said under the earlier regime, electricity was provided on the occasions of Eid-Bakrid, while there were power cuts during Holi and Deepawali in the state.

    “For the first time, government schemes are reaching every individual in the state under the BJP government,” he said.

    The chief minister further said people have rejected the “hardcore dynasts” and ‘lotus’ (BJP election symbol) is sure to bloom at every booth of Gorakhpur.

    Addressing an election rally in Pipraich assembly constituency, he termed it as “futile” to trust the opportunist leaders who keep changing friends with every election, referring to SP-BSP and SP-Congress alliances in earlier elections in the state.

    “Our government’s sentiments are with every section of the society, but SP’s support base is with terrorists. The previous Samajwadi Party government was the first to withdraw terror cases,” he alleged.

    Claiming that all-around development has been done by his government in the state, the BJP leader said, “If our double engine government comes to power again, all women of over 60 years of age can travel for free in state-run buses.”

    He also emphasised the fact that no riots took place in the state under his governance, nor did women or businessmen suffered harassment.

    “We did what we said. We also promise to provide government jobs or employment to one youth of every family in the next five years,” he added.

    At another election meeting in Deoria, Adityanath accused the opposition parties of “doing politics of appeasement and spreading hatred among communities to increase their votebank”, adding that their candidate lists reflect their “vested interests”.

    Reiterating that SP and BSP’s rule was synonymous with anarchy, terror and hooliganism, he said, “Whenever they (SP, BSP) ruled, riots took place. No riots took place in the last five years, while 700 riots took place during SP government and 364 riots during BSP’s rule.”

    The Uttar Pradesh chief minister added that the BJP has attained an inaccessible lead in the first five phases of the ongoing assembly polls and the party is poised well to hit a ‘sixer’ in the final phases to romp home with 300-plus seats.

  • UP polls: Akhilesh Yadav as CM protected terrorists, alleges Nadda

    By PTI

    MIRZAPUR/JAUNPUR: BJP president J P Nadda on Monday alleged that Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav protected terrorists during his tenure as the CM of Uttar Pradesh, which is witnessing a rule of law today.

    After 2017, the BJP government has taken strict action against such elements, he said.

    “It is the rule of law in the state now and not that of a family or an individual,” Nadda said addressing an election rally in Mirzapur.

    “Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, during his tenure as the (Uttar Pradesh) chief minister, used to give protection to terrorists, withdraw cases against them and embrace them,” Nadda alleged.

    The BJP president also accused Yadav of instigating people by calling the Covid vaccine as the “BJP vaccine”.

    However, he did not stop from taking the jab when needed, Nadda said.

    In Jaunpur, the BJP president claimed, “The leaders of no party other than the BJP have the courage to go among people with the report card of their work as they have done what they had promised.”

    “If there is any party that cares for the poor, underprivileged, oppressed, exploited, women, youth and farmers, it is the BJP,” he said.

    The BJP president also elaborated on the development work undertaken in the area during the BJP government and spoke about various welfare schemes while seeking support for NDA candidates in Mirzapur and Jaunpur in the ongoing Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.