News Analysis India

Tag: UP Polls 2022

  • Miffed over denial of ticket, BJP leaders quits party, joins BSP

    By PTI

    MATHURA: Pained over the denial of ticket for the upcoming Assembly polls, senior BJP leader S K Sharma resigned from the primary membership of the party and joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Wednesday.

    His close aide Niraj Rawat also followed suit.

    Sharma had contested the 2017 Assembly elections on the BJP ticket from Mant constituency.

    “The BJP has deceived me twice and the party has lost its earlier character,” Sharma told reporters.

    Sharma said though he wanted to contest from Mathura in 2017, the BJP leadership compelled him to enter the fray from Mant and assured him a berth in the legislative council in case he lost.

    Though he was not offered a seat in the Upper House, Sharma said, he was instructed to work in Mant and the leadership assured him a ticket from the same constituency this time.

    However, that was not to be the case.

    Sharma said he did not seek a “single penny” from the BJP but mentioned that he had given enough to the party.

    “Now, I have resigned from all positions in the BJP and joined the BSP. Not only this, I will also contest as the BSP candidate from Mathura,” Sharma, who is expected to file his nomination papers on Thursday, said.

    Meanwhile, alliance partners Samajwadi Party (SP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) seem to have locked horns over the Mant Assembly seat.

    Despite the pact between the two parties, SP’s national spokesperson Sanjai Lathar claimed that the party has given him a go ahead to contest from the constituency while RLD candidate Yogesh Nauhar has already filed his nomination papers claiming that he is the official candidate of the alliance.

    The BJP on Wednesday released the name of one more candidate for the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, fielding Mukta Raja from Aligarh.

    With this, the BJP has so far announced 110 candidates for the state assembly polls, where the party is contesting elections in an alliance with the Apna Dal and the Nishad Party.

    The party on Wednesday announced that Mukta Raja will be its candidate from Aligarh assembly.

    Earlier in the day, the top brass of the BJP including its president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah held deliberations with Uttar Pradesh unit leaders including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to finalise the remaining candidates for the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

    The BJP leaders also held meetings with Apnal Dal leader Anupriya Patel and Nishad Party leader Sanjay Nishad to finalise the seat sharing agreement.

    The elections for the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls will be held in seven phases starting from February 10.

  • UP polls: Congress promises debt waiver, Rs 2,500 support price for wheat, paddy

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: The Congress on Wednesday released a white paper on agriculture and promised to increase the support price of wheat and paddy to Rs 2,500 a quintal besides a debt waiver for farmers if voted to power in the UP Assembly polls.

    Releasing the white paper here, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel slammed the BJP-led Union government for not giving the legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) for crops and alleged that an attempt is being made to crush farmers.

    If voted to power, the Congress will increase the support price of wheat and paddy to Rs 2,500 a quintal and remove debt burden on farmers, he said.

    The Congress will also implement a scheme to buy cow dung so that the cattle, which have been rendered useless, are not left to stray in the open, he said.

    He also accused the Centre of betraying farmers.

    Far from doubling the income of farmers as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the “anti-farmer policies” of the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state have led to an increase in the cost of farming, Baghel told reporters.

    “It is the misfortune of our ‘annadatas’ that despite agitating for 14 months, they have not been given the guarantee of the MSP. It is unfortunate that the government has failed to give due respect to the hard work of the ‘annadatas’,” he said referring to the stir against the Centre’s farm laws.

    Elaborating on problems faced by farmers like rising expense on agriculture, lack of proper remuneration for the produce and unavailability of fertilisers, Baghel said there is an attempt to crush farmers and the Lakhimpur incident, where farmers were mowed down under the vehicle of a minister’s son, is an example that this is going to be the fate of farmers.

    The Chhattisgarh CM said after facing defeat in bypolls in several states, the BJP government decreased prices of petrol and diesel and said this means that if people have to get rid of inflation and ensure that farmers get right price of their produce, this government will have to be removed.

    He flayed the government for imposing GST on tractors and agricultural machinery.

    Stressing that politics is being played over cow in Uttar Pradesh, he said people have stopped keeping the cattle and they are roaming in the open.

    “Farmers are saving their crops either by fencing or by staying awake the whole night. Cows are dying or have become weak in the cowsheds made for them but people running the cowsheds are getting fat,” he said.

  • UP polls: Political parties locked in battle of songs as campaigning intensifies

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: In the battle for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, a musical war has broken out between political parties which are resorting to catchy campaign songs to promote their policies and ideologies.

    The Election Commission has imposed restrictions on poll rallies till January 22 in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases in the five poll-going states.

    After the BJP, Congress and Samajwadi Party, the Aam Aadmi Party too has released its theme song for the elections.

    Although, the custom of resorting to songs during elections is old, with the campaign going virtual due to the Covid pandemic, the competition among parties to grab the attention of voters has only intensified.

    While the ruling BJP refers to the party’s “Hindutva pride” and the “development” done under the Yogi Adityanath government, the opposition Samajwadi Party echoes the socialist sentiments and the achievements of the previous government led by Akhilesh Yadav.

    BJP MPs and Bhojpuri actors Ravi Kishan and Manoj Tiwari have come out with various songs and some more are in the pipeline.

    Among these, ‘damru jab bajega to dekhna nazara kya hoga’ — apparently referring to the damru of lord Shiva, is quite popular while similar songs like ‘jo Ram ko laye haye, hum unko layenge’ (those who have brought lord Ram, we will bring them to power) and ‘mandir banne laga hai, bhagwa rang chadhne laga hai’ (construction of temple has begun, saffron colour is on the rise) are testament to BJP leveraging on the upcoming Ram temple in Ayodhya.

    “The Election Commission has banned election rallies and meetings till January 22. In such a situation, BJP wants to make a place in the hearts and minds of voters through songs. The party will take these songs to every voter through its social media team,” BJP’s state media in-charge Manish Dixit told PTI.

    Meanwhile, the SP’s songs promise to end all “woes” of the people if it is voted to power while emphasising on how the socialist ideology ensures welfare of all sections of the society.

    Some of the songs like ‘hunkara’, ‘janata pukarti hai’ (people are calling) and ‘jai-jai samajwadi’ (hail samajwadi) are all about the work done by the previous SP government and giving hope to the people to solve their problems if it comes to power again.

    SP national spokesperson Ashutosh Verma said the songs strike a chord with the unemployed youth, farmers, labourers, women, exploited and downtrodden sections and the party intends to “heal their wounds”.

    These songs will resonate in every village and town of the state and will remind the people of how important the SP government is for the development of all, he said.

    The theme song of Congress, which claims it is fighting the elections to bring women into mainstream politics, also revolves around them.

    Congress’s media convener Lalan Kumar said the party’s election campaign is being overseen by general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and her thoughts are clearly reflected in the songs.

    The AAP, which is contesting on all 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh has released its song ‘rajniti ko badalne AAP ayaa hai, pehli baar jhadu chaap aaya hai’ (we have come to change politics) written by the party’s Bihar cultural cell president Lokesh.

    AAP MP and UP in-charge Sanjay Singh said the song is about the party’s promise of free electricity, education, unemployment allowance and Rs 1,000 per month.

    He said that the party will soon come up with another song — ‘subah subah ghar se nikal ke line lag jayega, jhanse mein nahi aayega’ (we will join the queue for voting, will not be swayed by anyone) A song for the people of Purvanchal is also coming soon, he added.

    Singh said, the AAP has formed a minimum of 20 teams in each assembly constituency and party functionaries and workers will use social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to convey the party’s message through these songs.

    According to political analyst Parvez Ahmed, whether it was the freedom movement or any fight fought for change, songs play a very important role in uniting people.

    “In the movements held from time to time, songs have been considered as a very effective medium of conveying the point of view of the people participating in them,” he said.

    Whether it was the Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan movement or any other campaign, songs were used effectively and aggressively on all occasions.

    It is human nature to get attracted towards songs and music and this is why songs are crucial even during elections.

    More often than not, they do the job of getting into the hearts and minds of the voters, he said.

  • Won’t tie-up with Samajwadi Party even for 100 seats now: Chandrashekhar Azad

    By PTI

    NOIDA: The Aazad Samaj Party on Tuesday said it will no longer approach the SP for a tie-up for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections even if Akhilesh Yadav offers it 100 seats.

    Aazad Samaj Party (ASP) chief Chandrashekhar Azad said his party is open to stitching an alliance with others and maintained that his fight has always been with the RSS and the BJP.

    The party had said last week that efforts were being made to form a third front of several opposition parties, apparently after disagreement over seat sharing with Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP).

    “I have made it clear. The time was till today (Tuesday) for the leader whom I had approached for an alliance to stop the BJP. I announce this today that we are not going with them (SP). Now, even if they offer us 100 seats we will not tie-up with them because it’s a matter of self-respect,” Azad told reporters.

    On Yadav saying he would extend support to the ASP, the flamboyant Dalit leader said he is a lawyer by education and understands well the difference in the language of support and taunt, in a veiled attack on the SP president who had offered two seats to the ASP recently.

    He said workers and activists of the Bhim Army, a Dalit outfit he founded, and the ASP are strong enough to compete in the polls and have a reach at village level.

    “It is true that we are open to forming tie-ups with other parties. Around 50 small outfits are sitting at our office now as we speak but we have come for the press conference here since it was pre-scheduled,” Azad claimed.

    He added that ASP will not field candidates against the RLD, which has a tie-up with the SP for the UP polls because of respect for the Jayant Chaudhary-led party,which had offered the ASP the two seats that Yadav was talking about.

    Elections to the 403 seats of the UP Assembly will take place in seven phases, beginning February 10.

    The results will be announced on March 10.

  • Samajwadi Party wants Mamata Banerjee to campaign for it in UP: Kiranmay Nanda

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Samajwadi Party vice-president Kiranmay Nanda Monday said that the party wants West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to campaign for it in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly election.

    Nanda returned from Uttar Pradesh on Monday and is scheduled to meet Banerjee at her residence on January 18 evening when the subject would be discussed.

    “The way Mamata Banerjee fought against BJP in the Bengal assembly poll was unprecedented. The entire nation saw the fight she had put up against the BJP’s juggernaut. The Samajwadi Party and our party president Akhilesh Yadav wants her to campaign for us in the UP Assembly poll. Banerjee had early communicated to Akhilesh Yadav that if needed she will campaign for the party,” he told PTI.

    Akhilesh Yadav shares a very cordial relation with Banerjee and had attended the grand opposition meeting hosted by the TMC supremo in January 2019.

    The election in all 403 Assembly seats of the politically most important state will be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7.

    Nanda said most of the campaign is being held virtually due to COVID restrictions.

    Praising the TMC supremo, he said, “Mamata Banerjee is a strong leader and the way she fought against BJP is a lesson for the entire opposition. I am here to discuss with her the schedule for the campaign, be it virtual or in person. I will meet her on Tuesday”.

    Banerjee had led TMC to a emphatic win in West Bengal for the third consecutive term in 2021 in the face of a stiff challenge by BJP.

    One of the longest-serving fisheries minister of West Bengal during the Left Front regime, Nanda had merged his party – West Bengal Socialist Party with Samajwadi Party in 2010.

    During the high octane West Bengal assembly polls in 2021, SP had decided against contesting and extended its support to the ruling TMC.

  • UP polls: Unfazed by FIR, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel continues reaching out to public

    By PTI

    NOIDA: Unfazed by an FIR against him, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday continued reaching out to the public and held door-to-door campaigns in Dadri and Jewar areas of Gautam Buddh Nagar for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls in favour of Congress candidates.

    Baghel, the Congress’ observer for the polls in UP, held door-to-door campaigns for candidate Deepak Bhati ‘Chotiwala’ in Dadri and Manoj Chaudhary from Jewar, a day after an FIR was lodged against him for flouting COVID-19 norms during a poll campaign in Noida.

    “CM Baghel went on a door-to-door campaign in Bisrakh and Dujana villages of Dadri and informed them about public welfare schemes implemented in Chhattisgarh. He exhorted people to rise above the politics of caste and religion and vote the Congress into power in UP for progress and development,” a Congress statement read.

    With Baghel seeking support for him, Deepak Bhati, who is pitted against BJP’s sitting Dadri MLA Tejpal Nagar, exuded confidence of the Congress winning the seat this time.

    The Chhattisgarh chief minister later visited the Jewar Assembly constituency, where he held indoor meetings with local residents in Devta and Kishorepur villages.

    According to the Congress, among those Baghel met were villagers affected by the Noida International Airport, a mega greenfield project for which land has been acquired by the UP government from people in Jewar area.

    In Jewar, Congress’ Manoj Chaudhary has been fielded to take on BJP’s popular MLA Dhirendra Singh.

    Singh had quit the Congress to join the BJP ahead of the 2017 Assembly polls in UP.

    Dadri has 5.86 lakh voters while Jewar has 3.46 lakh voters.

    Elections to these seats will be held on February 10 and results will be announced on March 10.

  • Alliance with BJP final, Nishad party will contest 15 seats in UP: Sanjay Nishad

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Nishad party president Sanjay Nishad on Sunday said they will contest in 15 assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh as part of an alliance with the BJP, but the seats are yet to be finalised.

    Nishad said he will meet senior BJP leaders, including Amit Shah, in Delhi on Monday to finalise the constituencies where the party will field its candidates.

    “We have got 15 seats (out of 403 seats) to contest in alliance with the BJP. The seats are almost final. Most of the seats are in ‘Purvanchal’ (East UP) and some are in ‘Paschimanchal’ (West).”

    “There are some seats which we want to change due to changing equations. We are focusing not only on seat but ‘jeet’ (victory),” Nishad told PTI when asked about his proposed meeting with Union Home Minister Shah.

    The Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aaam Dal, or Nishad party, was formed in 2016 and its leaders claim to enjoy support of the Nishad community, which is one of the Other Backward Classes (OBC).

    Nishad said his party has built cadre base all over the state and has substantial influence in Gorakhpur, Ballia, Sant Kabir Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar, Jaunpur, Bhadohi, Sultanpur, Faizabad, Chitrakoot, Jhansi, Banda, Hamipur and Etawah districts, among others.

    The party fielded 100 candidates in the last assembly election in 2017 in alliance with the Peace Party of India, Apna Dal and the Jan Adhikar Party, but could win just one seat — Gyanpur in Bhadohi district.

    Nishad, now a member of the Legislative Council, had contested the last assembly election from Gorakhpur Rural and came third.

    In the 2018 Lok Sabha by-election, Sanjay Nishad’s son Praveen Kumar Nishad was a Samajwadi Party candidate and wrested the Gorakhpur constituency from the BJP which had been winning the seat since 1989.

    Praveen Kumar Nishad is now a BJP MP from Sant Kabir Nagar.

    The Nishad community is the second largest demographic group in Gorakhpur, the home turf of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

    Asked about the restrictions imposed by the Election Commission on physical rallies due to the coronavirus pandemic and how his party will deal with it, Sanjay Nishad said, “We have associated youth workers who extensively use social media and digital offices of the party is functional in 70 districts (out of total 75). We are active on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp.”

    He said the party is finalising its candidates after verifying their social and economic backgrounds.

    On the allegations of rival parties that the BJP will be fielding people with criminal background from his party’s quota, Nishad said, “We will go through the image of every candidate and his acceptance among party workers and people. If people and workers like a candidate, he can be given a chance.”

    On some BJP MLAs and ministers belonging to backward castes joining the Samajwadi Party ahead of the election, Nishad said, “They had no popularity. They were praising and giving positive report card for Prime Minister and Chief Minister from dias during programmes. Now, when they became powerless due to the imposition of the model code of conduct by the EC, they left the party. People now understand such people.”

    Asked which party is the main challenger to the BJP, he said it appears the SP is in direct fight with the BJP, but added that the ruling coalition will win more than 300 seats.

    “BJP takes all castes along. In the first list of candidates, majority of OBCs were given tickets. Its acceptance is good on the ground also due to works done by both the central and state governments,” he said.

    He also took a swipe at Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) leader Om Prakash Rajbhar saying “even people of his area do not give importance to him”.

    The SBSP is contesting the election in alliance with the Samajwadi Party.

    The assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases between February 10 and March 7 and the results will be announced on March 10.

  • UP polls: After being denied ticket, ‘Gulabi Gang’ chief Sampat Pal quits Congress

    By PTI

    CHITRAKUT: ‘Gulabi Gang’ commander Sampat Pal on Sunday said she has resigned from the Congress as the party denied her a ticket for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

    Holding the state Congress leaders and the observers directly responsible for denying her the ticket, Pal said she will apprise about the ‘internal politicking’ to the Congress top brass in New Delhi.

    Pal had contested the Assembly polls from Mau-Manikpur seat on the Congress ticket in the 2012 and 2017 polls.

    While she secured only 2,203 votes in the 2012 polls, she backed 40,524 votes in 2017 when she was the SP-Congress ally candidate.

    The Congress, this time, has replaced her with Ranjana Bhartilal Pandey.

    Pal runs a women’s organisation named ‘Gulabi Gang’.

    The 2014 Bollywood movie ‘Gulaab Gang’ featuring Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla, was widely considered to be inspired by Pal and her organisation.

  • UP polls: AAP fields ex-Apple employee Pankaj Awana from Noida

    By PTI

    NOIDA: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday announced Pankaj Awana, a former employee of tech giant Apple, as its candidate from Noida for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

    The AAP also fielded Poonam Singh and Sanjay Chechi from the Jewar and Dadri assembly seats, respectively, as it released its first list of 150 candidates for the polls in the politically crucial state.

    The party had in September last year only announced names of Awana and Singh as ‘probable candidates’ from their respective seats.

    Gautam Buddh Nagar adjoining Delhi, where the AAP is in power, has three assembly seats — Noida, Dadri and Jewar, and these have 6,90,231, 5,86,889 and 3,46,425 voters, respectively.

    All three seats are currently held by the BJP with Pankaj Singh in Noida, Tejpal Singh Nagar in Dadri and Dhirendra Singh in Jewar.

    The BJP on Saturday once again declared the three as its candidates from these seats.

    The Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress have also announced their candidates on the three seats, which will go to polls on February 10.

    The election results will be out on March 10.

    At 55, the party gave the maximum number of tickets to candidates from backward classes in the list.

    The list was released by AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh at a press conference here this afternoon.

    He said the AAP will contest on all 403 assembly seats and the names of the rest of the candidates will be announced soon.

    The party has given tickets to 55 candidates from backward classes, 36 Brahmins, 31 Scheduled Castes and 14 Muslims, among others, he said.

    Singh said the AAP has fielded good and deserving candidates in the election.

    “In the first list, there are eight candidates who have completed MBA.

    Apart from this, there are 38 postgraduates, four doctors, eight who have done PhD, seven engineers and 39 graduates.

    Eight women have been given tickets in the first list,” he said.

    “Now it is up to the people of UP to elect these deserving candidates and send them to the Vidhan Sabha and wipe out the filth in politics,” he said.

    The Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls will be held in seven phases between February 10 and March 7.

    The counting of votes will take place on March 10.

  • Samajwadi Party candidates list starts with those in jail and ends with those on bail, says Anurag Thakur

    Express News Service

    BHOPAL: Hitting out at the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP), union minister Anurag Thakur said on Sunday, “If you see SP’s list of candidates, it starts from those in jail and ends with those out on bail.”

    “The game of jail-bail is the real ‘khel’ (game) of the SP. One of their MLA and candidates Nahid Hasan (candidate from Kairana) is in jail, while the other legislator, Abdullah Azam Khan is out of jail on bail,” Thakur said in Lucknow just after 1994-batch IPS officer and former Kanpur police commissioner Asim Arun joined the saffron party.

    Focusing on BJP’s prime poll plank – the improvement in law and order and crackdown against criminals and anti-social elements in the five years of Yogi Adityanath rule – the union minister (one of the three central BJP leaders appointed co-incharge for polls in UP) said, “Those who indulge in riots go to the SP, while those who catch the rioters, join the BJP.”

    Welcoming the ex-IPS officer Asim Arun in the party fold, Thakur said, “Today’s development has made it clear that officials with clean image are joining the BJP, while those indulging in riots are joining the SP.

    Importantly, the two-time sitting SP MLA from Kairana seat of West UP’s Shamli district, Nahid Hasan was sent into 14-days judicial custody by a special court on Saturday, after the state police invoked the stringent Gangsters Act against him. The other SP leader Abdullah Azam Khan (the son of ex UP minister Mohd Azam Khan who won from Suar seat in 2017 polls) was released on bail on Saturday from Sitapur Jail, after almost 23 months behind bars in 40-plus criminal cases ranging from extortion to forgery.

    On Sunday, the 1994 batch IPS officer and former Kanpur police commissioner Asim Arun joined the BJP in Lucknow in presence of union minister Anurag Thakur and state BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh. Asim Arun is the son of former UP DGP Sriram Arun. His sister Rashmi Arun Shami is a senior IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, while his MP cadre IPS officer brother-in-law Sanjiv Shami has long been counted among one to the top anti-terror cops in the country.

    Both Asim Arun and brother-in-law Sanjiv Shami have headed the anti-terror and counter terrorism wings of UP and MP police respectively in the past.

    On January 10, the UP government had approved the voluntary retirement request of Kanpur police commissioner Asim Arun, who had applied for premature retirement amid speculation of his entry into active politics. As per informed sources within the ruling BJP, the 1994 IPS officer is likely to be fielded from one of the seats of Kannauj district.  

    Besides the former police officer, ex-IAS officer Ram Bahadur also joined the BJP, along with two SP MLAs Ghanshyam Lodhi and Shailendra Pratap Singh on Sunday. The former IAS officer Ram Bahadur had contested the 2017 polls in UP as BSP candidate from Mohanlalganj seat of Lucknow district, but lost by slender 530 votes margin.

    On the other hand, ex-minister of Yogi Adityanath government and former BJP MLA from Madhuban seat of Mau district, Dara Singh Chouhan, who had quit the saffron party recently, joined the SP officially on Sunday.

    Speculations are also rife about SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav’s younger daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav (wife of Pratik Yadav, who is the son of MSY’s second wife Sadhna Gupta Yadav) likely to join the BJP soon. Aparna, who is the daughter of veteran journalist Arvind Singh Bisht had lost by around 34,000 votes on SP ticket against BJP candidate Rita Bahuguna Joshi in the 2017 polls from Lucknow Cantt seat.

    Akhilesh Yadav to complain ECI after ex-IPS Asim Arun’s BJP joining

    Meanwhile, reacting to ex-IPS officer Asim Arun joining the BJP on Sunday, the SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said, “the development has exposed how police officers influenced by the BJP were holding senior police positions in the state. I’ll complain to the Election Commission, demanding that all those cops who worked with Arun in the last five years be removed from active posting, failing which they would work as BJP agents. If the EC doesn’t order removal of all such police officers, then the impartiality of the election body will come under doubt.”