News Analysis India

Tag: UP Polls 2022

  • Jinnah continues to dominate UP’s political discourse as Yogi now calls Akhilesh Taliban supporter

    By Express News Service

    LUCKNOW:  Hitting out at SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accused him of being a “Taliban supporter” as he “eulogised Jinnah”. 

    “Those who support Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in a way support the Taliban,” said the CM while attacking the Opposition at a social conference organised by the BJP to strengthen its ground force ahead of the 2022 UP Assembly elections.

    Cautioning against the opposition parties and listing out his government’s achievements, the CM said: “One has to be careful with such people. BJP has done what it said. Article 370 from Kashmir was removed. Today a grand Ram temple is being built in Ayodhya. Before 2014, the benefit of housing scheme was available to those who were close to the people in power, but today the  poor are being given housing without any discrimination.”

    His remark is seen as a veiled dig at the Samajwadi Party (SP).

    Om Prakash Rajbhar, the chief of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), an ally of the SP, had on Thursday blamed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for the country’s partition, a day after saying India would have remained unified had Muhammad Ali Jinnah been made its first prime minister.

    Earlier, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had equated Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, with Mahatma Gandhi, Vallabhbhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru.

    With months to go for the Assembly polls in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, Jinnah appears to be dominating the political discourse.

    Addressing the Samajik Pratinidhi Sammelan here, Adityanath said, “Those who are speaking about the partition are in a way extending support to the Taliban. As soon as the Taliban resurfaced in Afghanistan, a number of voices started to come up in its support. When strong action was taken, these voices went soft.”

    “Supporting the Taliban means supporting a power that works against humanity, against Lord Buddha’s message of ‘maitri’ (friendship). Certain people are moving in that direction and we need to be aware of them,” he added.

    The BJP leader said those supporting the Taliban need to learn from the past “We should not forget how Buddha’s statues were destroyed in Bamiyan (in Afghanistan) by the Taliban. Breaking the statues of Buddha means trying to put an end to peace. Twenty years ago, when this incident took place, we thought that one day, they (Taliban) will face ‘durgati’ (misfortune). A few days later, the US dropped bombs on them. Back then, I had said they reaped what they sowed,” he said.

    Without naming any political party, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, “The opposition does not have any issue to raise. Rashtranayak (national hero) Sardar Patel is on one side and Jinnah, who divided the country, is on the other. They support Jinnah and insult Patel. But we support Patel. He is a rashtranayak while Jinnah will remain a villain for centuries. Will you support those supporting Jinnah?”

    Referring to history books, he said, “History never termed emperor Ashoka or Chandragupta Maurya great, but it termed Alexander, who was defeated by Chandragupta Maurya, great. Historians are silent on such issues. However, once the countrymen learn the truth, India will change.”

    Hitting back at Adityanath, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted, “Hindutva is a fake history factory. Chandragupta and Alexander never met in war. This is yet another example of why we need good public education system. In absence of good schools, Baba-log get to make up facts according to convenience. Baba doesn’t value education and it shows.”

    Showering praises on Narendra Modi, Adityanath said the prime minister is making the country resurgent and the philosophy of “Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat” entails this.

    Addressing a public meeting in Hardoi, the SP chief had said, “Sardar Patel, Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Jinnah studied in the same institute and became barristers. They helped the country achieve independence and never backed away from any struggle.”

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Jhoot, Ahankar and Mehengai: UP acronym politics gets a bitter JAM taste

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW:  In a strong retort to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s JAM jibe, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and former UP chief minister Akhileskh Yadav on Sunday said BJP’s JAM stands for “Jhoot (lies), Ahankar (Ego) and Mehengai (Inflation).”

    The SP leader was speaking to media persons in Kushinagar during the third leg of his Vijay Rath Yatra which was kicked off on Saturday from CM Yogi Aditynath’s bastion Gorakhpur.

    On Saturday, Shah claimed in Azamgarh during a public rally that while PM Modi brought JAM, based on Jandhan accounts, Aadhaar and Mobile, to eradicate corruption from the system, there was also an SP’s JAM meaning Jinnah, Azam Khan and Mukhtar. 

    Akhilesh Yadav during the ‘Samajwadi Vijay Yatra’in Kushinagar on SundayReacting to this, Akhilesh said: “They gave a new acronym —  JAM. It does not work in diabetes. Samajwadi people have also defined JAM, the BJP’s JAM stands for Jhoot, Ahankar and Mehengai. Nobody lies more than the BJP. They have sent JAM, we will soon send butter for them.”

    Lending support to farmers, Akhilesh said: “The BJP has brought three oppressive farm laws owing to which many farmers have lost their lives and a protest has been going on for almost a year now, but the BJP doesn’t care.”

    Taking credit for the recently inaugurated Kushinagar airport, the SP chief said it was a brainchild of his government.

    “Someone may call us backward but we are forward with our thoughts. We think of development despite being backward and they (BJP) think backward despite being of upper caste,”  he said.

    “Today UP is at the forefront of custodial deaths. Thoko raj is going on. Sensitive policing is needed. If Baba Yogi (CM) doesn’t know how to operate a laptop, then how will he do smart policing?” he added.If the BJP gets one more chance, it will crush the Constitution, claimed the SP chief.

  • Rajbhar to join Akhilesh’s ‘Samajwadi Vijay Yatra’ from UP’s Ghazipur to Azamgarh

    By ANI

    LUCKNOW: Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) National President Om Prakash Rajbhar will join Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav for ‘Samajwadi Vijay Yatra’ on Tuesday, informed the party sources.

    Om Prakash Rajbhar will join Akhilesh Yadav from Ghazipur to Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh for ‘Samajwadi Vijay Yatra’.

    Samajwadi party began this yatra on October 12, ahead of the upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.

    Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), a former BJP, have become allies for the 2022 UP assembly polls.

    Earlier on October 9, Yadav had expressed confidence about winning the polls in Uttar Pradesh and said that the people of the state were disappointed with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state.

    “We are again getting an opportunity to hold rath yatra and this time, it is a ‘Vijay Yatra’ of Samajwadi Party. The people of Uttar Pradesh are disappointed with the BJP government,” Yadav had told ANI earlier.

    He further said that his party is optimistic about getting 400 seats and securing a landslide victory.

    “The way BJP is running the government in the state and at the Centre, it is not for the people and they are unhappy with the party. As a result, the Samajwadi party is very optimistic about 400 seats in the upcoming elections,” he added.

  • Enfgame for BSP? Mayawati in tight spot with desertions galore

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW:  After helming Uttar Pradesh for four terms, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati now appears at the crossroads of her career amid questions being raised about her leadership. She has not been able to keep her flock intact ahead of the Assembly elections due in 2022. 

    A gradual erosion of the party began after 2007 and led to a steady migration of her supporters, reducing the BSP’s socio-political space.

    The ‘Bahujan’ movement changed colours to include the upper castes in its scheme of things and weakened over the years as the party drifted from its social base.

    The core social groups, which had been backing the BSP till 2007 Assembly elections in UP, have now sided with the BJP. This has led to the decline in the number of BSP’s seats and vote share since the 2012 assembly polls.

    In 2007, when the BSP won a majority, it fielded candidates on all 403 seats and won 206 with 30.43% of the vote share. This went down in 2012, when it could get only 80 of 403 seats it had contested. The vote share dipped to 25.91%. It emerged as the second strongest party in the state with the BJP slipping to third slot.

    In 2017, the scenario reversed with the BSP moving to number three position as it could win just 19 seats of the 403 it had contested. Its vote share decreased further as it got only 22.2% ofvotes. Mayawati’s failure to project a charismatic second rung leadership hastened the BSP’s decline.

    Instead of inducting the heavyweights from other parties, Mayawati lost the stalwarts who had been with her right from the beginning.

    While Swami Prasad Maurya and Brijesh Pathak joined the saffron bandwagon in 2016, the likes of Lalji Verma, Ram Achal Rajbhar and Indrajeet Saroj defected to the SP recently.

    Naseemuddin Siddiqui, Mayawati’s most trusted lieutenant, also left her to find solace in the Congress. Other BSP leaders who defected to the SP recently included Ghatampur MLA R P Kushwaha, K K Gautam, Saharanpur MP Qadir Rana and former state BSP chief R S Kushwaha.

    To arrest the dwindling support base under an overarching saffron wave, Mayawati cobbled up an alliance with arch rival Samajwadi Party for 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

    The alliance seemed unbeatable. But on ground, things did not work as expected and the BSP, after gaining 10 parliamentary seats, parted ways with the SP, blaming the failure on Akhilesh Yadav.

    With only a few months left for the state polls, sources suggest eight more BSP rebel MLAs may join the SP soon.

    Political experts believe that as the BSP is witnessing a drought of second-rung leadership, its political relevance is also at stake as those active in the party have started exploring greener pastures.

    “Those defecting from the BSP often accuse the leadership of losing its grip over the people. Prominent leaders who have defected since 2016 have accused Mayawati of arrogance and extortion as the key reasons for their departure. These complaints increased after the BSP broke its pact with the SP following an alliance in 2019 Lok Sabha polls,” says Prof AK Mishra, a political analyst.

    After a recent shifting of loyalties, BSP national general secretary and Mayawati’s close confidante Satish Chandra Mishra has emerged as a thorn in the flesh of the 11 party MLAs who were sacked by her in the past two years. Many accuse Mishra of misleading Mayawati.

    While making desperate efforts to retain its core base, Mayawati is pinning hopes on her nephew Akash Anand to mobilise the youth for the party.

    Akash, son of her younger brother Anand Kumar, has held a series of meetings with party leaders to chalk out a campaign strategy in UP.

    He was active in Punjab where the BSP has entered into an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal.  He is likely to work with SC Mishra’s son Kapil to woo the young voters in the state.

  • Endgame for BSP? Mayawati in tight spot with desertions galore

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW:  After helming Uttar Pradesh for four terms, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati now appears at the crossroads of her career amid questions being raised about her leadership. She has not been able to keep her flock intact ahead of the Assembly elections due in 2022. 

    A gradual erosion of the party began after 2007 and led to a steady migration of her supporters, reducing the BSP’s socio-political space.

    The ‘Bahujan’ movement changed colours to include the upper castes in its scheme of things and weakened over the years as the party drifted from its social base.

    The core social groups, which had been backing the BSP till 2007 Assembly elections in UP, have now sided with the BJP. This has led to the decline in the number of BSP’s seats and vote share since the 2012 assembly polls.

    In 2007, when the BSP won a majority, it fielded candidates on all 403 seats and won 206 with 30.43% of the vote share. This went down in 2012, when it could get only 80 of 403 seats it had contested. The vote share dipped to 25.91%. It emerged as the second strongest party in the state with the BJP slipping to third slot.

    In 2017, the scenario reversed with the BSP moving to number three position as it could win just 19 seats of the 403 it had contested. Its vote share decreased further as it got only 22.2% ofvotes. Mayawati’s failure to project a charismatic second rung leadership hastened the BSP’s decline.

    Instead of inducting the heavyweights from other parties, Mayawati lost the stalwarts who had been with her right from the beginning.

    While Swami Prasad Maurya and Brijesh Pathak joined the saffron bandwagon in 2016, the likes of Lalji Verma, Ram Achal Rajbhar and Indrajeet Saroj defected to the SP recently.

    Naseemuddin Siddiqui, Mayawati’s most trusted lieutenant, also left her to find solace in the Congress. Other BSP leaders who defected to the SP recently included Ghatampur MLA R P Kushwaha, K K Gautam, Saharanpur MP Qadir Rana and former state BSP chief R S Kushwaha.

    To arrest the dwindling support base under an overarching saffron wave, Mayawati cobbled up an alliance with arch rival Samajwadi Party for 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

    The alliance seemed unbeatable. But on ground, things did not work as expected and the BSP, after gaining 10 parliamentary seats, parted ways with the SP, blaming the failure on Akhilesh Yadav.

    With only a few months left for the state polls, sources suggest eight more BSP rebel MLAs may join the SP soon.

    Political experts believe that as the BSP is witnessing a drought of second-rung leadership, its political relevance is also at stake as those active in the party have started exploring greener pastures.

    “Those defecting from the BSP often accuse the leadership of losing its grip over the people. Prominent leaders who have defected since 2016 have accused Mayawati of arrogance and extortion as the key reasons for their departure. These complaints increased after the BSP broke its pact with the SP following an alliance in 2019 Lok Sabha polls,” says Prof AK Mishra, a political analyst.

    After a recent shifting of loyalties, BSP national general secretary and Mayawati’s close confidante Satish Chandra Mishra has emerged as a thorn in the flesh of the 11 party MLAs who were sacked by her in the past two years. Many accuse Mishra of misleading Mayawati.

    While making desperate efforts to retain its core base, Mayawati is pinning hopes on her nephew Akash Anand to mobilise the youth for the party.

    Akash, son of her younger brother Anand Kumar, has held a series of meetings with party leaders to chalk out a campaign strategy in UP.

    He was active in Punjab where the BSP has entered into an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal.  He is likely to work with SC Mishra’s son Kapil to woo the young voters in the state.

  • Bhupesh Baghel meets Priyanka Gandhi, discusses strategy for 2022 UP polls

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday met All India Congress Committee (AICC) Uttar Pradesh Incharge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the national capital and discussed strategy for the upcoming Assembly elections.

    Baghel has been given the responsibility of the party’s senior observer for the Uttar Pradesh elections.

    He has been given the task of coordinating with the organization and the election machinery of the party.

    Baghel visited Uttar Pradesh four times in the last month and has addressed rallies in Gorakhpur and Varanasi along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

    The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister also visited Lakhimpur Kheri, where eight persons, including four farmers, were killed during a farmers’ protest. Lakhimpur Kheri has witnessed a political slugfest after the violence.

    In the past, Congress has tried to make the initial election announcements among the people through the ‘Pratigya Yatras’ from different areas.

    Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is campaigning aggressively in the state against the BJP-led state government.

    She has made several announcements including a 40 per cent ticket for women in UP Assembly polls.

    The Congress general secretary has also kept possibilities open for alliance with small parties.

    Many leaders feel that if the voters who are annoyed with BJP are divided into many political parties, then the party will suffer.

    In such a situation, it would be appropriate to contest elections in alliance with some local political parties, they feel.

    At the same time, some leaders are in favour of going in the elections on their own. The Congress had last contested the elections in alliance with the Samajwadi Party, in which they had to face defeat.

    Bhupesh Baghel will also meet Congress Interim President Sonia Gandhi later in the evening.

    Uttar Pradesh is scheduled to go for Assembly polls in 2022.

    Previously, in the 2017 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party bagged 312 seats out of the 403-seat Uttar Pradesh Assembly while Samajwadi Party (SP) bagged 47 seats, Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) won 19 and Congress could manage to win only seven seats. The rest of the seats were bagged by other candidates.

    Notably, the Congress party has been out of power in the state since 1989, that is, for more than 30 years. The last Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh representing the Congress party was Narayan Dutt Tiwari from June 1988 to December 1989. (ANI)

  • UP Polls: Mayawati to interview BSP ticket aspirants in Lucknow

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW:  With Assembly elections just a few months away, political parties in Uttar Pradesh have already started confabulations on the ticket distribution. 

    The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which has in the past faced allegations of seeking huge amounts of money from ticket seekers, has this time decided to conduct four rounds of interview of the aspirants to ensure transparency in the ticket distribution process.

    According to party insiders, BSP chief Mayawati will meet the ticket-seekers and put the final seal on the names of the candidates. Highly placed sources said the party has started calling potential candidates to Lucknow for the interview. 

    Mayawati’s announcement at her October 9 Lucknow rally that she would pay surprise visits to districts to evaluate the party’s poll preparedness had led the BSP cadre to step up preparations at the district level and the process of interviewing prospective candidates was commenced.

    As per BSP sources, in the first round of interview, the aspirants are being asked to furnish their bio-data listing their strengths and weaknesses.

    The party would assess their credibility and background. In round two, the aspirants’ presence on social media will be evaluated.

    They will be asked about their association with the Bahujan movement. In the third round, they will be asked about the problems plaguing the constituency of their choice and the solutions they have in mind. 

    In the last round, Mayawati will ask the ticket seekers about their political journey and why should they be given ticket. They will be asked about the work done by them in the constituency.

    Their popularity will be evaluated by conducting surveys. If they furnish wrong information, strict action will be taken.

    Despite all these steps, the BSP leadership has come under cloud as senior leader Mehraj Ali in Aligarh has accused party leaders of asking for Rs 2.30 crore in lieu of poll ticket.

    BSP district chief Ratandeep Singh denied the allegations and said Ali has not been active in the party.

  • Will contest assembly polls if party decides: UP CM Yogi Adityanath 

    By PTI

    GORAKHPUR: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday, November 5, 2021, said he will contest the forthcoming assembly polls if his party decides so.

    Adityanath is currently a member of the UP Legislative Council.

    Asked if he will contest the assembly polls early next year, the BJP leader told reporters here, “I have always contested elections and I will contest from wherever the party will say.”

    “The party has a parliamentary board and it decides who will contest from where,” he said in reply to another question.

    Adityanath said the BJP government has done whatever the party promised in the run-up to the last assembly polls in 2017.

    On the law and order situation, he said, the state has set an example and during the past over four years there was no riot and all festivals, including Diwali, were celebrated peacefully.

    “Diwali used to be celebrated earlier too and Kumbh Mela was not organised for the first time in the state. But Uttar Pradesh was struggling with an image crisis and after 2017, the state got over the image crisis. The benefits of different schemes have reached the last man in society,” he said.

    The chief minister said the state has now become the best destination in the country for investment from abroad due to good road connectivity and guarantee of security.

    “Earlier investments went out, but now investment is coming to the country from outside. Earlier people used to say that UP starts with potholes and ditches and now it is known for expressways and a network of four-lane roads,” he said.

    He said the Purvanchal Expressway will be inaugurated this month.

    “About 4.5 lakh people got jobs in a transparent manner during this period and no one could raise a finger on the recruitment process,” he added, listing his government’s various achievements.

  • UP Polls 2022: BJP seeking vote in name of ‘Ram’, SP in name of ‘Jinnah’, alleges BSP

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Ahead of upcoming Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) spokesperson Sudhindra Bhadoria on Friday slammed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) for allegedly indulging in religion-based politics in the state.

    Speaking to ANI here in New Delhi, Bhadoria said, “BJP is seeking vote in the name of ‘Ram’ in Uttar Pradesh and SP is seeking it in the name of ‘Jinnah’, but public will give vote based on work, not on religion.”

    “What works have they done? Both parties failed to maintain the law and order in the state. People want BSP to rule and that is why BSP will form the government in the upcoming assembly elections,” he added.

    Elections for 403 assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh are due early next year.

    In the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP won a landslide victory winning 312 Assembly seats. The party secured a 39.67 per cent vote share in the elections for 403-member Assembly. Samajwadi Party (SP) bagged 47 seats, BSP won 19 while Congress could manage to win only seven seats.

  • Eyeing UP polls, Samajwadi Party to observe ‘Lakhimpur Kisan Smriti Diwas’ every month

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party on Tuesday asked all its workers and allies to observe “Lakhimpur Kisan Smriti Diwas” on the third of every month to remind people about the October 3 Lakhimpur Kheri violence and the “brutality of the BJP”.

    Eight people died in the violence and of them, four were farmers, allegedly knocked down by a vehicle carrying BJP workers. Infuriated farmers then allegedly lynched some people in the vehicles. The other dead included two BJP workers, their driver, and a journalist.

    Farmers claimed that Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra was in one of the vehicles, an allegation denied by him and his father who say they can produce evidence to prove he was at an event at that time.

    “It’s an appeal to all Uttar Pradesh residents, well-wishers of farmers, SP and its allies to observe the third of every month from now as ‘Lakhimpur Kisan Smriti Diwas’ and remind people of BJP’s brutality,” the Samajwadi Party (SP) said in a tweet.

    It said everybody should light a ‘diya’ (earthen lamp) on November 3 to honour of farmers.

    Several of the people accused in the case, including Ashish Mishra, are in the jail.

    Following the incident, BJP, which is in power in Uttar Pradesh and at the Centre, is under attack by the opposition, which is demanding the sacking of the Union minister for a fair probe into the matter.