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Tag: UP polls

  • UP polls 7th phase: Over 46 per cent turnout recorded till 3 pm

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Over 46 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 3 pm in the seventh and last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections for 54 seats on Monday.

    Voting started at 7 am.

    It ended at 4 pm in the Chakia (Chandauli), Robertsganj and the Duddhi (Sonbhadra) seats, while in the rest of the segments, it will continue till 6 pm.

    The districts where polls are underway in this phase are Azamgarh, Mau, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Bhadohi and Sonbhadra.

    The voting percentage till 3 pm was 46.40 per cent, according to the ECI’s Voter Turnout app.

    While Azamgarh witnessed 45.28 per cent voting, Bhadohi saw 47.49 per cent, Chandauli 50.79 per cent, Ghazipur 46.28 per cent, Jaunpur 47.14 per cent, Mau 46.88 per cent, Mirzapur 46.64 per cent, Sonbhadra 49.84 per cent and Varanasi 43.76 per cent, it showed.

    A total of 613 candidates are in the fray for the 54 seats, including those falling in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary segment Varanasi.

    The fate of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party president Om Prakash Rajbhar and several state ministers will be decided in this round, in which 2.06 crore people are eligible to vote.

    Besides state Tourism Minister Neelkanth Tiwari, who is contesting for the Varanasi South seat, other ministers in the fray in the last leg of the elections are Anil Rajbhar (Shivpur-Varanasi), Ravindra Jaiswal (Varanasi North), Girish Yadav (Jaunpur) and Ramashankar Singh Patel (Marihan-Mirzapur).

    Dara Singh Chauhan, who had resigned from the Yogi Adityanath cabinet and had joined the SP, is contesting from the Ghosi seat in Mau.

    Om Prakash Rajbhar (Zahoorabad), Dhananjay Singh (Malhani-Jaunpur) as the JD(U) candidate, and Abbas Ansari, the son of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, from Mau Sadar seat, are contesting in this phase.

    Campaigning in this phase reached its crescendo with Prime Minister Modi leading the BJP’s poll blitzkrieg in Varanasi and its adjoining districts.

    The state has 403 Assembly seats and the results of the elections will be declared on March 10.

  • Voting begins for last phase of UP polls; 613 candidates in fray on 54 seats

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Voting for the seventh and the last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections began on Monday morning, with 613 candidates in the fray on 54 seats, including those falling in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary segment Varanasi.

    The fate of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party president Om Prakash Rajbhar and several state ministers will be decided in this round, in which 2.06 crore people are eligible to vote.

    Voting will be held from 7 am to 4 pm on the Chakia (Chandauli), Robertsganj and Duddhi (Sonbhadra) seats while in the rest of the segments, it will continue till 6 pm.

    The districts going to the polls in this phase are Azamgarh, Mau, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Bhadohi and Sonbhadra.

    Once considered a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party, the region saw the BJP making inroads in 2017 by winning 29 seats.

    The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) got six seats and the SP 11.

    For the SP, its patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav made a rare appearance in Jaunpur to drum up support for Lucky Yadav, the son of his long-time associate the late Parasnath Yadav.

    Lucky Yadav is in the fray from the Malhani seat.

    Mulayam had earlier campaigned for his son Akhilesh Yadav in the Karhal Assembly segment of Mainpuri.

    Besides state Tourism Minister Neelkanth Tiwari (Varanasi South), other ministers in the fray in the last leg of the elections are Anil Rajbhar (Shivpur-Varanasi), Ravindra Jaiswal (Varanasi North), Girish Yadav (Jaunpur) and Ramashankar Singh Patel (Marihan-Mirzapur).

    Dara Singh Chauhan, who had resigned from the Yogi Adityanath cabinet and had joined the SP, is contesting from Ghosi in Mau.

    Om Prakash Rajbhar (Zahoorabad), Dhananjay Singh (Malhani-Jaunpur) as the JD(U) candidate, and Abbas Ansari, the son of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, from Mau Sadar seat, are contesting in this phase.

    Campaigning in this phase reached its crescendo with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the BJP’s poll blitzkrieg in Varanasi and its adjoining districts.

    Besides addressing election rallies, he also held a roadshow for three Assembly constituencies in his Lok Sabha segment.

    This phase also saw West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee descending on the pilgrim city to hold a joint rally with Akhilesh Yadav and his RLD ally Jayant Chaudhary.

    Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had been camping in Varanasi for about four days.

    She, along with her brother Rahul Gandhi, addressed election meetings, whereas BSP supremo Mayawati campaigned in the district and neighbouring areas.

    Seeking to override anti-incumbency, the ruling party raised issues like forced migration and law and order problems during the previous SP government, while Akhilesh Yadav targeted the BJP government on the issues of inflation, unemployment, stray cattle, and the farmers’ agitation against the Centre’s agriculture laws.

    The mowing down of four farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri was also highlighted by all opposition parties as Union minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra is an accused in the case.

    The state has 403 Assembly seats and the results of the elections will be declared on March 10.

  • Battle for UP: 7th phase marks end of fiercely contested poll

    By IANS

    LUCKNOW: As the curtain comes down on the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, with just a few hours left for the final and seventh phase of polling on Monday, the stakes have reached an all-time high for major political players in Uttar Pradesh.

    A total of 54 Assembly constituencies of Purvanchal will go for polling on March 7 while counting for all the phases will be done on March 10.

    The districts going to polls in the final phase are Azamgarh, Mau, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Bhadohi and Sonbhadra.

    According to the Chief Electoral Officer, Ajay Kumar Shukla, all necessary arrangements have been made for free, fair and transparent polling in the seventh phase.

    A total of 613 candidates will be trying their luck in this phase on the 54 seats which include 11 reserved for the Scheduled Castes and two for the Scheduled Tribes by an electorate consisting around 2.06 crores.

    This final round will also be a test of the alliances carved by both the BJP and Samajwadi Party with small caste-based parties.

    BJP’s allies Apna Dal (Sonelal) and Nishad Party and Akhilesh Yadav’s new friends Apna Dal (K), Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) of Om Prakash Rajbhar and others have been trying to rally their supporters.

    Once considered a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party, the region saw BJP making inroads in 2017 by winning 29 seats along with its allies Apna Dal (4) and SBSP (3).

    The BSP got six seats and Samajwadi Party 11 seats.

    For the Samajwadi Party, its patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav made another rare appearance in Jaunpur to drum up support for Lucky Yadav, son of his long-time associate late Parasnath Yadav in the fray from Malhani seat.

    Mulayam Singh had earlier campaigned for his son and party president Akhilesh Yadav on Karhal seat in Mainpuri.

    Prominent contestants in this phase include UP ministers Neelkanth Tiwari, Anil Rajbhar, Ravindra Jaiswal, Girish Yadav and Rama Shankar Singh Patel.

    Dara Singh Chauhan, who had resigned from the Yogi Adityanath cabinet and joined the Samajwadi Party, is also contesting from Ghosi in Mau.

    SBSP president Om Prakash Rajbhar (Zahoorabad), Dhananjay Singh (Malhani-Jaunpur) as JD(U) candidate and Abbas Ansari, son of mafia turned politician Mukhtar Ansari, from Mau Sadar seat are other prominent candidates in the final phase.

    The BJP is going all out to retain its bastion while the Samajwadi Party is eyeing to regain the constituencies it won in the 2012 Assembly elections.

    Also, the seventh and last phase of UP Assembly elections will be a litmus test for allies on both the sides– from Anupriya Patel in the BJP-led alliance to Om Prakash Rajbhar in the SP-led alliance.

    In this election, the BJP has fielded 48 candidates out of 54 seats on the party symbol while its ally Apna Dal (S) and Nishad Party have fielded 3-3 candidates each.

    On the other hand, Samajwadi Party has fielded 45 candidates on its symbol while its ally SBSP has fielded 7 candidates and Apna Dal (K) has fielded two candidates.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BJP president J.P. Nadda, Union Ministers, Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, have been extensively campaigning in Purvanchal to repeat its 2017 success story.

    Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been camping at Kabir Chaura Math in Varanasi in an attempt to galvanise the Dalit voters in Purvanchal, who are in significant numbers here.

  • Those defaming ‘red cap’ forced to wear a cap: Akhilesh Yadav’s swipe at PM Modi

    By PTI

    JAUNPUR: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Saturday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying those who were “defaming” the SP’s red cap have been “forced by people” to wear a cap, although of a different colour.

    Yadav made the comment at an election rally here apparently referring to Prime Minister Modi donning a saffron cap during his roadshow in Varanasi on Friday.

    This is also being seen as a response to Modi’s attack on the Samajwadi Party last December when he had said in Gorakhpur that people with red caps — the SP’s poll symbol — are “red alert” for Uttar Pradesh.

    Yadav said on Saturday, “Those who have been defaming our caps have been forced by the people of Uttar Pradesh to wear a cap. It is another thing that they have changed the colour of their cap.”

    Yadav was addressing the 2022 Uttar Pradesh polls’ last election meeting in Malhani constituency in favour of the Samajwadi Party’s Lucky Yadav.

    The two-month-long campaigning in Uttar Pradesh ended this evening.

    The seventh and final phase of voting in the state will be held on March 7.

    Counting of votes will be held on March 10.

    Attacking the BJP and PM Modi over the saffron colour cap, Yadav said they keep changing their colour.

    Appealing to people to vote for Lucky Yadav, the former chief minister said, “I feel that people of Malhani are going to vote for the Samajwadi Party in a big way, and demolish the rivals.”

  • UP polls last phase: It’s Modi charisma all the way in Kashi as sitting MLA face anti-incumbency

    By Express News Service

    VARANASI: It’s Subah-e-Banaras… As the nascent sun emerges on the horizon over glittering waves of  Ganga, Varanasi, the city of salvation and now the centre of all the political action, gradually comes to life like a painting truly depicting the calmness of a winter morning in all its glory and hopes nurtured for the day ahead.

    Only a day is left for the biggest festival of democracy in Kashi with eight other districts which will see the culmination of the seven-phase battle royale with voting on Monday, March 7.

    Varanasi, the gateway to Uttar Pradesh, and now the state’s political capital, has eight assembly seats. Retaining all eight is a prestige issue for the BJP as Kashi is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency.

    The PM camped for two days till the high octane campaign ended in Varanasi on Saturday evening. He galvanised BJP workers by imparting them a ‘Vijay mantra’. He held roadshows, delivered poll speeches to seek another term for the Yogi government and again many of his gestures surprised his supporters on Saturday evening. Naturally, the BJP banked upon Modi’s enigma and his charisma to sail through in Varanasi where its sitting MLAs had been facing strong anti-incumbency.

    Vinay Yadav, the owner of a silk garment shop in the lane outside Kashi Vishwanath Temple, is an exception in the caste-ridden political arena of UP. He is a BJP office-bearer. On being asked about his saffron choice, Yadav claims that Modi’s arrival as MP has melted the caste boundaries in Kashi in 2014 “Sangathan mein jaan phhoonk kar chale gaye (he has rejuvenated the cadre),” Yadav exudes confidence of victory.

    ALSO READ | UP polls final phase: Religio-political issues, anti-incumbency dominate voters’ psyche

    In 2017, of eight assembly segments comprising three urban – Varanasi Cantt, Vanaransi North and Varanasi South — and five semi-urban — Pindra, Rohiniya, Sevapuri, Shivpur and Ajagara (SC) – BJP had won six and its allies — Apna Dal (S) had won Sevapuri and OP Rajbhar’s Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) Ajagara. Rajbhar is now in alliance with Samajwadi Party. This time, Apna Dal (S) is contesting on two seats and BJP on six.

    Both Akhilesh Yadav and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, also camped in Varanasi to shore up their parties’ prospects. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had also joined Akhilesh in the holy city to conduct a high-voltage poll campaign on March 3. But ask Varanasi electorate who still sound besotted with the charisma of PM Modi and dedication of UP CM Yogi Adityanath while spitting anger against sitting MLAs.

    Locals at the newly-built Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, inaugurated last December, and even at the ghats, swear by Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath.

     “We will only vote for Modi and Yogi — no one has done this level of development in UP. There is no fear now to move around at night. We feel secure,” says Rajiv Tiwari readily joined by his wife Kshama: “Modi-Yogi is unmatched,” refusing to comment on the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav. “For us, Modi is the best. It is Har Har Yogi, Ghar Ghar Modi in Varanasi,” she says.

    On a silent evening by the Ganges, Dharmesh Saini a boatman oozes his heart out. Rowing over waves of Ganga for 25 years, he yearns for a CNG version to replace his three-decade-old boat which he has taken on rent to make both ends meet. A CNG boat for Dharmesh would mean more money in less effort. However, the cost of a CNG boat seems beyond his reach even if he takes a loan. “I can still dream and hope that Yogiji will help me and many like me to own a CNG boat as Varanasi is his boss’s constituency,” says Dharmesh with an ear-to-ear grin.

    On the other, Dheeraj Saini, another boatman, feels the heat of inflation and price rise but supports Yogi as he got a boat licence and free CNG. “No previous government helped us like this. Ghats have become cleaners and beautiful to draw tourists who spend hours here. The corridor (Kashi Vishwanath) has increased footfall and our business,” admits Dheeraj.

    ALSO READ | UP polls: With heavyweights conducting rallies, Varanasi becomes the last big battleground

    “Aayenge toh Yogi hi,” says Abhyudai Singh, a Varanasi local enjoying a boat ride with his wife and two kids. “People of Varanasi can feel the development. For outsiders, it may be minuscule but those living here can feel it every bit. Cleanliness, proper sewage, drainage, ongoing work on roads, and above all controlled crime, have made a big difference,” says Abhyudai.

    “The biggest change has come in the form of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor. You can see its impact in Varanasi. It was beyond imagination to have a grand Corridor of Baba Vishwanath in the middle of a congested city. But Modi has made it ‘mumkin’ (possible),”  says Vinay Gupta, a businessman,  who claims he was ones against the idea of change in the contours of the city as it would have changed its flavor. “I was wrong. The essence of the city of Varanasi is intact,” he says with content.

    His wife Anamika is happy with the uninterrupted power supply. “Akhilesh speaks lies, Yogi does what is right. Earlier, there used to be only 5-6 hours of power supply in Varanasi, now it is 24-hour,” she draws the parallel between two regimes. If improvement in law and order is the most perceptible change in Varanasi for Aarti, a research scholar in BHU, Sarvesh Yadav of Mirzapur, pursuing post-graduation from BHU, is swayed by caste compulsions. “BJP government might have done a lot of good things, but it has failed to address unemployment. Competitive exams have become a mockery. Either paper is leaked or results are challenged. I will vote for change, for Akhilesh Yadav this time,” says Sarvesh admitting that UP voters are guided by caste inclinations.

    The anti-incumbency against the sitting MLAs is driving a wedge in the families. While Anjani Nandan Upadhyaya had made up his mind to vote for SP in Varanasi South seat where sitting MLA and Yogi minister Neelkanth Tiwari is facing a strong challenge by SP candidate and head priest of Mahamritunjay temple Kamshwar Nath Dixit alias Kishan Dixit, his wife was adamant at voting for Modi. “Modi’s roadshow has made me realize that I can’t betray him by voting for SP candidate,” concedes Upadhyaya who otherwise was angry with the arrogance of sitting MLA.

    “Change is sure. Even Modi will not be able to stop it. BJP MLAs are seeking apology but people of Kashi have made up their mind to back SP,” says Rajesh Patel, a school teacher impressed by SP’s promise of resonation of Old Pension Scheme.

    ALSO READ | UP polls: Religious, caste priorities dominate voters psyche in eastern region

    On the contrary, for a BHU employee seeking anonymity, a change in the government at the centre in 2014 followed by a change in the state itself has paved the way for better living conditions in Varanasi. “Ahead of every festival, there used to group seeking donations better called ‘rangdari’ (extortion). The police used to behave like an organised mob of dispensation. We used to look forward to (former SP minister) Shivpal Yadav’s visits because that was the only time we would have uninterrupted power,” he recalls the previous regime.

    Over the past seven years, several projects have been initiated and completed in Varanasi. Projects worth Rs 3,350 crore were inaugurated in February 2019, followed by the inauguration of another set of projects worth Rs 614 crore. In October 2021, the Prime Minister launched development projects worth Rs 5,200 crore for the makeover of the Ghats, cleanliness of the Ganga, construction of bridges, parking places and facilities in Banaras Hindu University; this was followed by the inauguration of the grand Kashi Vishwanath corridor in December.

    “No matter what the opposition says or how long it takes, people are assured that work will be done in Kashi as long as there is (PM) Modi,” says Dashrath Ram Sonkar, a vegetable and fruit vendor.

    However, as one traverses to the semi-urban pockets, the issues of stray cattle, demand for increasing MSPs, procurement centre in every village dominate the discourse but the overriding caste factor rings the most on the ground. Key seats set for big fights include Varanasi (North) where BJP’s two-time MLA Ravindra Jaiswal is in the fray, Varanasi (South) where BJP minister Neelkanth Tiwari is taking on SP’s Kameshwar Nath Dikshit in a ‘Brahmin vs Brahmin fight’, Pindra seat where Congress leader Ajay Rai is seeking election and Shivpur seat where minister Anil Rajbhar is taking on SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar’s son Arvind.

    The contest in the Sewapuri seat of Varanasi is significant too as it has three villages – Jayapur, Nagapur, and Kakarhia adopted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the MP Adarsh Gram Yojana. Sewapuri has also been recognised as a “model block” by the NITI Aayog for development, a point that Shukla is raising in the campaign. 

  • UP polls: With heavyweights conducting rallies, Varanasi becomes last big battleground

    Express News Service

    VARANASI: With the long drawn, seven phase assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh set to end with voting for 54 seats of nine eastern districts on March 7, Varanasi — one of the oldest living cities of the world – turned out to be the last big battleground of all major political parties and their top leadership on Friday.

    While BJP’s top leader in the country, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi (who is also the two-time sitting MP from Varanasi) embarked on a long road show through the main city areas, BJP’s prime opponent, the Samajwadi Party chief and ex-UP CM Akhilesh Yadav too carried out a road-show in another part of the same religious city.

    And if that wasn’t all, the Congress party, which is eyeing a revival in its fortunes in these polls, had its two most charismatic leaders, the siblings Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, holding public rallies in rural area, where their candidates have turned the so far direct contest between BJP alliance and SP alliance into multi-cornered battle.

    The prime attraction of the day, however, was PM Modi’s massive road-show, which waded through an unending crowd of city residents and BJP supporters, while covering a distance of 8-odd km, from Maldahiya crossing to Lanka-BHU Gate.

    After reiterating at a public rally in Mirzapur district, the commitment of his government to safely evacuate every Indian stranded in war torn Ukraine at a time when the entire world was going through a very critical, the PM flew to his parliamentary constituency Varanasi at around 4 pm and embarked on the road-show around an hour and 45 minutes delay.

    After garlanding the statue of Sardar Patel, the PM’s road-show travelled to the Kashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor, traversing through various areas of Varanasi North, Varanasi South and Varanasi Cantt assembly segments, amid unending crowds of local residents and supporters, raising slogans in support of their two-time MP.

    The road-show which was dotted with floral welcome at various points by senior BJP leaders, took almost three hours in travelling 3 kms to reach the KV Dham Corridor, where the PM offered prayers at the world famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple, after playing the king size dumroo amid reverberating chants of Kashi’s signature slogan Har Har Mahadev.

    He subsequently travelled through the further crowded areas between Godowlia Crossing and Lanka-BHU Gate (covering major part of Varanasi South and Varanasi Cantt seats), but stopped in between to relish kulhad tea with BJP rank and file at the famous Pappu Tea Shop at Assi Crossing, which for long has been the most talked about political gossip point of the ancient city.        

    This was the PM’s fifth poll-related road-show in Varanasi since 2014, when he first won the LS polls, defeating AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal. The Friday’s roadshow was a re-run of the 2017 polls campaigning, when Modi had carried out two back-to-back road-shows in response to UP Ke Ladke Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi’s road-shows. It was largely aimed at galvanizing the party’s rank and file and appealing the electorate in three urban seats, Varanasi South, Varanasi North and Varanasi Cantt, to vote for sitting BJP MLAs (including two ministers) who are facing high anti-incumbency.

    The PM, who would camp in Varanasi for two days, will address a rally at Khajuri (located on the junction of two rural Pindra and Sewapuri seats) where both the BJP candidates are having a tough time against high anti-incumbency.

    The BJP is pinning high hopes on the PM’s two day stay in Varanasi, as a similar campaign by him in the city in 2017, had helped the party not only win all eight seats of Varanasi district, but several seats of adjoining districts also.

    Meanwhile, the Congress leader siblings Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, addressed poll rally in Pindra assembly constituency, where the party’s ex-MLA Ajay Rai (who was a minister in erstwhile BJP government in the past) is strongly contesting against sitting BJP MLA Avdhesh Singh and BSP candidate Babulal Patel.

    Knowing well that the BSP candidate could benefit from division in upper caste votes between the BJP and Congress candidate, Rahul was highly critical of the BSP, terming the elephant symbol party the B Team of the BJP. He also lashed out at the Samajwadi Party for fostering an atmosphere of violence and anarchy during its past rule in UP.

     The last big ticket campaign of the day was a road-show by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, who had to travel 1.5 km between Rathyatra Crossing and Girjaghar Crossing, covering parts of Varanasi Cantt and Varanasi South seats. The road-show was on at the time of filing this news report.

  • 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.

    ALSO READ | BJP politicising evacuation of Indians from Ukraine for UP polls: RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary

    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 polls 6th phase: About 9 per cent polling till 9 am 

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: About 9 per cent voting was witnessed in the first two hours for the sixth phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls on Thursday.

    The prominent faces among the 676 candidates contesting on 57 seats spread across 10 districts in this phase include Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur Urban and state Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu from Tamkuhi Raj.

    The voting started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm.

    Around 2.15 crore people are eligible to vote in this phase. So far, voting for 292 of the 403 Assembly seats has been completed.

    The final phase of the elections on the remaining 54 seats will be held on March 7.

    ALSO READ | Sixth phase of UP polls: Polling begins on 57 Assembly seats, Adityanath among prominent candidates

    The districts where polling is being held on Thursday are Ambedkarnagar, Balrampur, Siddharth Nagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria and Ballia.

    In the 2017 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 46 of the 57 seats.

    In the first two hours till 9 am there was an average of 8.69 per cent polling, according to the Election Commission of India’s Turnout app.

    While Ambedkarnagar had 9.54 per cent voting, Ballia had 7.59 per cent, Balrampur 8.10 per cent, Basti 9.83 per cent, Deoria 8.44 per cent, Gorakhpur 8.92 per cent, Kushinagar 9.69 per cent, Mahrajganj 8.9 per cent, Sant Kabir Nagar 6.76 per cent and Siddharth Nagar 8.24 per cent.

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

    Talking to reporters after casting his votes, the chief minister said that there will be 80 per cent votes for BJP and in the rest 20 per cent will get divided among the opposition.

    He also appealed to people to vote in large numbers.

    The Samajwadi Party has pitted the wife of the late Upendra Dutt Shukla, a former BJP leader, against Adityanath.

    Azad Samaj Party founder Chandrashekhar Azad is also contesting against the Uttar Pradesh chief minister from Gorakhpur Urban.

    ALSO READ | Phase six of UP polls: OBC, MBCs will come into play to save parties’ pride

    Swami Prasad Maurya, who was a minister in the Adityanath government and had quit the BJP to join the Samajwadi Party, is contesting from Fazilnagar.

    The Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly and Samajwadi Party leader Ram Govind Chaudhary is contesting from Bansdih.

    Many incumbent ministers’ fate will also be decided in this phase.

    They include Surya Pratap Shahi from Pathardeva, Satish Chandra Dwivedi from Itwa, Jai Pratap Singh from Bansi, Shree Ram Chauhan from Khajani and Jai Prakash Nishad from Rudrapur.

    The campaigning for this phase witnessed the political parties going for an all-out attack against each other.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the BJP’s rivals by tagging them as dynasts, who he claimed can never make India capable or empower Uttar Pradesh.

    Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi rebutted by saying that the BJP is only against her family, which did not bow down before it.

    Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of hatching a conspiracy of ending reservation and “selling” government entities to the private sector.

  • Sixth phase of UP polls: Polling begins on 57 Assembly seats, Adityanath among prominent candidates

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Voting for the sixth phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls began on Thursday morning, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and several prominent faces among 676 candidates, who are contesting on 57 seats spread across 10 districts.

    The voting started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. Around 2.15 crore people are eligible to vote in this phase. Till now, voting for 292 of the 403 Assembly seats has been completed. The final phase of the elections on the remaining 54 seats will be held on March 7.

    The districts where polling is being held on Thursday are Ambedkar Nagar, Balrampur, Siddharth Nagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria and Ballia.

    Among the 676 candidates in the fray in this phase are CM Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur Urban and state Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu from Tamkuhi Raj seat.

    Swami Prasad Maurya, who was a minister in the Adityanath government and had quit the BJP to join the Samajwadi Party, is contesting from Fazilnagar.

    The Samajwadi Party has pitted the wife of the late Upendra Dutt Shukla, a former BJP leader, against Adityanath.

    Azad Samaj Party founder Chandrashekhar Azad is also contesting against the Uttar Pradesh chief minister from Gorakhpur Urban.

    The Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly and Samajwadi Party leader Ram Govind Chaudhary is contesting from Bansdih.

    Many incumbent ministers’ fate will also be decided in this phase. They include Surya Pratap Shahi from Pathardeva, Satish Chandra Dwivedi from Itwa, Jai Pratap Singh from Bansi, Shree Ram Chauhan from Khajani and Jai Prakash Nishad from Rudrapur.

    The campaigning for this phase witnessed the political parties going for an all-out attack against each other.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the BJP’s rivals by tagging them as dynasts, who he claimed can never make India capable or empower Uttar Pradesh.

    Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi rebutted by saying that the BJP is only against her family, which did not bow down before it.

    Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of hatching a conspiracy of ending reservation and “selling” government entities to the private sector.

    In the 2017 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 46 of the 57 seats.