PM Narendra Modi targeted the SP, saying five years ago muscle men and rioters used to be the law unto themselves in Uttar Pradesh.
Tag: Uttar Pradesh elections 2022
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Assembly polls: Uttar Pradesh’s ‘Islamabad’ residents gear up to vote for development
By PTI
BIJNOR (UTTAR PRADESH): As electioneering is gaining momentum, voters in Islamabad, too, are eagerly waiting for their chance to cast votes, and elect their new representative. This Islamabad has nothing to do with Pakistan’s capital, and is a village in Bijnor district, located approximately 40 km away from the district headquarters.
It has a population of around 10,000, of which around 4,700 people are eligible to vote. Despite sharing its name with the neighbouring country’s capital, local people say the name ‘Islamabad’ has never been a cause of concern.
However, they said the village needs developments and that they will vote for a candidate, who they believe, will address their concerns. “I don’t know how the name ‘Islamabad’ came into existence. But this name is in use since the days of my great grandfather,” Vijendra Singh, husband of village pradhan Sarvesh Devi, told PTI.
When asked whether the name instilled a sense of insecurity among villagers, Singh said, “Never was there any sense of insecurity among the villagers over this issue and never did such a thought cross our minds. This name will continue.”
Islamabad is largely inhabited by Chauhans, Prajapatis and has a Muslim population of about 400. “All of the people live in peace,” he said. Villagers here cultivate sugarcane, wheat, paddy and groundnut among the other crops, he said.
On asked what the villagers would consider while casting votes, Singh said the small stretches of roads in the village are ‘kuccha’ and they need to be converted into ‘pucca’ roads. He also said there have been problems in selling paddy to government agencies, but the issue was resolved after the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) intervened.
“We also want an inter-college so that girls can study here. But we have got no assurance from anyone. These are the issues that we will keep in mind while voting,” Singh, who is also an office-bearer of BKU, the organisation headed by farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, said.
On asked about the probability of candidates in the constituency, Singh said the poll contest here is three-cornered between BJP’s Sushant Kumar Singh, who is also the sitting MLA, SP’s Kapil Kumar and BSP’s Mohammad Ghazi.
An advocate and a resident of Islamabad village, 28-year-old Aditya Prajapati said, “We never had any sort of inferiority complex about the name. Yes, there have been a few instances when people in a lighter vein had asked ‘oh you are from Pakistan?’, but it did not go beyond this. None of the youths working outside faced any problems.”
Mohammed Salman (30), an online trader and a villager, said, “We are living in this village for many generations.” He also said that Islamabad village is “very close” to his heart, and all the residents of the village take the name in a “very positively”.
Sitting BJP MLA and party candidate from Barhapur Assembly constituency Sushant Kumar Singh told PTI that there were no issues with the name of the village. When asked to comment on the possibility of a name change, he said, “Anything in this regard will be done after the elections.”
Kapil Kumar, the SP candidate from Barhapur told PTI, “The feeling of fear and concern had never cropped up because of the name Islamabad nor has there been any inferiority complex. The people of the village never demanded a change of name either. This name has continued after Independence.”
Since coming to power, the Adityanath government has changed the names of several establishments, including those of Faizabad and Allahabad districts. They were renamed as Ayodhya and Prayagraj, respectively The Mughalsarai Railway station was renamed as Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction and the Faizabad Railway station as Ayodhya Cantonment.
On December 29, the Uttar Pradesh government renamed Jhansi Railway Station as Veerangana Laxmibai Railway Station’. The Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7 and the results will be announced on March 10.
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Goons roamed freely and there were riots in Uttar Pradesh when SP was in power: Rajnath Singh
By PTI
KASGANJ: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said while the BJP has ensured good law and order as well as development in Uttar Pradesh, goons used to roam freely and there were riots when the Samajwadi Party was in power.
He also said that now goons and the mafia do not get protection, “but bulldozers are run over their illegal properties”.
“I want to know why riots always happened during the SP’s (Samajwadi Party) government. Why did goons and miscreants roam freely in their regime,” Singh said while campaigning here for next month’s assembly elections in the state. Voting will be held in Kasaganj on February 20 in the third phase of the seven phase polls. Highlighting the achievements of the BJP government in the state, Singh claimed that “not a single riot took place in the five years of the BJP government”.
The previous government in the state was that of the SP, which was defeated by the BJP in the 2017 assembly polls.
Lauding the state government for the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, he said that “when the law and order situation is good, development also takes place rapidly”.
“Today if Uttar Pradesh is witnessing development, then there is better law and order behind it. Now goons, mafia do not get protection, but bulldozers are run over their illegal properties,” he added.
Singh attacked opposition SP, Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress, saying those who get cut from their roots becomes like a kite with broken thread.
Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he assured voters that “we will do development and also save our heritage”.
In his address, Singh sought support of voters and asked them to help the BJP in forming a majority government in the state.
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Good that Yogi Adityanth isn’t BJP’s Ayodhya candidate: Ram Temple chief priest
By PTI
AYODHYA: The chief priest of the Ram Temple here on Monday said it is good that Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath is not contesting the state Assembly polls from this seat as he would have faced a lot of opposition.
When asked why he suggested that Adityanath should not to contest from Ayodhya, Acharya Satyendra Das said he advised this “after asking Ram Lalla (Lord Ram)”.
Das said that he suggested that Adityanath should contest from Gorakhpur as people whose houses and shops were demolished here due to infrastructure projects in the wake of the construction of the temple were opposing him.
“It’s good that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is not contesting from here. I had suggested it earlier and advised that it will be better that he contest from any seat of Gorakhpur. I speak after asking Ram Lalla. I spoke with Ram Lalla’s inspiration,” said Das, who is the chief priest of the makeshift Ram Lalla temple, which is being replaced by a grand temple.
The 84-year-old priest said that the seers here are divided in their opinion and those whose houses and shops were demolished are against him. “All are saying that it’s his work. This opposition is there. I said he better go there (Gorakhpur). He would have won from here but could have faced problems,” the priest said.
There was a strong buzz in political circles that Adityanath would enter the fray from Ayodhya but the BJP leadership decided to field him from the Gorakhpur (Urban) Assembly segment. About the election mood in Ayodhya, Das said it is not yet clear as all parties have not declared their candidates.
The priest, however, said the ruling BJP will not let go the Ram temple issue and it will remain on their agenda. “Earlier, there was Ram Lalla andolan, then came the court’s order and the construction of the Ram temple started. This Ram temple issue will never go away. They will say firing was opened here (on ‘kar sewaks’), application was moved in the court to prevent the construction – but the temple construction is on. They will certainly take the name (of Ram temple). This will not go away,” Das said.
Das hoped to see the completed Ram temple in his lifetime. “Let’s see how many days it takes for the construction to complete. A majority of those who were with me have gone (passed away),” Das said, adding that he will be serving here till his last.
Das said he joined as the priest of the makeshift Ram Lalla temple in 1992, the year the Babri mosque was demolished.
When asked if he was present when the mosque was demolished, Das said, “I was there. It happened before me. I was witness to it. Out of three domes, north and south domes were demolished by ‘kar sewaks’. I took Ram Lalla with its throne in my hand. The demolition was over by 5 pm. Later, ‘kar sewaks’ pitched a tent and levelled the place and by 7 pm, I kept Ram Lalla there.”
When asked whether local politicians have started coming to him to take his blessings, Das said, “Till now, wife of Samajwadi Party leader Pawan Pandey has come to me. He is a strong candidate from the SP.”
Pawan Pandey had won the 2012 Assembly elections from Ayodhya and was made a minister in the previous Akhilesh Yadav government. In 2017, BJP’s Ved Prakash Gupta won the Ayodhya seat. All five Assembly seats in the district–Ayodhya, Bikapur, Rudauli, Gosaiganj and Milkipurare held by the BJP now.
Ayodhya will go to the polls in the fifth phase on February 27.
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BJP MLA Harendra Singh Rinku booked for model code violation in Sambhal
By PTI
SAMBHAL: A case has been registered against the BJP candidate from Asmoli assembly seat here for violation of model code of conduct and COVID-19 guidelines, a senior police official said on Friday.
On Thursday evening, the BJP candidate and Asmoli assembly constituency MLA Harendra Singh Rinku was holding an election meeting in Chaupa village in which a large number of people had gathered without masks violating social distancing, Police Superintendent Chakresh Mishra said.
Taking note of the incident, a case has been registered against the BJP MLA Rinku and 50 to 60 unknown persons under relevant sections at the Bahjoi police station area, the SP added.
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Battle for Uttar Pradesh: ‘Disappointed’ JDU to contest polls alone
By IANS
LUCKNOW: The Janata Dal (United) has announced that it will contest the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on its own.
The party has expressed disappointment over not being named by the BJP as an ally in Uttar Pradesh.
JD(U) national spokesperson and general secretary KC Tyagi, who was in Lucknow to announce the party’s foray into UP poll scene, said his party looked forward to implementing the ‘Bihar model of governance’ in UP which was about ‘Nyay ke Saath Vikas’ (development with justice).
“Our party colleague R.C.P. Singh spoke to top BJP leaders, including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, J.P. Nadda and UP Assembly election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, and at no stage did anyone deny an alliance with us. But when the BJP released its list (of candidates) three days ago and said that Apna Dal and Nishad Party are its allies, it was a clear indication that JD(U) was not a part of the alliance. We are not angry but disappointed and have decided to contest on our own,” said Tyagi.
However, he clarified that the development would not impact its alliance with the BJP in Bihar and added that JD (U) would not do anything to harm BJP’s prospects in Uttar Pradesh.
“We expect the same from them,” he added.
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Battle for Uttar Pradesh: Aligarh Muslim University panel puts out ‘charter’ for political parties
By IANS
ALIGARH: The coordination committee of Uttar Pradesh state executive body of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has passed a 15-point resolution as a charter of ‘Muslim issues’ and sought its inclusion in the election manifesto of political parties.
The committee has also sought an assurance of the implementation of the issues.
In the resolution passed by the committee, comprising over 100 members including teaching, non-teaching staff, students and alumni, it demanded speedy investigation and release of innocent persons framed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and National Security Act.
It also demanded compensation and rehabilitation of victims who were falsely implicated by security agencies and subjected to prolonged incarceration and severe torture, but found innocent and acquitted by courts of law.
The resolution further demanded enactment of comprehensive anti-communal and anti-hate crime law with the provision of ‘stringent punishment and speedy trial and formation of a task force having adequate representation of stakeholders for vigilance of harassment and atrocities on minorities’.
The committee said the election is crucial for the community, having been subjected to “systematic harassment by the communally-biased ruling dispensation and disappointed by the silence of all secular parties which had enjoyed power due to their electoral support”.
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BJP suffers yet another blow in Uttar Pradesh as two MLAs of ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) quit party
By PTI
PRATAPGARH: Amid a spate of resignations from the BJP, two MLAs of its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) also quit their party Thursday in run-up to the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.
Chaudhary Amar Singh, the MLA from Shohratgarh seat of Siddharthnagar, told PTI that he has resigned from the party after a meeting with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow this evening.
Singh is likely to contest from Shohratgarh seat on an SP ticket.
Apna Dal (Sonelal) MLA RK Verma, who represents the Vishwanath Ganj seat of Pratapgarh, also announced that he is leaving the party.
He told PTI that he will formally resign on Friday and elaborate the reasons why he was quitting the party.
Apna Dal (Sonelal), led by Union minister Anupriya Patel, had contested the 2017 assembly elections in alliance with the BJP.
It had fielded candidates on 12 seats and won nine.
The development comes in the backdrop of a spate of resignations from the ruling BJP.
On Thursday, OBC leader Dharam Singh Saini became the third minister to resign from the Uttar Pradesh cabinet this week, giving yet another jolt to the ruling BJP in the run-up to the assembly polls.
Hours before Saini’s resignation, Shikohabad MLA Mukesh Verma announced that he is leaving the BJP.
Most of the eight MLAs, including the ministers, who have declared they are quitting during the last three days are from the Other Backward Classes and appear to be headed towards Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party.