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Tag: Uttar Pradesh

  • Uttar Pradesh elections: Voting percentage for all phases same as in 2017 polls

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Voters’ turnout in almost two-thirds of the assembly seats during five rounds of polling in Uttar Pradesh is more or less the same as in the 2017 polls, leaving political parties and experts guessing whether it’s pro-incumbency or anti-incumbency votes.

    A look at the voters’ turnout in the 2019 general elections in the state also doesn’t reflect much of a difference. While some attribute it to coronavirus, others say voters have tested all the parties in the polls and hence are not enthused by new poll promises made by the competing parties.

    Out of the seven-phase elections, the politically important state has completed five rounds and the rest two are lined up on March 3 and March 7. Results will be declared on March 10 along with that of Punjab, Uttrakhand, Goa and Manipur.

    The opening phase of the elections on February 10 saw a voter turnout of 62.43 per cent in the 58 assembly constituencies in western Uttar Pradesh. It was 63.47 per cent in 2017 and 61.84 per cent in the last general elections.

    But, Kairana which had earlier hit the headlines because of reported migration due to bad law and order saw a leap from 69.56 to 75.12 per cent voting this time.

    As per data available with the election office, the second phase of polling on 55 assembly segments on February 14 registered 64.42 per cent vis-a-vis 65.53 per cent five years back and 63.13 per cent in the last Parliamentary elections.

    The hot seat Rampur of jailed SP leader Azam Khan saw almost a ditto voters’ turnout at 63.92 per cent vis-a-vis 63.97 in 2017.

    The third phase which saw voting in the Karhal constituency from where Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav is contesting witnessed a 62.28 voting percentage as compared to 62.21 per cent five years back and 59.73 in the last general elections.

    Reports suggest it is the second-highest voting percentage in Mulayam Singh Yadav’s bastion, after 71.4 per cent in 1974.

    The fourth round on February 23 which saw voting in the state capital Lucknow among others on 59 seats, saw nearly 61.52 per cent voting as per voters turnout App of the Election Commission as compared to 62.55 per cent in 2017 and 60.3 per cent in 2019.

    Fifth-round on 61 seats including that in Ayodhya, Prayagraj, Amethi and Raebareli on February 27 witnessed 57.32 per cent voting while it was 58.24 in 2017 and 55.31 in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

    For the sixth phase on March 3 which will see voting in the high-profile seat of Gorakhpur Urban from where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is in the fray, the challenge is to cross the voting percentage of 56.52 in 2017.

    So is in the last round on March 7 which includes Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency where the 2017 mark was 59.56 per cent.

    It was 57.48 in the last parliamentary polls. On voters’ turnout, Yogi Adityanath says it’s more and less the same as last time and it means things are going in the right direction. Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi, when contacted, told PTI, “I wonder why the voter turnout has not increased this time. It could be because the voters’ education efforts were less this time?”

    Sanjay Kumar (Professor and Co-Director of Lokniti, a Research Programme at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies) told PTI, “If you compare with the previous elections, the turnout is not very low. It varies by 1-2 per cent.”

    “Normally, whenever people decide to change the government, there is an atmosphere about it, which in turn increases the turnout. This was visible in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, as the polling percentage increased as compared to the 2009 elections,” he said.

    “There is ‘udaaseentaa’ (indifference) in the minds of the voter (towards voting). Now, whether it is indifference towards anti-incumbency or pro-incumbency, it will be known only after the results are declared,” the psephologist said.

    State BJP spokesperson Manish Shukla said, “Irrespective of the voters’ turnout, the BJP voters are coming out of their home and voting for the party. However, the same cannot be said about other political parties, as their voters seem to be inactive. This can be possibly due to the rift within the SP-led alliance.”

    Samajwadi Party spokesperson Rajpal Kashyap said that discrepancies in the voter list and people moving out of the state for work after easing in the covid situation have reduced the polling percentage. “However, the SP is gaining ground in every phase,” he said.

    His Congress counterpart Ashok Singh said, “It is a festival of democracy, and the party is contesting with full energy. We will throw surprising results. The slogan ‘ladhki hoon, ladh saktee hoon’ has ushered in a political revolution.”

    Manoj Goswami (75), a resident of Lucknow central assembly constituency, said, “I did not cast my vote fearing that I will get infected with COVID-19.” Sushil Kashyap, a tea seller in Lucknow Latouche road says, “We have seen all the parties’ governments. They all are almost the same.”

    Amid inertia shown by many voters, the five phases witnessed some pleasant examples. In Prayagraj’s Allahpur, 78-year-old Bhuri Pathak suffering from a hip fracture went to the polling station in an ambulance to exercise her franchise.

    In Lucknow, a mother who delivered a baby, turned up at a polling booth the next day. There are over 14.66 lakh first-time voters (18-19 years old) in UP polls this time. Overall more than 52 lakh names of new voters were added for the 2022 polls.

    The count of total voters in UP polls is over 15.02 crore. Due to the COVID pandemic, the Election Commission has extended voting time by an hour.

  • Uttar Pradesh elections 2022: No cakewalk for BJP in temple town of Ayodhya

    Express News Service

    AYODHYA: In the first electoral battle after Supreme Court order settling the vexed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid issue, the temple town of Ayodhya seems to be evenly poised for a tough battle of ballots ahead. It will vote in phase-V on Sunday.

    The temple issue, which has been one of major poll planks of the saffron brigade for  decades, is not so any more in Ayodhya as the temple is now coming up following the court order. However, people attribute it to the BJP saying the party never left the issue.

    “I know the court order has paved way for temple construction but BJP shares our sentiments and Modiji laid the temple’s foundation. I don’t think any other PM would have done that personally,” says Mahesh Prasad Gupta, 52, a businessman.

    Iqbal Ansari, one of the litigants in the mandir-masjid dispute, feels the BJP should come again. “Rule of law is prevailing in Ayodhya. We are living amicably,” he says. Ayodhya Assembly segment is considered a BJP stronghold for it remained with the party since 1991, till the SP wrested it in the 2012 election.

    While the BJP has repeated its sitting MLA Ved Prakash Gupta, SP has given ticket to Brahmin face Tej Narain Pandey alias Pawan Pandey who had defeated BJP’s Lallu Singh in 2012. Pandey was defeated by Gupta in 2017. Though Gupta is facing some anti-incumbency, he seems to have an edge as people are set to vote in the names of Modi and Yogi.

    ALSO READ| BJP internal survey says tough fight in Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls

    With no palpable anti-incumbency in the constituency, Samajwadi Party is banking upon the caste configuration of Ayodhya. SP’s core vote base here comprising Muslims and Yadavs together make a respectable 92,000 voters with Yadavs being 37,000 and Muslims 55,000.

    The party has strategically fielded a Brahmin eyeing some support from the community. “We are confident of support of all castes and win the seat,” says Vishnu Singh, an SP member.

    The development work undertaken by the incumbent government is the main plank of the BJP. “Whatever the BJP government did so far for Ayodhya, no government has ever done and no one will ever do,” says Dinesh Kumar Singh, a private school teacher. 

    Siddharth Rawat, dealing in edible oil, is not ready to acknowledge the development of Ayodhya. “Had BJP government done so much, Yogi would not have gone to Gorakhpur to contest election. He didn’t have the confidence of winning from Ayodhya,” reasons out Rawat.

    The issue of stray cattle is also being raised in debates. “Only this issue needs to be resolved as it is hitting the farmers, otherwise the government has done all-round development of Ayodhya,” says Abhishek Srivatava. Ram Autar Tiwari, a farmer, feels free ration is useless and farmers are helpless due to stray animals.

    Meanwhile, seers of Ayodhya stand in BJP’s support. “The construction of temple has forced politicians like BSP leader SC Mishra, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal to rush here only to draw political gains,” says Mahant Raju Das, priest, Hanuman Garhi temple.

    If Abdul Gaffar feels SP would win majority of seats in and around Ayodhya, Razia, coming out of a PDS shop, acknowledges facilities given by the BJP government.

    Kalpana Mishra, a housewife and mother of two girls, feels safety of women is not at stake anymore. Suraiyya of Sunni Mohal locality begs to differ saying that law and order was equally good in SP regime.

    However, the pain of having sacrificed Babri Masjid still lingers on. “It will always be there till we are alive,” says Haji Yusuf Qureshi.

  • This is an election to save democracy: Akhilesh Yadav 

    By PTI

    PRAYAGRAJ: Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said this is not an ordinary assembly election but polls to save the democracy and change the fate of Uttar Pradesh.

    Addressing a huge rally at Bhirpur in Yamunapar’s Karchana assembly constituency, 30 km from the city, he said, “We will work to implement the SP manifesto. Ever since the BJP government came, inflation and unemployment have increased” Taking a jibe at the BJP leaders, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said that small leaders of the BJP tell small lies, those who are big tell bigger lies and those who are “tallest” leaders tell the biggest lies.

    Turning to the competitive students of BEd and TET (Teacher Eligibility Test) examinations who came to the rally, the SP chief said, “You tell me whether the examinations were cancelled or not, whether the paper was out or not. Did you have to fight or not?” He said that the Samajwadi Party promises to help Shiksha Mitras and fill lakhs of jobs lying vacant in the education department.

    “If the SP government is formed, the youth will be given jobs by filling the vacant posts,” he promised.

    Yadav said under the BJP government, Baba (Adityanath) shows development by “changing the name of schemes”.

    This time an English newspaper has also changed his name to “Baba Bulldozer”. Earlier, the crowd became uncontrollable, broke the barricade and reached close to the stage.

    At the time of Yadav’s departure also, people reached near to his helicopter and the police had to use force to disperse them.

  • UP polls: Fierce battle on cards for capital in phase-4 

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: The seat of power in Uttar Pradesh, state capital Lucknow has an obvious and quintessential ‘Nawabi’ flavour to politics. Set to vote in phase-4 of 7-phased state assembly elections on Wednesday, stakes are high in Lucknow for two prominent ministers of the Yogi cabinet and a high-profile ED officer who took VRS last month to test the poll waters.

    While Brajesh Pathak is in the fray from Lucknow Cantt and Ashutosh Tandon, son of BJP veteran late Lalji Tandon, will test the waters from Lucknow East. Rajeshwar Singh, former joint director at Enforcement Directorate, who not so long ago was investigating many high-profile cases, is now a BJP candidate from the Sarojininagar assembly segment.

    Both Lucknow Cantt and Lucknow East are urban seats with a significant chunk of upper caste voters. While Pathak is facing three-time corporator Surendra Singh Gandhi alias Raju Gandhi from Samajwadi Party and Anil Pandey from BSP, Tandon is fighting it out against SP national spokesperson Anurag Singh Bhadouriya and advocate Ashish Kumar Sinha from BSP. In 2017, SP had fielded Aparna Yadav, the younger daughter-in-law of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, from Cantt against the then Congress turncoat Rita Bahuguna Joshi who had contested on BJP ticket and had won the seat with a comfortable margin of over 33,000 votes.

    Now Aparna, who joined the BJP recently and was expecting the ticket from Cantt seat, is seeking votes for Pathak.

    Similarly, Rajeshwar Singh is facing the challenge from Dr Abhishek Mishra, an IIM-Lucknow product and former minister in the SP government. While BSP has fielded a Muslim – Jalis Khan– against Rajeshwar Singh, Congress has placed its bet on Rudra Daman Singh, also a Thakur.

    ALSO READ | UP polls: Yogi brings the ‘bulldozer’ reference again; Akhilesh counts utility of ‘bicycle’

    In all, Lucknow has nine assembly segments of which the ruling BJP had won eight in 2017. One seat of Mohanlalaganj in the rural pocket of the state capital had gone to the SP. Other BJP candidates to watch out for are Jai Devi from Malihabad (SC), wife of Union minister and BJP MP Kaushal Kishore, and veteran worker and functionary Yogesh Shukla from Bakshi Ka Talab. A similar situation prevails in Mohanlalganj with Amresh Kumar from BJP taking on former SP MP Sushila Saroj.

    On the other side Samajwadi Party has fielded strong contenders Ravidas Mehrotra from Lucknow Central, Arman from Lucknow West and Gomti Yadav from Bakshi Ka Talab, all having the potential to sway voters towards their side. Congress has fielded anti-CAA protestor Sadaf Jafar from Lucknow West. Zafar was arrested in connection with the stir that had turned violent leading to large-scale arson in state capital in December 2019.

    As per the pulse on the ground, voters of urban Lucknow including seats – Lucknow East, West, North, Central, and Lucknow Cantt are voicing concern for local issues ranging from traffic blues to illegal construction and narrow lanes, betterment of infrastructure and cleanliness. However, people are impressed by the performance of the incumbent government over uninterrupted power supply, refurbished law and order, and the issue of nationalism. Even the Modi factor is also playing out on the ground prominently. BJP had won all five constituencies in 2017.

    While Diwakar Mishra, of Lucknow-North, pitches in for the BJP saying every issue becomes irrelevant when it comes to the nation first. Mishra, a professor in a local degree college, claims this is not a normal election. “This election will decide the fate of not only UP but the nation also. My vote will go to the party that talks of nationalism and put the nation first. I can resolve my minor issue myself. The government has a bigger task at hand,” says Mishra supported by Rajneesh Jain, dealing in the trade of chikan clothes.

    “Hit by back-to-back waves of the pandemic, trade took an obvious hit but the third wave has passed easily with losses to trade being not as much as the second wave. We are getting back on track and the government’s one district, one product (ODOP) scheme is helping out us in a big way,” says Jain. Chikan business is to the tune of over Rs 10,000 crore annually in and around Lucknow.

    However, Ajit Sonkar of Lucknow Central is irritated with frequent traffic jams. “Traffic jam is a permanent issue here. No government has been able to resolve it,” says Sonkar, who owns a medical store in Qaiserbagh.  For Javed Alam of Aminabad, encroachment has been a major issue. “Authorities do not pay heed to regular complaints lodged against encroachments in Aminabad which is one of the most prominent markets of Lucknow,” says Alam. It slows the traffic leading to long jams, he adds.

    Gyanesh Verma of Lucknow East feels that lawmakers should become more active and remain in constant touch with the people after getting elected. Manya of the same assembly segment feels that the Yogi government should come back and bring the promises of investment to the ground. “More opportunities for youth should be generated and a better atmosphere for business be created. Only BJP can do it,” says Manya, a boutique owner.  However, Mohammad Faraaz is fed up with the cancellation of papers paper leaks, and delayed results of competitive exams.“Sometimes the wait is so long that aspirant becomes overage,” he substantiates his point.

    ALSO READ | BJP builds on ‘suraksha’, free grains in UP polls; faces questions on unemployment

    “Roads should be taken proper care of,” says Dr LD Mishra of Vineet Khand in posh Gomti Nagar. He also wants the health infrastructure to be improved further.  “There should be no paucity of doctors. Appointment of doctors should be made a priority,” he says.

    Sudhakar Pandey and Vinit Singh of Rajajipuram in Lucknow West are of the view that the elected MLA should be readily available. “Power supply has improved a lot. During COVID second wave, oxygen paucity was there but the government was present on every door with free medicines and ration. It is commendable. Civic woes like sewage, drainage, and garbage disposal need more attention,” says Pandey.

    On shifting the focus to rural pockets of Lucknow comprising three segments including Malihabad, Bakshi Ka Talab, and Mohanlalganj. In Malihabad, a reserved seat has around three lakh voters and is identified as one of the main centres of the famous Mango belt, a combination of Yadav, Pasi, and Muslims are believed to be the deciding factor. Here the ruling party’s sitting MLA Jai Devi is a tough challenge from Surender Kumar of SP and also Jagdish Rawat of BSP. Around 23,589 hectares of land in Malihabad is covered under mango cultivation.

    Similarly, people in Mohanlalganj, another reserved seat, complain of lack of development. As per the pulse of the ground, Samajwadi Party, which had won the seat in 2017, has an upper edge this time as well. However, free ration, free power connection, cylinders, houses, and toilets have a resonance among voters on the ground. Having Yadavs around 45,000 and scheduled castes around 1.25 lakh, voters of Malihabad admit that the BJP has been able to sensitize people over the issue of Hindutva. However, unemployment is an issue here.

    “Our vote, even if given to the BJP, would be counted as given to SP. So why not give it to SP,” says Dinkar Yadav, 65, a farmer. He is interrupted by his son Anil, a science graduate and preparing for civil services. “It is very difficult to convince the older generation. They will go with SP. However, youngsters will vote as per their choice,” says Anil of Kankaha village of Mohanlalganj.

    However, Suresh Lodhi, owning a paan kiosk is happy that the BJP has fielded its own candidate from the seat, a stronghold of SP and BSP, for the first time. “Please come on March 10 to see the difference,” says Suresh having the caste configuration of Mohanlalganj on his fingertips. However, common voters crave development in the constituency.

    In Bakshi ka Talab, the fight is tough for the saffron brigade which has replaced the incumbent MLA Arvind  Trivedi with a new face but a veteran BJP worker Yogesh Shukla. SP has fielded the popular face Gomti Yadav and BSP has fielded a Muslim Salauddin Siddiqui.

    Interesting contests are also unfolding in other districts of the Lucknow division. Among the ones which are being closely tracked are Bangarmau and Purwa in Unnao. During the Modi wave, BJP managed to sweep Bangarmau for the first time in 2017. The BJP MLA of that time Kuldeep Singh Sengar was convicted in a rape case following which bypolls were held. BJP had secured the seat yet again and is trying to repeat its performance. The party has fielded sitting MLA Shrikant Katiyar while SP has Munna Alvi. Meanwhile, in Purwa, a seat that was won by the BSP in 2017, BJP has fielded Anil Singh, the sitting BSP MLA who switched sides in 2018.

    In Sitapur, seven out of nine seats were won by the BJP. Political observers feel that the fight is intense on four seats including Sevata, Maholi, Misrikh (reserved), and Hargaon.

    In Hardoi, the Naresh Agarwal family is dominating the scene. Naresh Agarwal’s son Nitin joined BJP to contest the polls. His family has a lot of clout in Hardoi. Anil Verma from SP and Shobhit Pathak from BSP are fighting against him. 

  • UP polls: Tikunia incident haunts some; price rise, stray cattle, cane dues also issues for Kheri voters

    Express News Service

    LAKHIMPUR KHERI: Tikunia ….. The township, bordering Nepal, was sleepy and non-descript till October 3, 2021, when it witnessed one of the most gruesome incidents of violence which brought disrepute to it. Eight persons including four farmers lost their lives. The farmers were run over allegedly by an impudent son of a union minister and in the aftermath of it, three persons were lynched by angry mob. The anger that spilled across the district was hard to handle by dispensation.

    An eerie silence prevails in Banveerpur village of Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni, sitting BJP MP from Lakhimpur Kheri and Union Minister. People busy in daily grind go silent when one asks them about October 3 violence. On changing the topic they return to spirited discussion. “We are getting free ration, power supply, house for poor but price rise has offset whatever positive the government has done,” says Ram Autar Singh, a farmer, who also claims that all issues aside, his choice is the ‘Phool’ (lotus).

    ALSO READ | BJP will break all its victory records in UP polls, there is pro-incumbency: Deputy CM Dinesh Sharma

    Tikunia votes under Nighasan assembly constituency, one among the eight which BJP had swept in 2017 under the intense Modi wave. However, as one comes out of the Banveerpur village, one finds that despite the nationwide outrage, October 3 violence somehow is fading from memory.  Some believe it was a plot against Teni. “Monu Bhaiyya (Ashish Mishra, key accused of Tikunia violence) has fallen victim to a well-plotted conspiracy. All those who had assembled at the college ground were outsiders. The incident is a thing of the past,” says Avinash Shukla, an LLB student who studies in Lucknow but has gone to his native village Barotha to cast vote under Phase-iv on February 23.

    Last week, Ashish Mishra came out of jail on bail granted to him by Allahabad High Court. “Despite all that happened on October 3, Teni Maharaj is our saviour. He stands by us in our grief and happiness. He solves our problems, he is our ‘Saansad’ (MP). People are out to defame him but he will come out of it,” says Manish Verma, a Kurmi, hoping that the Tikunia incident does not affect Phool (lotus)  on the ground on the day of voting.

    Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’, Union Minister of State from Home affairs, the sitting BJP MP from Lakhimpur Kheri, had won from Nighasan assembly constituency in 2012. It is a buzz that Teni’s son Ashish, the key accused of the Tikunia incident was claimant of BJP ticket from Nighasan seat but the violence ended his quest abruptly.

    Karamjeet Singh, riding a motorbike, when stopped and asked about the impact of violence on the ground, comes out openly. “You take my words. Granting bail to Ashish Mishra is not right. While he is out, our people accused in the lynching cases are still behind the bars. Is kand ka asar March 10 ko dikhega (the impact of the Tikunia incident will reflect in the result on March 10),” he asserts only to be confronted by a youth Satish Gupta, a grocery shop owner. “Those who were killed were outsiders. It is not going to impact voting patterns neither in Nighasan nor in entire Kheri,” he says. However, people agree that there is simmering anger among the Sikh community which makes around 20,000-40,000 of the population in different assembly segments, over the October 3 incident.

    The discourse shifts to other issues as for Mohammad Mian, husband of Barsola village head, Parveen Sana, Tikunia violence is no issue in the ongoing elections. “Flood is the major problem here. Every year we face the fury of inundated Mohan and Karna rivers as the flood water devours our crops,” he laments. For Jibrail, a farmer, the issue of stray cattle is also prominent but he finds relief as the authorities have become active and infirmed animals are being kept in Gaushalas as he claims. For Shafiq Ahmad, head of Sukhna Barsola village, stray cattle issue is serious.

    ALSO READ | UP polls: BJP gave step-motherly treatment to Raebareli, says Sonia Gandhi

    Discontent is palpable among the cane growers of Lakhimpur Kheri, also known as the sugar bowl of UP. Humkum Singh, a cane grower in the Palia assembly segment puts forth the issue. “The private mills are lagging behind in clearing the dues of the cane farmers. The cooperative mills are making regular payments but the government has not been able to prevail over the mills owned by Bajaj. Our dues of 15 days are still pending and the government needs to intervene,” he says supported by Jwala Singh Patel, another cane grower. “We depend for our daily expenses on the payment made to us by the sugar mills. If the mill owners falter in payment, life becomes tough for us,” he says.

    Lakhimpur Kheri has over nine sugar mills of which three are private and owned by the Bajaj group. In Palia, the Assembly constituency adjoining Nighasan, the common perception is that the people of Nighsan will not open up against ‘Teni Maharaj’ who has the image of Kheri’s strongman. “People, especially, the Sikhs will not speak against Teni Maharaj in Nighasan as they know that they have to live there only,” says Anurag Mishra, 45, a teacher of Palia. Mishra thinks that the Tikunia incident brought taint to Lakhimpur Kheri.

    Besides, people are vocal about the price rise and unemployment. “There has been an increase in wages (Rs 300/day) for labourers during the last five years. Moreover, after the COVID, many of us are compelled to work even on reduced rates – Rs 250-270 per day. Why will we vote for this government then?,” asks Sanjeev, a contractor providing labourers.

    “They gave the gas connection and a cylinder free but now we can’t afford to refill it spending Rs 1000. So out women are back to chulha,” says Kamlesh Yadav, working at a saree shop in Palia, spells out his choice in favour of Samajwadi Party.

    On the other, Kalyan Gautam, an ardent Mayawati supported refuses to accept that the fight in UP is more or less bipolar with depleted Bahujan Samaj Party. “No Behenji is not out of the race. She doesn’t believe in making noises and personal attacks like BJP and SP. She is fighting the elections gracefully and results will tell a different story on March 10,” he claims. However, law and order seem to have some traction on the ground but then the October 3 incident comes to haunt them.

  • UP polls: BJP gave step-motherly treatment to Raebareli, says Sonia Gandhi

    By PTI

    RAEBARELI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday accused the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of doing nothing in five years except dividing people, and claimed that it had meted out “step-motherly” treatment to her constituency Raebareli.

    In her maiden election speech for the ongoing UP polls, Gandhi also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, accusing them of mismanagement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “It’s going to be an important election because for the last five years you have seen a government which did nothing except divide people,” Gandhi said during a virtual address on the last day of campaign for the fourth phase.

    Gandhi is the Lok Sabha MP from Raebareli, where voting will take place on February 23 on all five assembly seats of Raebareli (Sadar), Harchandpur, Bachchrawan, Sareni and Unchahar.

    “We had brought several development schemes for you but the Modi-Yogi government banned all of them. Step-motherly treatment was meted out to Raebareli,” Gandhi said. “You have seen the politics of Congress which is based on service of people and giving rights to people,” she said.

    She said Congress workers have worked really hard in UP in the last five years and 8,000 party workers were jailed while fighting for the rights of the people in the state.

    “Brothers and sisters, I consider myself an inseparable part of your family. We are committed to pursuing a politics which makes your life better. We want to give you an MLA who works day and night for you, and makes policies that empower you,” Gandhi said.

    “In this election, strengthen the ‘hand’ (party symbol) of the Congress and select the politics which will make your future better. Ensure victory of all our candidates in Raebareli with a huge mandate,” she appealed.

    The Congress is faced with stiff challenge in Raebareli as its both MLAs (Aditi Singh from Raebareli and Sadar Rakesh Singh from Harchandpur) have crossed over to the BJP and are fighting on the lotus symbol.

    The five assembly seats have a combined voter count of over 17 lakh, including around eight lakh women. The district, adjoining Lucknow, has a population of around 30 lakh.

    After winning over Amethi, once a so-called bastion of the Congress, the BJP is making every effort to completely wash out the grand old party in Sonia Gandhi’s home turf of Raebareli in the 2022 UP polls.

    Noting that the Congress brought in a legislation like MNREGA to empower people with the right to work and help them have a better life, Gandhi said it is a pity that during a crisis (pandemic), the budget for MNREGA was reduced instead of being increased.

    She recalled how people faced difficult times during the peak of the Covid pandemic, unable to get oxygen, medicines and even beds in hospitals and many lost their loved ones.

    On the other hand, she noted that the pandemic also disrupted the work and business of many people while many endured the pain of having to walk for miles on foot during the lockdown.

    “The Modi-Yogi government gave proof of how irresponsible they are. They turned away their faces from your problems and shut their eyes to your woes. Not only this, their behaviour towards you was also not good during the lockdown. The government did not provide you any relief,” she said.

    She also targeted the Centre and the state government over the issues of farmers, youth and inflation. She said farmers work hard to grow crops for everyone but in the last five years they neither got an appropriate price for their produce, nor fertilizers or facilities for irrigation.

    “Farmers got under burden of debt while stray animals kept ruining their crops,” Gandhi said. Similar is the condition of the youth, who study hard and prepare for jobs but the BJP government forced them to sit at home, she said.

    “There are 12 lakh vacant government jobs in the state but you were not given jobs,” the Congress chief noted.

    She said the price of petrol, diesel, cooking gas and mustard oil have become unaffordable for people and running a household has become difficult, and added that inflation also hit women who somehow managed to save small amounts of money.

    Hitting out at the government over the unemployment situation, Gandhi said instead of reducing the burden of people, the government sold out many companies at low prices to its “friends”, which resulted in joblessness.

    She said the Congress party has come with a “new vision” for politics in Uttar Pradesh. “Jobs for youth, rights to women, facilities to farmers and relief to everyone from inflation are envisioned under this new politics,” Gandhi said.

    “We have prepared ‘shakti vidhan’ for women, ‘bharti vidhan’ for youth and ‘unnati vidhan’ for development of UP. I am happy that Priyanka has allotted 40 per cent of the party ticket to women candidates this time,” she added.

    The elections to the 403 assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh are being held in seven phases this time from February 10 to March 7. Results of all phases will be declared on March 10.

  • BJP only working for ‘big businesses’: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi

    By PTI

    RAEBARELI: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said BJP has forgotten it’s “raj dharma” of serving the common people and is only working for big businesses.

    She said this while addressing a rally in Jagatpur area of Raebareli asking people to watch out for those who use “religion and caste” to get votes.

    “BJP leaders have forgotten their religion of serving people. The religion for them has become a means to instigate people to get votes. The government is not following ‘raj dharma’ of serving people,” Priyanka said.

    Talking about inflation, she said the prices of gas cylinder and musterd oil have gone up.

    “You earn Rs 200 daily and a bottle of mustard oil is of Rs 240,” she said.

    She spoke of unemployment among youths and the plight of farmers in the state accusing the government of stoking religious sentiments to divert people’s attentions from these issues.

    The leader also alleged unnecessary expenditure by the centre overlooking the money it owed to the farmers.

    “The entire due amount of sugarcane farmers is Rs 14,000 crore but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has bought two aeroplanes worth Rs 16,000 crore for himself. He is visiting the world in them but not paying the dues of the farmers,” she said.

    “Congress government waived of loans of farmers but these days the loans of big businessmen are being waived,” the leader said.

    Priyanka alleged people are forced to pay electricity bill in every situation even if they don’t get electricity.

    “The three major schemes of BJP are a free cylinder, free ration, and some money you get in your banks.

    “Can the future of your children be strengthened only by free gas cylinder, free ration, and some money. The government must provide jobs and support businesses, something that’s not being done,” she said The Congress leader accused the government of callousness saying Modi didn’t bother to meet victims of Lakhimpur violence, and came up with an apology to protesting farmers only when the election were round the corner.

    “Prime minister visited so many countries in the past few years including Pakistan but has not gone to meet the protesting farmers. The Prime Minister came and apologised for the farm laws just before elections.

    “Why did they wait for a year to do it resulted in death of 700 farmers,” she said.

    Priyanka also attacked Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, saying she never saw him working for people in her three years of work in Uttar Pradesh.

    “I have been actively working in UP for the last three years but never saw Akhilesh Yadav leave his house. Just before elections he has come out in his bus to seek votes. In the last three years Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati were nowhere to be seen.”

  • BJP’s agenda to make UP proud state once again: Amit Shah

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the agenda of the BJP is to make Uttar Pradesh a “proud state once again”.

    Taking a dig at Jawaharlal Nehru, Shah said it took a Modi government to complete an irrigation project whose foundation stone was laid by the country’s first prime minister.

    The agenda of the BJP is to once again take Uttar Pradesh to the top of the list of most prosperous, most literate states, Shah said during the “enlightened class conference’ organised by BJP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Seth here. Referring to the inauguration of multiple long-pending irrigation projects in Uttar Pradesh by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently, Shah said, “The Bhoomi Pujan was done by Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1961 and it has been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi just a few days ago.”

    “It took 59 years to complete the projects, which is more than my age (57 years). Even the foundation stone of the project, which was laid back then, was lost. We have worked to get a stone named after Jawaharlal Nehru installed,” Shah said.

    The home minister cautioned that the governments running on the basis of casteism, dynasty and appeasement can never do good to Uttar Pradesh.

    Appreciating the works of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Shah said the BJP government improved law and order in the state and as a result, Azam Khan, Ateeq Ahmed and Mukhtar Ansari were all in jail at the same time after 15 years.

    Stressing that the BJP ended “criminalisation of politics” and “politicisation of administration,” Shah said, “Today, officers take decisions according to the Constitution, laws and rules, due to which many things have been set right.” He said in the last five years, development in Uttar Pradesh was evident in health, education and infrastructure sectors with financial support from the central government.

    Targeting Samajwadi Party, Shah said a state that lacks adequate infrastructure cannot progress. “Akhilesh Yadav used to provide 24 hours electricity to Saifai and Lucknow, but the Yogi government has given enough electricity to every village and city,” he said.

    Further, Shah said the BJP government had in the last five years fixed three “big issues” in Uttar Pradesh, the Ram Janmabhoomi controversy, the temple of Kashi Vishwanath and Ma Vindhyavasini temple.

  • Focus back on traditional caste cauldron of central UP in phase-3

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: As the stage is set for polling in 59 constituencies across 16 districts mainly covering the Yadav land of Uttar Pradesh in the third round of the ongoing seven-phase assembly elections on Sunday, the focus is back on the traditional caste cauldron of the state.

    While the first two phases across 113 seats of western UP and Rohilkhand were largely focused on Muslim-Jat phenomenon, the region going to vote on February 20 is much diverse in its demographic configuration. It comprises the 29 seats of Yadavland comprising eight districts of Etawah, Manipuri, Kannauj, Firozabad, Auraiyya, Etah, Kasganj and Farrukhabad, 13 seats of five districts of Bundelkhand including Jhansi, Lalitpur, Jalaun, Hamirpur and Mahoba, 14 seats of Kanpur Dehat and Kanpur Nagar combined and three seats of Hathras.

    The districts going to polls in third phase comprise of Mainpuri, Etawah, Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Auraiyya, Firozabad, Etah, Hathras, Kasganj, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Jalaun, Mahoba, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar and Hamirpur.

    As many as 627 candidates of which 97 women are in the fray from 59 seats across 16 districts going to polls in the third phase which has around 2.16 crore electorate of which 1.16 crore are men and 99,62,324 women. In 2017, the BJP had won 49 of 59 seats going to polls in third phase. Samajwadi Party was decimated in the Yadav belt with just eight seats under the sweeping Modi wave in2017.

    While the BSP and Congress had won one seat each. Of the 59 seats going to polls on Sunday, 11 are reserved. On the contrary, in 2012 assembly elections, SP had won 25 of the 29 seats of Yadav belt.

    In 2017, the outstanding performance of the ruling BJP  could be attributed to its new caste arithmetic which brought non-Yadav OBC s and non-Jatav SCs in consolidation for it. The BJP had demolished the Samajwadi Party in the core Yadav land, swept away the Bahujan Samaj Party in Bundelkhand and had dominated the elections in the urban stronghold of Kanpur region.

    The 2022 battle which is being seen more as a straight fight between the BJP and the SP, it will be interesting to see if the ruling party’s “caste arithmetic” still works or has it been breached by Akhilesh Yadav’s “new Samajwadi Party” which has a bouquet of alliances with smaller caste based outfits.Again, a lot will depend on the voting pattern of the non-Yadav other backward classes (OBCs) often referred to as the MBCs (most backward classes). Right from Lodhs in Etah and Kasganj to Maurya, Kushwaha, Shakyas and Sainis in traditional Yadav land of Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etawah, Auraiya and Kanpur Dehat will be crucial.

    The non-Yadav OBC and the SCs will also decide the fate of the parties in Bunedlkhand. In all, 13 out of 19 seats of Bundelkhand will have voting in phase 3. Four seats of Banda and two in Chitrakoot will go to the polls in phases four and five respectively.

    Similarly, in Kannauj, Farukhabad and Kanpur, while the BJP faces the challenge of holding its fort depending upon the traditional upper castes and the MBC and the most Dalit factor, the SP will fight to restore its lost glory.

    On the seats going to polls in third phase, law and order, price rise and unemployment emerged as the major issues finding echo on the ground. Moreover, the implementation of welfare schemes and their benefits reaching the common man also has prominent traction on the ground.

    The “double-engine government” growth phenomenon, about which both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath had been aggressively talking also converges on the very crucial new beneficiary class or the “labharthies”, a group of economically deprived and the poor who mostly come from the MBC and the Dalit sub-castes.

    However, in Bundelkhand that has often been considered to be a relatively backward region, the “labharthies” (beneficiaries) and the big development focus including upcoming defence corridor, irrigation project and potable water project, could be a game changer for the BJP.

    On the other, Samajwadi Party has been harping of unemployment, farmers issues besides offering a number of freebies to the voters. He has promised free power, free cylinders, free laptops, pension schemes, restoration of old pension for state employees and creation of 22 lakh jobs in I-T sector.

    The assembly segments going to the polls in this phase are Hathras (SC), Sadabad, Sikandra Rao, Tundla (SC), Jasrana, Firozabad, Shikohabad, Sirsaganj, Kasganj, Amopur, Patiali, Aliganj, Etah, Marhara, Jalesar (SC), Mainpuri, Bhogaon, Kishni (SC), Karhal, Kayamganj (SC), Amritpur, Farrukhabad, Bhojpur, Chhibramau, Tirwa, Kannauj (SC), Jaswantnagar, Etawah, Bharthana (SC), Bidhuna, Dibiyapur, Auraiya (SC), Rasulabad (SC), Akbarpur-Rania, Sikandra, Bhognipur,Bilhaur (SC), Bithoor, Kalyanpur, Govindnagar, Sisamau, Aryanagar, Kidwai Nagar, Kanpur Cantt, Maharajpur, Ghatampur (SC), Madhaugarh, (220) Kalpi, Orai (SC), Babina, Jhansi Nagar, Mauranipur (SC), Garoutha, Lalitpur, Mehrauni (SC), Hamirpur, Rath (SC), Mahoba and Charkhari.

  • Father of 2008 Ahmedabad serial blast case convict campaigning for SP, alleges Adityanath

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday alleged that the father of a convict in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blast case is campaigning for the Samajwadi Party in Assembly polls.

    He alleged the Samajwadi Party was “protecting terrorists”. A special court on Friday sentenced to death 38 members of terror outfit Indian Mujahideen in the 2008 serial blasts which killed 56 people and injured over 200.

    Adityanath termed the court’s verdict historic and claimed that of the 38 condemned to death one is from Sanjarpur in Azamgarh.

    “The father of this terrorist is linked to the Samajwadi Party and is campaigning for it in the assembly election,” claimed the chief minister who addressed polls meetings in Kanpur and Lucknow. Adityanath claimed that no terrorist incident has taken place in the last five years.

    “The biggest reason for this was that terrorists knew they and also those sheltering them will not be allowed to go scot-free.” The BJP government respects all faith and also takes full care of security, he said.

    “There used to be Saifai festival under the Samajwadi Party’s rule. But during our government, there are grand events like Chhath Puja, Rangotsav in Mathura and Vrindavan, Dev Deepawali and Kumbh.”

    “In Karhal, the public is going to ensure that they (the BJP’s rivals) forfeit their security deposit,” Adityanath said.

    Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav is in the fray from Karhal seat where polling is scheduled on Sunday.