The Bahujan Samaj Party has fielded 46 such candidates while the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party have 29 and 18 contestants, respectively.
Tag: Uttar Pradesh
-
EC turns down BJP leader’s demand for re-polls in UP constituency
By PTI
SHAMLI: The Election Commission has turned down Uttar Pradesh minister Suresh Rana’s demand for re-election in Thana Bhawan Assembly constituency after he alleged irregularities in polling.
Rana was the BJP candidate from Thana Bhawan constituency which went to the polls in the first phase on February 10.
District Election Officer Jasjit Kaur, who is also the District Magistrate of Shamli, in a press statement on Sunday said elections were held peaceably and there were no incidents of malpractice or irregularity during the polls.
Hence, she said, Rana’s demand for fresh elections at 40 polling booths in Thana Bhawan constituency could not be entertained.
-
BSP announces candidates on 47 seats for seventh phase of Uttar Pradesh polls
By PTI
LUCKNOW: The BSP released a list of 47 candidates on Sunday for the seventh phase of the ongoing Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
The list includes candidates for the constituencies of Azamgarh, Mau, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Bhadohi, Mirzapur and Sonbhadra districts. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has attempted to strike a fine caste balance in its list of candidates.
The Mayawati-led party has fielded its state president Bhim Rajbhar against mafia-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who is presently lodged in the Banda jail, from Mau. Five-time MLA Ansari won the 2017 Assembly election from Mau on a BSP ticket.
The BSP had won four seats in Azamgarh district five years ago but this time, it has re-nominated only Azad Arimardan from the Lalganj reserved seat.
Sukhdev Rajbhar, who won from the Didarganj constituency in Azamgarh in 2017, died last year, while Shah Alam alias Guddu Jamali, who won from Mubarakpur, quit the party subsequently.
Vandana Singh, who won the 2017 polls on a BSP ticket from Sagdi, is in the fray from the BJP this time.
The BSP has fielded Shankar Yadav from Sagadi, Abdusalam from Mubarakpur and Bhupendra Singh alias Munna from Didarganj.
In the Zahoorabad seat in Ghazipur district, the BSP has nominated former Uttar Pradesh minister (during the SP regime) Syeda Shadab Fatima against Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) president Omprakash Rajbhar.
Fatima, who was in the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) of Shivpal Yadav, joined the BSP recently.
In Varanasi’s Shivpur constituency, the BSP has nominated Ravi Maurya against state minister and BJP candidate Anil Rajbhar.
Polling is scheduled to be held in 54 Assembly constituencies in nine districts of Uttar Pradesh in the seventh phase of the ongoing election on March 7.
-
Uttar Pradesh relaxes night curfew timings
By PTI
LUCKNOW: Amid a dip in COVID-19 cases, night curfew in Uttar Pradesh has been relaxed by an hour.
Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Awanish Awasthi, said on Sunday that the “The night curfew will be imposed from 11 pm (to 6.00 am) instead of 10 pm.”
In the past 24 hours, as many 10 fresh COVID-19 deaths were reported in Uttar Pradesh, taking the death toll in the state to 23,391. There are a total of 15,276 active COVID-19 cases in the state.
The relaxation in the night curfew comes a day after the Election Commission citing significant improvement in the COVID-19 situation and further relaxed pandemic-induced restrictions on the assembly poll campaign in five states, including Uttar Pradesh.
-
Uttar Pradesh elections: Rampur’s fierce battle centres around Samajwadi Party’s Azam Khan
Express News Service
RAMPUR (UTTAR PRADESH): One of the most keenly anticipated contests in Uttar Pradesh is taking place in the Muslim-dominated seat of Rampur, where jailed Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan is up against Congress’ Kazim Ali Khan and BJP’s Akash Saxena.
What lends an edge to this contest is how Kazim and Saxena are trying to corner the nine-time MLA, and arguably the tallest Muslim leader in the state, Azam Khan. In fact, as one travels around Rampur, it can be seen that all poll-related conversations are polarised around just one subject – Azam Khan.
ALSO READ| Uttar Pradesh polls: ‘Ghar ka ladka’ Akhilesh Yadav takes on Union minister SPS Baghel in Karhal
Against him pitted is his old rival Kazim Ali Khan, son of the last Nawab of Rampur, whose parents won the Rampur Lok Sabha seat seven times on Congress ticket. The other contender, Saxena, also has a history with Azam, as his father, former BJP minister Shiv Bahadur Saxena, lost the Assembly polls from this seat to Azam Khan way back in 1989. Saxena, a lawyer, is responsible for more than half of the cases filed against the SP leader.
During his poll campaign 46-year-old Saxena boasts about filing 30 of the over 100 FIRs against the SP veteran while Kazim claims he is the one who is to be credited for exposing Azam. “Saxena may have followed up on a few cases but people of Rampur know that I am the one who filed the very first complaint and exposed the many frauds and crimes of Azam Khan and his family,” Kazim says.
He adds that Azam Khan’s “so-called development was only for himself”.
According to retired government employee Ramesh Pandey, this election is about development and good law-and-order brought about by Yogi Adityanath versus Azam Khan’s work in Rampur. “It is true that Azam Khan brought unparalleled development to Rampur but we have to think holistically this time,” Pandey says.
CLICK HERE FOR COVERAGE ON UTTAR PRADESH ELECTIONS
Panwesi Lal, who works at a shoe shop, has a different view. “Rampur is way ahead in development compared to other places in UP so, Azam Khan has to be brought to power again,” he said.
Lal’s co-worker Ashok Kumar agrees but says Azam Khan’s absence from campaigning has made things difficult for the SP leader, so much so that he could lose his seat for the very first time.
Lal doesn’t let Kumar finish his argument and points to the e-rickshaw going past saying, “Doesn’t matter that Azam Khan is in jail but people like those who got jobs through e-rickshaws are there to vouch for him.”
Many in Rampur agreed with Lal’s view. Fahim Khan, a lawyer in the city, said, “Azam Khan’s absence will only bring more votes for Khan as his work is there for everyone to see.”
-
Yogi Adityanath’s remarks on Kerala create ripples in Parliament
By Express News Service
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Protest over Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s remarks of his state turning into Kashmir, Kerala or West Bengal reverberated in Parliament on Friday. Opposition MPs from Congress and other parties walked out from the Lok Sabha in protest against the remarks.
In the Rajya Sabha, CPM’s John Brittas moved a suspension of business notice over Yogi’s remarks. Since permission was not granted for the discussion, the Left MPs staged a walkout, said MP Elamaram Kareem.
In a video message ahead of the first phase of Uttar Pradesh polls on Thursday, Yogi warned voters to vote cautiously if they did not want the state to turn into Kashmir, Kerala or Bengal. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who taunted Yogi for his remarks on Thursday, continued to hit back at his UP counterpart.
On Friday, he came out with a series of tweets under the hashtag #KeralaStandsOut. “The state stands out since it has the lowest percentage of people living in poverty according to the #NITIAayog’s Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index. In Kerala, only 0.71% of the population is multidimensionally poor against the national average of 25.01%.”
If Uttar Pradesh turns into Kerala, it would be a major gain for the people of the north Indian state, said CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. If people of UP want longer life expectancy, they should defeat BJP, he added.
Kodiyeri said the political debates over the remarks should reflect in the ongoing UP elections. Kerala has been ahead of UP in living standard indices — be it health, sustainable development or governance. The BJP leadership in Kerala should come forward and correct Yogi for his statement, he added.
-
Uttar Pradesh polls: PM Narendra Modi seeks vote for peace for all, security of women in Saharanpur
Express News Service
LUCKNOW: Commencing his poll campaign by addressing first physical rally in Saharanpur, the western tip of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called upon the voters to support riot-free and peaceful state, criminals behind the bars and security for women.
The Prime Minister addressed his rally while the first phase of voting was on over 58 seats across 11 western UP districts including those adjoining Saharanpur like Shamli and Muzaffarnagar. In all, the fate of 623 candidates was at stake in the first phase of voting on Thursday.
However, Saharanpur will go to polls in the second phase on February 14 when voting would be held on 55 seats across nine districts of western UP.
Reaching out to other half of the population, the PM stressed that the BJP government was essential for Uttar Pradesh to maintain a secured atmosphere for the women to grow without fear. Claiming that BJP wanted the women to contribute to nation-building, he said that all the sectors were being opened for them. He also raised the issue of triple talaq in Saharanpur where Muslims make around 42 per cent of the population.
Amid the raging row over hijab in BJP ruled Karnataka, the PM pitched in favour of Muslim women saying the BJP government freed them from the clutches of atrocities in the name of triple talaq by bringing a law against the practice.
“When Muslim women started openly supporting Modi government, opponents and self-acclaimed saviors of religion got anxious and started suppressing the voice of Muslim women. But we stand with every Muslim woman,” PM Modi said.
The PM launched an attack on SP-RLD alliance leaders Akhilesh Yadav and Jayant Chaudhury respectively over the alleged arrogance and compared them with the SP-Congress alliance in 2017 reminding people of its fate then.
The PM harped on Muzaffarnagar riot rhetoric of the BJP and reminded people of Saharanpur Muslim-Sikh riots of 2014 urging them to vote for peace and security which, he claimed, would take the state on path of development. The PM repeated the ‘pariwarwadi’ (dynastic politics) jibe on SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.
“Those who are limited to safeguard the interest of their family will not go beyond it again if given a chance,” said Modi.
He cited the example of how round-the-clock power supply and infrastructural development were limited to a few native districts of those who were at helm in previous government.
“Had they been in power during the pandemic, the vaccines would have been sold off somewhere on the way and would not have reached you,” he added. PM claimed that big promises made were usually empty. They [previous governments] promised electricity but kept UP in dark,” he maintained.
“What is the harm in making promises as they know that they would not come to power so the question of fulfillment does not arise,” quipped the PM while taking a jibe of opposition for offering freebies.
Reiterating the BJP tagline of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, the PM claimed that the benefits of the welfare schemes were extended to all sections of society equally in the BJP rule. He reached out to the farmers especially the cane growers promising them that their interests would be taken care of in future as well.
He claimed that the BJP government was necessary for UP to ensure the poor continue to get houses and free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh at good hospitals.
“For money to continue to reach farmers’ accounts directly, BJP government is necessary in UP. For the poor to get ration during the pandemic, BJP is necessary,” he said.
The BJP’s manifesto for UP polls was one of public welfare and that the double engine government had done a lot in the state, said the PM cautioning the people against voting for those who were eyeing an opportunity to take revenge of the action taken on criminals whom they were patronizing.
-
Debt-hit UP trader and wife attempt suicide on FB live, she dies
By Online Desk
A couple from Badaut in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district attempted to kill themselves after going live on Facebook and blamed heavy losses in trade for taking the extreme step, police said.
The wife died during the treatment while the husband is critical.
Madan Singh, station house officer (SHO) of the Badaut Kotwali police station said that Rajiv Tomar, a shoe trader, along with his wife, Poonam Tomar, consumed poison on Tuesday.
Those watching the suicide pact live called police that immediately took the two to a hospital.
Police said Rajiv was facing a financial crisis for a long time. He was living in the city’s Subhash Nagar area with his wife and two children.
During the Facebook live, Rajiv, wailing and crying, shared his ordeal with those who joined the session. He opened a sachet and ate one of the tablets. As he kept crying, his wife joined him.
“I think I have the freedom to speak. I will pay the debts I have. Even if I die, I will pay. But I request everyone to please share this video as much as possible. I am not an ‘anti-national’,” he said.
Family members of the couple said they were aware of the family’s losses but never thought that the two would try to kill themselves.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation – 04424640050 (available 24×7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences’ helpline – 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)
-
Oust BJP from UP to root it out at national level, Mamata urges voters
Express News Service
LUCKNOW: Having joined the poll campaign in support of Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee urged the people of Uttar Pradesh to oust the BJP from the state to remove it from the Centre.
Addressing a joint virtual rally with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav here on Tuesday, the West Bengal CM cautioned the people of Uttar Pradesh against wasting their vote on the BJP in the coming UP Assembly elections.
Seeking votes in favour of the Akhilesh Yadav-led alliance, Mamata said SP was the only alternative to BJP in UP. She exhorted the people of Uttar Pradesh to oust the BJP from UP in order to root it out at the national level. “UP has a vast history. It has given the majority of PMs to the nation. If the BJP is defeated in UP, then it won’t survive at the national level. So vote dedicatedly against the BJP in UP,” said Banerjee.
The Trinamool Congress chief slammed UP CM Yogi Adityanath for alleged mismanagement of Covid-19 in the state, especially during the second wave.
ALSO READ | UP polls: PM Narendra Modi pitches development agenda, accuses previous state governments of loot
She claimed that when people were suffering during the second wave of COVID in UP, CM Yogi was campaigning in West Bengal to defeat her, last year. “So you had come to Bengal to defeat us…where were you when people were dying of Covid,” she said.
Accusing the state authorities under CM Yogi of failing to provide wood to people to perform the last rites of their loved ones who lost the battle of life toCOVID, Mamata asked whether the UP government didn’t have woods to cremate them. “We revere Ganga Ma. And here you threw dead bodies in Ganga. Many dead bodies floated to Bengal. We picked up those bodies and respectfully cremated them. Did you not have wood to cremate the bodies?” she asked.
Mamata Banerjee arrived in Lucknow on Monday evening in a show of support to the SP-led alliance contesting the assembly elections.
Mocking at the BJP’s Sankalp Patra released on Tuesday, the West Bengal CM wondered if it was a manifesto or “Moneyfesto”. The BJP had planned to release its manifesto on Sunday but deferred it by two days as a mark of respect to legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar who passed away on Sunday morning.
Banerjee said that the saffron party released its manifesto on Tuesday on hearing that she would be in Lucknow.
Raking up the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, the TMC leader asked the BJP to seek forgiveness over the incident in which a Union minister’s son is accused of running over the SUV on protesting farmers.
Meanwhile, talking to media persons in the same interaction, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cancelled physical rally in Bijnor due to weather conditions, saying that the weather was bad for the BJP. “BJP’s plane will not land in UP now,” he said.
-
Uttar Pradesh polls: IPS officer-turned-politician Asim Arun seeks financial support
By PTI
NOIDA: “Is it possible to be in politics without leaving the path of honesty,” wonders IPS officer-turned-politician Asim Arun as he seeks financial support from people to fight the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
The former Kanpur police commissioner had in January opted for voluntary retirement from the service and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has fielded him from the Kannauj (Sadar) seat for the polls.
In his appeal on social media, 51-year-old Arun says he is now into “Lok Seva” (service of the people), which requires money for works to be done but he does “not want to compromise his basic principles”. He also suggests measures like maintaining less number of vehicles, having less staff and “transparency” in expenses for people in public service to keep the expenditure in check.
ALSO READ| ‘Love jihad’ will result in 10-year punishment, Rs 1 lakh fine: BJP manifesto
“My father late Shriram Arun is often cited as an example when it comes to honesty and I have always tried to follow his path. Now I am in ‘Lok Seva’ but on the condition that I will not compromise with my basic principles,” Arun said.
“On the other hand, public service requires money for works to be completed. This is the reason why conscious people feel that they would have fixed certain problems if they were in a position of power but get discouraged thinking of the expenses required to fix the problem,” he added.
“I consider my life to be an experiment in which I am now testing whether it is possible to engage in politics without leaving the path of honesty? I know several public representatives who have been successful at this and are inspiration to me,” Arun said in a statement.
Appealing for crowd support, he said complete transparency would be maintained with the financial assistance which could be made through his website – “http://asimarun.in”.
Kannauj (Sadar) falls in the Kannauj district of Uttar Pradesh. The seat is reserved for SC candidates and is a so-called bastion of the Samajwadi Party. The assembly seat goes to the polls on February 20 during the third phase of the elections in the state.