Assembly Elections 2022 Highlights: Counting of votes will be held on March 10. (File)
Samajwadi leader Akhilesh Yadav is likely to contest next month's UP election from the Karhal seat in Mainpuri, which is in the Yadav family's stronghold, party sources said Thursday evening.
Karhal has voted for a Samajwadi candidate in every election since 1993, except for five years between 2002 and 2007, when the BJP flipped the seat.
Manohar Parrikar's son Utpal Parrikar is missing from the BJP's list of candidates in Goa, which will vote next month.
The BJP has chosen to give Manohar Parrikar's Panaji seat to Atanasio "Babush" Monserrate instead of his son, who had openly asked for it.
Utpal Parrikar, sensing that the party would not pick him, had said recently: "I will clear my stand soon."
Manohar Parrikar, a three-time Goa Chief Minister and the BJP's top leader in the seaside state, died in office in 2019. He held the Panaji constituency for 25 years.
Meanwhile, the first candidate to be declared against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Gorakhpur is Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad.
The Dalit leader had said earlier he would contest against Yogi Adityanath in the February-March election. Today, his party formally announced it, days after the BJP declared that Yogi Adityanath would contest the UP election from Gorakhpur Sadar.
Yogi Adityanath is running for MLA for the first time. But his main rival will be the Samajwadi Party candidate, not announced yet.
This will also be Chandrashekhar Azad's first election.
Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Punjab, and Uttarakhand will vote over seven phases starting February 10, with counting of votes scheduled for March 10.
A total of 690 Assembly constituencies will vote over the next two months, with the maximum in UP (403 seats) followed by Punjab (117), Uttarakhand (70), Manipur (60) and Goa (40).
Here are the Highlights on Assembly Elections 2022:
Samajwadi Party Will Restore Old Pension Scheme For Government Employees, Yash Bharti Awards In UP: Akhilesh YadavMaking an important announcement, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said if his party comes to power in Uttar Pradesh, it will restore the old pension scheme, benefitting lakhs of state government employees who have been agitating for the same for long, as well as the Yash Bharti awards, reported PTI.
With another relative of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav joining the BJP after Aparna Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav took a swipe at the ruling party, thanking it for ending "parivarvaad" (dynastic politics) in his party.
Goa Elections: Former BJP, AAP Leaders Figure In Congress' New ListFormer BJP MLA Carlose Almeida and former AAP Goa convener Elvis Gomes featured in Congress' latest list of five candidates for the Goa Assembly elections, reported PTI.
So far the party has announced candidates for 29 out of 40 seats for the February 14 elections.
Congress general secretary Mukul Wasnik on Thursday announced the list for Panaji, Shiroda, Vasco, Benaulim and Curchorem.
Congress Emerging As Better Option In UP, Will Form Government In Punjab, Uttarakhand: Sachin PilotFormer Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot said on Thursday that the Congress will form the government in the upcoming assembly elections in Uttarakhand and Punjab, reported PTI.
He also said the Congress is emerging as a better option for voters in Uttar Pradesh.
UP Polls: BJP Chief To Visit Agra, Bareilly Tomorrow, Will Hold Door-To-Door CampaignWith less than a month to go for the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda will visit Agra and Bareilly and hold a door-to-door campaign tomorrow.
Notably, this is the first visit of the BJP national president after the announcement of dates for the assembly polls by the Election Commission of India.
According to a press release by the party, Mr Nadda will hold various organisational meetings during his visit to both the cities of Uttar Pradesh.
Goa: 4 BJP Candidates Have Criminal Cases Registered Against ThemFour out of 34 candidates announced by the ruling BJP on Thursday for the Goa Assembly elections have criminal cases registered against them, reported PTI.
Atanasio Monserratte, the current MLA from Panaji, was accused of 'buying' a minor girl and raping her in 2016. The case is still pending, police sources said.
The First Information Report in the case was registered against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act and IPC for alleged rape, wrongful confinement and criminal intimidation.
Congress Delegation Meets Election Commissioner Over 'Politically Motivated' ED Raids On Punjab CM's RelativesA Congress delegation met Chief Election Commissioner of India Sushil Chandra on Thursday to register a complaint against the "politically motivated" raids conducted by the Enforcement Directorate on relatives of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi ahead of Assembly polls in the state, reported ANI.
"Politically motivated raids by enforcement directorate on a relative of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Charanjit Singh Channi solely with a view to malign and defame the Chief Minister and incumbent Congress Government," reads the memorandum submitted by Congress party to CEC.
Congress has also sought the intervention of the Election Commission as it claims that these raids are a violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
Gonda DM Related To Local MP, MLA, Transfer Him Out: Samajwadi Party To Poll BodyThe Samajwadi Party on Thursday moved the Election Commission of India seeking transfer of the Gonda district magistrate, accusing him of working in favour of the BJP.
In his complaint to the poll panel, SP state president Naresh Uttam Patel alleged that Gonda DM Markandey Shahi has been working on directions of BJP's Kaiserganj MP Brijbhushan Sharan Singh and his son Prateek Bhushan Singh, the Gonda Sadar MLA.
Accordingly, he should be removed from his post, Mr Patel demanded.
Punjab Assembly Polls: BSP Releases List Of 14 CandidatesThe Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Thursday released a list of 14 candidates for the February 20 Punjab assembly polls, reported PTI.
The Mayawati-led party has tied up with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for the Punjab assembly elections.
According to the seat-sharing arrangement between the two parties, the BSP will field candidates in 20 of the 117 Assembly seats in Punjab, while the rest will be contested by the SAD.
According to the list of candidates released by the party, Punjab BSP chief Jasvir Singh Garhi will contest from Phagwara seat.
5 Facts On Karhal, From Where Akhilesh Yadav May Fight UP Polls- Karhal is seen to be one of the safest options for Akhilesh Yadav; he can concentrate on his campaign across the state without being tied to one seat.
- Karhal is one of the five assembly segments in Mainpuri, the constituency that Akhilesh Yadav's father and Samajwadi patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav represented in parliament five times.
Poor Goa Performance By AAP, Sena, Trinamool In Earlier Polls, Show DataGoa appears set for a multi-cornered contest where a fractured opposition is attempting to overthrow the BJP, which has been in power in the coastal state for the past 10 years.
Congress has been insisting that it is the key challenger to the BJP and other parties - Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-Shiv Sena - contesting after failed talks for an alliance could only end up muddying its chances.
A look at the previous election results shows that the BJP had polled the maximum votes - 32.48 per cent - to emerge victorious on 13 seats in the 40-member assembly, while the Congress had garnered 28.35 per cent votes and won 17 seats.
Seema Kushwaha, Lawyer In Hathras Rape Cases, Joins Mayawati's BSPSeema Kushwaha, a Supreme Court lawyer and who fought for the victim in the '2012 Nirbhaya gangrape case in Delhi, joined Bahujan Samaj Party on Thursday.
Ms Kushwaha joined the BSP in the presence of the party's national general secretary Satish Chandra Misra here today.
Earlier today, she had said that she is joining the party to ensure justice to the weaker section of the society.
"Jailed By Him...": Dalit Icon Chandrashekhar Azad Takes On Yogi AdityanathFor Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's first-ever state election next month, the first rival was declared today - Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, also a debutant. Unlike Yogi Adityanath, who is a five-time MP, Chandrashekhar Azad has never fought elections before.
The Dalit leader had declared back in November that he would challenge Yogi Adityanath. Today, his Azad Samaj Party formally announced it, just days after the BJP revealed Yogi Adityanath would contest from Gorakhpur Sadar.
Yogi Adityanath's main rival will be the Samajwadi Party candidate, not announced yet. Azad said he wants to fight the Chief Minister anyway, no matter how many opposition candidates there are.
BJP Snubs Stalwart Manohar Parrikar's Son, Goa Minister Explains WhyShortly after the BJP denied Utpal Parrikar, late former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's son, a ticket to contest in next month's Assembly election, state minister Vishwajit Rane told NDTV the party would not back candidates "just because you are someone's son".
"My personal advice would be that his father built the BJP. Don't rebel against the party," he said.
The state's Health Minister, Mr Rane acknowledged that Manohar Parrikar - a three-time former Chief Minister who died in office in 2019 - had been the ruling BJP's biggest leader in Goa, but declared his son Utpal "should work with the BJP and grow and learn first".
Uttarakhand Polls: BJP Announces 59 Candidates, Drops 10 Sitting MLAs The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday announced the names of candidates for 59 out of 70 seats in Uttarakhand for the upcoming assembly polls.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami will contest the upcoming elections from Khatima. Mr Dhami is two-time MLA from Khatima constituency.
In the first list issued by the party, there are six women candidates. There are 14 Brahmin candidates, 22 Rajput candidates, 13 SC candidates while one candidate is from the ST community.
Rahul Gandhi Aide's Twitter Poll On Punjab, Days After AAP TelevoteDays after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s tele-vote, a Twitter poll on who should be the Congress's Chief Ministerial candidate in Punjab has started a buzz.
The poll was started by Rahul Gandhi's close aide Nikhil Alva. It asks who should be Chief Minister face of the Congress in Punjab and gives four options - incumbent Charanjit Singh Channi, state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, senior leader Sunil Singh Jakhar and the fourth option is that no choice should be announced.
The poll comes against the backdrop of main challenger Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) declaring Bhagwant Mann as its choice for the top post.
Refused BJP Ticket, Son Of Ex Chief Minister M Parrikar Draws A LineThe BJP today announced its first lot of candidates for Goa with a big omission - Utpal Parrikar, the son of former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. The party has rejected Utpal Parrikar for his father's seat Panaji and chosen Congress alum Atanasio "Babush" Monserrate instead.
Utpal Parrikar is reportedly firm on contesting from Panaji and has refused the BJP's offer of two other seats. "I will clear my stand soon," he told reporters.
Relative No 2 Gone, Akhilesh Yadav Thanks BJP For Easing Family PressureSamajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, asked about a second defection from his extended family to the BJP in 24 hours, thanked the BJP for reducing the family footprint within his party just weeks before the crucial UP election.
"The BJP should be happy, they keep on accusing us of promoting family (parivavaad), at least they are ending the parivarvaad in our family. I am thankful to them for that," Mr Yadav said at a Lucknow press conference today when asked about the defection of Pramod Gupta, a former Samajwadi Party MLA and the brother-in-law of party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.
After joining the BJP today, Mr Gupta said the Samajwadi Party had been overtaken by goons.
Congress is only alternative for people in UP polls, says Sachin PilotSenior Congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan Sachin Pilot, who hails from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday asserted that voting for Congress is the only alternative left for the people of Uttar Pradesh in view of the upcoming Assembly elections.
Speaking to ANI, Mr Pilot said, "I believe that BJP has already lost the elections in Uttar Pradesh. Just think about it. Congress party is the only party that is going to give 40 per cent candidature to women. Congress talks about the interests of farmers in its manifesto. So, voting for Congress is the only option left for the people of Uttar Pradesh."
Son Of Ex Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar Is Not A BJP CandidateManohar Parrikar's son Utpal Parrikar is missing from the BJP's list of candidates in Goa, which will vote next month.
The BJP has chosen to give Manohar Parrikar's Panaji seat to Atanasio "Babush" Monserrate instead of his son, who had openly asked for it.
Utpal Parrikar, sensing that the party would not pick him, had said recently: "I will clear my stand soon."
Manohar Parrikar, a three-time Goa Chief Minister and the BJP's top leader in the seaside state, died in office in 2019. He held the Panaji constituency for 25 years.
BJP MLA Chased Away By Villagers Of His Constituency Ahead Of UP PollsA BJP MLA campaigning for the Uttar Pradesh election is chased away by villagers of his own constituency in Muzaffarnagar, in a video widely circulated online.
Vikram Singh Saini, the BJP MLA from Khatauli, had arrived for a meeting at a village on Wednesday when he found himself facing angry residents.
In the video, a group of villagers is seen following Mr Saini to his car and shouting after him as he gets in. The villagers can be heard shouting slogans against the MLA. The resentment has been linked by many to the controversial farm laws that were repealed by the government after the year-long protest last year.
Punjab Polls: Constituency from where Bhagwant Mann will contest elections to be announced by AAP todayThe constituency from where Bhagwant Mann, Aam Aadmi Party's chief ministerial candidate for the Punjab Assembly polls, will contest the elections will be announced today in a press conference held by the party at 3 pm in Mohali.
"We will announce the Assembly Constituency of AAP's chief ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann in a press conference at 3 pm in Mohali. Stay tuned!" tweeted AAP national spokesperson Raghav Chadha.
Earlier on Tuesday, AAP MP from Sangrur, Bhagwant Mann, was named as the party's chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Punjab Assembly polls.
Poster Girl For Priyanka Gandhi's Flagship Campaign May Join BJP: ReportPriyanka Maurya, a face of the 'Ladki Hun, Lad Sakti Hun' campaign of Congress in Uttar Pradesh, is mulling over joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after she was denied a ticket to contest in the UP assembly elections.
Asked whether she would join the BJP, Ms Maurya, who was seen in the party office in Lucknow earlier on Wednesday, indicated that she may join the ruling party in the state.
"Probably, yes. I have worked a lot in the field but ticket distribution was pre-planned. I was not given a ticket, but I was a deserving candidate," she told ANI.
"Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon" is a slogan but Congress didn't give me a chance to fight," she added.
General Bipin Rawat's Brother Joins BJP Ahead Of Uttarakhand PollsColonel Vijay Rawat, the brother of India's first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat who died last month, joined the BJP today in Uttarakhand ahead of the state polls.
"My father (Gen. Laxman Singh Rawat) after retiring from the Army, was with the BJP. Now I have got an opportunity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision is special. All his work is for the progress of this nation. That is what encouraged me to join the BJP. His plan for Uttarakhand is a product of a great vision," Colonel Vijay Rawat said this evening with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami by his side.
Shiv Sena, NCP Announce Alliance For Goa Assembly PollsThe Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena on Wednesday announced their alliance for the Goa assembly elections together.
Speaking on talks with Congress for the alliance, NCP leader Praful Patel said, "NCP always supports like-minded parties with secular thoughts.
Following this idealogy, the MVA government was formed in Maharashtra with Congress and Shiv Sena, which is running smoothly. We wanted the same in Goa."
"NCP and Shiv Sena will jointly fight Goa polls. We made an offer to Congress to jointly contest Goa polls but in vain. They neither said yes nor no. Congress thinks that it can fight the Goa election alone", he added.
UP Assembly Polls: AIMIM Announces Third List Of Seven CandidatesHyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi's party All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) on Wednesday released the third list of candidates for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
The list has the names of seven candidates. So far, the AIMIM has declared 25 candidates and it will be contesting around 80 seats.
The AIMIM has fielded Vinod Jatav from Hastinapur, Imran Ansari from Meerut City, Shakir Ali from Barauli, Dilshad Ahmed from Sikandrabad, Vikas Shrivastava from Ramnagar, Rizwana from Nakur and Hafiz Waris from Kundarki.
Uttar Pradesh will go to Assembly polls in seven phases starting from February 10 and the counting of votes will take place on March 10.
Assembly Elections 2022 LIVE Updates: AAP's Goa Pick Amit Palekar Was In Spotlight For His Efforts In 2nd Covid WaveAmit Palekar, the Aam Aadmi Party's chief ministerial candidate for the February 14 Goa polls, is a newcomer in politics, but belongs to the numerically significant Bhandari community.
The lawyer-turned-politician was in the spotlight last year for his efforts to provide oxygen cylinders to needy patients during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday announced 46-year-old Palekar's name as the party's pick at a press conference.
"Unfortunate": Maharashtra Partners On Congress Going Solo In GoaSharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party and the Shiv Sena will contest the Goa elections together, senior party leader Praful Patel said on Wednesday as, he claimed, the Congress refuses to talk of an alliance with its two partners in neighbouring Maharashtra.
"Now that we have the Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra, this time also we first - as NCP - tried to speak to the Congress and at least till 2007, Congress used to leave seven out of the forty seats for the NCP. We had said even if there is an adjustment of numbers and we must reduce, we are ready. Let's us work together so that we can take on the government here (Goa)," Mr Patel told reporters.