Assembly Elections 2022 Highlights: Akhilesh Yadav May Contest UP Polls From Family Stronghold, Say Sources

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.

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.

He also said the Congress is emerging as a better option for voters in Uttar Pradesh.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

• 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.

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.

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.

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.

"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".

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.

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.

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.