Assembly Elections 2022 LIVE Updates: Counting of votes will be held on March 10. (File)
RPN Singh, one of the Congress's most prominent leaders in Uttar Pradesh, has quit the party and is set to join the BJP ahead of next month's election in the state.
Soon after posting his resignation letter to Sonia Gandhi on Twitter, RPN Singh announced his move with a post announcing a "new beginning" under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah.
RPN Singh, who is from eastern UP's Kushinagar, was among the Congress' biggest leaders in the state and was on the list of star campaigners for the party announced just yesterday.
After changing his Twitter bio this morning, dropping his Congress credentials, Mr Singh made it official by first posting a resignation letter addressed to Sonia Gandhi on Twitter.
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:
EC issues notification for third-phase polling in Uttar PradeshThe Election Commission on Tuesday issued the notification for the third-phase assembly election in Uttar Pradesh.
In the third of the seven-phase elections, polling will be held in 59 assembly seats spread over 16 districts on February 20.
Congress leader Joseph Sequeira joins BJP ahead of Goa assembly polls
Ahead of Goa Assembly elections, Former Congress leader Joseph Robert Sequeira who is an ex-Sarpanch from Calangute constituency on Tuesday joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
"We have strengthened our party again in Calangute and definitely, we are winning the upcoming Assembly elections in Goa," said Goa CM after Sequeira joined BJP today.
The former Congress leader was asked whether he would contest Assembly elections from Calangute, Sequeira said, "If the party gives me a ticket, then I will put all my zeal towards it."
Trinamool announces third list of six candidates for Goa Assembly polls
The Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) on Tuesday announced its third list of six candidates for the Goa Assembly elections scheduled to be held on February 14.
With this, the Mamata Banerjee-led party has declared a total of 24 candidates for the upcoming polls.
As per the list, the Goa Congress' former spokesman Rakhi Naik Prabhudesai will be contesting from Sanguem, while former Congressman Saifulla Khan will contest from the Vasco Assembly seat.
Mayawati to address public rally in Agra on Feb 2BSP president Mayawati will hold a public meeting in Agra on February 2, formally kicking off the party's campaign for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
The BSP president will address the meeting, strictly following the Covid protocol, party general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra said in a tweet.
Opposition parties do nothing when in power, now gearing up for electoral battle: Yogi AdityanathUttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday slammed the Opposition saying when they are in power, they do nothing but now they are getting ready for assembly elections.
"There is a saying, 'Kare na dhare, tarkas pehne fire' (haven't done anything but are getting ready for electoral battle). The same is true of the entire opposition! If you are in power, don't do anything; now everyone is gearing up for an electoral battle," Mr Adityanath tweeted (roughly translated from Hindi).
Taking a dig at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Mr Adityanath said, "Those who do not think Pakistan is an enemy, Jinnah seems to be a friend. What can be said about their education and vision. They call themselves socialists, but the truth is that violence runs in their veins."
Congress's RPN Singh Quits, Says "New Chapter" Amid Reports Of Move To BJPFormer Union Minister RPN Singh quit the Congress today amid reports that he is switching to the BJP just weeks before the Uttar Pradesh election.
RPN Singh, who is from eastern UP's Kushinagar, was among the Congress' biggest leaders in Uttar Pradesh and its Jharkhand in-charge. He posted his resignation letter, addressed to Sonia Gandhi, on Twitter.
"Today, at a time, we are celebrating the formation of our great Republic, I begin a new chapter in my political journey. Jai Hind," he wrote, sharing his brief letter.
"Criminalising Politics, Politicising Crime": Mayawati Slams UP PoliticsBSP president Mayawati today attacked her rivals, saying they have pushed Uttar Pradesh into "jungle raj" by criminalising politics, politicising crime and protecting the mafia.
In a tweet in Hindi, the Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP chief said that governments of all parties except that of the BSP are guilty of troubling the public.
Mayawati also accused her political rivals of keeping the state backward, but continuing with their 'jumlas' (tall claims).
In Congress Leader RPN Singh's Twitter Bio, Big Hint Of Move To BJPSenior Congress leader RPN Singh has dropped Congress from his Twitter bio amid reports that he will switch to the BJP.
RPN Singh, a former Union Minister, was the Congress's Jharkhand in-charge.
"My motto India, First, Always," reads his bio.
RPN Singh was an MLA from the Padrauna constituency of Uttar Pradesh between 1996 and 2009.
Assembly Elections 2022 LIVE Updates: BJP's Biggest Strength In Elections According To Prashant KishorThe BJP has pitched a "formidable narrative" leveraging issues of Hindutva, hyper-nationalism and public welfare, and opposition parties stand very little chance unless they can outweigh it on at least two of these fronts, election strategist Prashant Kishor said on Monday.
"BJP's popularity is not just a function of Hindutva. It is one of the most important elements. Two [other] elements which we need to factor in are one - this hyper-nationalism thing. It's as important if not more, increasingly, as Hindutva. And then [secondly] you have welfarism," he said in an interview to NDTV.
"The household and individual level welfarism, nationalism and Hinduism - put together, it's quite a formidable narrative. Unless you have the ability, through your own narrative, to better two of them, you stand very little chance against the BJP," Mr Kishor said.
Punjab Polls: Congress tweets video with CM Channi as 'Thor' with hashtag 'Congress Hi Ayegi'Ahead of Assembly elections, Punjab Congress has put out a new social media video, which portrays Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi as superhero 'Thor' with an accompanying hashtag "Congress hi ayegi."
The video is made out of a scene taken from 'Avengers: Infinity War' a Hollywood film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Avengers. Faces of Charanjit Singh Channi, along with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Navjot Singh Sidhu are superimposed on the faces of characters of 'Thor', 'Bruce Banner', and 'Captain America'.
It also shows the faces of PM Narendra Modi and Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal superimposed on faces of the characters of 'aliens'.
Uttarakhand Assembly Polls 2022: Harish Rawat to contest from Ramnagar, Congress releases second listThe Congress on Monday released its second list of 11 candidates for Uttarakhand assembly elections and fielded former chief minister Harish Rawat from the Ramnagar constituency.
Harish Rawat, who is the party's campaign head in the state, had unsuccessfully contested from the Haridwar-Rural and Kichcha assembly seats in the 2017 polls.
The Congress also fielded Anukriti Gusain Rawat from the Lansdowne assembly seat. She is the daughter-in-law of Harak Singh Rawat, who returned to the Congress fold from the BJP on Friday.
The party has so far not decided on the candidature of Harak Singh Rawat and is yet to announce candidates for six more seats.
Assembly polls 2022: BJP plans to hold 10 meetings at every booth in UttarakhandAhead of Assembly polls, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has planned to convene 10 meetings at every booth in Uttarakhand.
As per sources in the party, in these meetings, the progress of the party will be discussed. The party has set the target of 10 meetings per booth so that the preparation of every booth till the date of elections and proper coordination with the voters of that booth can be made.
Uttarakhand has more than 10,000 booths.
The BJP candidates in the state have been asked to work in coordination with the booth president and 'panna pramukh'.
A 'panna pramukh' or person in-charge of a page of voters' list is the first point of contact for voters in the BJP's machinery of election management.
The candidates have also been asked to take the benefits of schemes of the State and the Centre to the common people.
The party has so far announced the names of 59 candidates, while 11 names are yet to be announced.
The party has already made its preparations to hold virtual rallies amid COVID-19 restrictions, under which the party has planned to deploy an IT expert in every assembly.