Elections 2022: There is a ban on election rallies till January 31 (File)
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati aimed a jibe at Congress's Priyanka Gandhi Vadra today over her teaser regarding the party's Chief Ministerial face. Accusing the Congress leader of flipflop, she said the Congress will only split the non-BJP votes and urged the people to vote for BSP.
"The condition of the Congress party in the general elections of the UP assembly has remained so bad that their CM candidate has changed stand within a few hours. In such a situation, it would be better that people do not spoil their vote by voting for Congress, but vote for BSP unilaterally,"Mayawati said in a Hindi tweet.
Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday said the party high command will decide the chief ministerial face for the upcoming State Assembly elections that are scheduled to take place on February 20.
"Congress takes decisions after analyzing the qualities of every leader. I have full faith in the party. There is a party high command to decide CM face. Whatever the party high command will decide, we will accept the decision," Mr Sidhu told ANI when asked about the Congress CM face in the assembly elections.
The ban on roadshows and rallies for next month's state polls was extended till the end of this month on Saturday by the Election Commission but with relaxations for the first two phases of voting due on February 10 and 14.
The decision came after the election body held a meeting earlier in the day with the Union Health Secretary and the Chief Health Secretaries of the five states to review the restrictions given the surge in coronavirus cases.
The Election Commission had banned election rallies and roadshows until January 15 first and later extended the curbs till January 22. The progress on vaccination will be a key factor in allowing relaxations, officials had said.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav will contest next month's Assembly election - his first - from the Karhal seat in Mainpuri district, which is in his family's home turf.
The five states - Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur, and Goa - will submit the current status of vaccination and caseload in the virtual meeting.
Here are the Highlights on Assembly Elections 2022:
AAP leader seeks time to meet Punjab Governor over Chief Minister's alleged involvement in illegal sand miningAam Aadmi Party's Punjab co-incharge Raghav Chadha has sought time to meet Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit over the issue of the alleged involvement of Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi in illegal sand mining.
According to AAP, Chadha wants to discuss the recent facts that have emerged after the raids conducted by the Enforcement Directorate at the residence of CM's relatives in connection with illegal sand mining.
The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday seized more than Rs 10 crore cash, gold worth above 21 lakh and a Rolex watch worth Rs 12 lakh from the residential premises of land mafia Bhupinder Singh Honey and others in connection with an alleged illegal sand mining case.
Bhupinder Singh Honey is a nephew of the Punjab Chief Minister.
UP polls: Anurag Thakur targets Samajwadi Party over its free electricity promiseIn the run-up to the assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, Union minister and BJP leader Anurag Thakur on Sunday targeted the Samajwadi Party over its promise of providing 300 units of electricity free to domestic consumers, saying under the party-led government power cables were used to hang clothes to dry.
The Union Information and Broadcasting Minister took part in a party campaign in Hazratganj area of the state capital.
"Getting electricity for 300 hours a month was difficult in his regime, but now he is talking about giving 300 units of free electricity. This raises doubts," he said, targeting SP president Akhilesh Yadav.
Power cables were used to hang clothes during the previous SP regime, he said.
Haj House vs Manasarovar Bhawan: Yogi Adityanath's Dart At Akhilesh YadavThe development pitch of the BJP for Uttar Pradesh elections tripped in Ghaziabad today as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attacked his key rival with an allusion to buildings erected for use of particular communities.
"Earlier, Haj House was built in Ghaziabad, our government built a building of Kailash Mansarovar," said the Chief Minister, whose party customarily accuses the Samajwadi Party and its chief, Akhilesh Yadav, of minority appeasement.
The Manasarovar Bhawan he referred to is a four-story building in Indirapuram, built to help Kanwar pilgrims and those making the annual journey to Kailash-Mansarovar.
Akhilesh Yadav had opened his Haj house in 2016, during his tenure at the top post. The seven-storied Aala Hazrat Haj House can accommodate 8,000 to 10,000 pilgrims for a month or two every year. The rest of the year it functions as a venue for coaching classes.
Haj House Vs Manasarovar Bhawan: Yogi Adityanath's Dart At Akhilesh YadavThe development pitch of the BJP for Uttar Pradesh elections tripped in Ghaziabad today as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attacked his key rival with an allusion to buildings erected for use of particular communities. "Earlier, Haj House was built in Ghaziabad, our government built a building of Kailash Mansarovar," said the Chief Minister, whose party customarily accuses the Samajwadi Party and its chief, Akhilesh Yadav, of minority appeasement.
The Manasarovar Bhawan he referred to is a four-story building in Indirapuram, built to help Kanwar pilgrims and those making the annual journey to Kailash-Mansarovar.
Akhilesh Yadav had opened his Haj house in 2016, during his tenure at the top post. The seven-storied Aala Hazrat Haj House can accommodate 8,000 to 10,000 pilgrims for a month or two every year. The rest of the year it functions as a venue for coaching classes.
UP Polls: Yogi Adityanath Holds Door-To-Door Campaign In GhaziabadUttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday held a door-to-door election campaign in the Mohan Nagar area of Ghaziabad.
The UP CM during an interaction with intellectuals in Ghaziabad slammed opposition parties for not helping people during the time of the coronavirus crisis and asked the voters not to elect these parties which did not come forward to help them.
India's 'Tallest Man', A Samajwadi Leader Now, Hopes To Dwarf OpponentsAt 8 feet and 1 inch, Dharmendra Pratap Singh from Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh has always stood out, dwarfing most others around him and leaving them awestruck.
Now, the former event manager, who claims to be the tallest man in India, is making his political debut with the Samajwadi Party and hopes to help it come out on the top in the upcoming state assembly polls.
Goa Congress Candidates Take Pledge Of "Loyalty" Ahead Of ElectionsThe Congress party in Goa is pulling out all the stops to ensure that the practice of switching sides by elected representatives is a thing of the past.
Just a few weeks ahead of the February 14 assembly elections in Goa, Congress candidates visited different religious places and took a pledge of "loyalty" towards the people and the party.
Punjab Polls: BJP-Led Alliance To Field Sikh Candidates On About 70 SeatsEyeing to expand its base in Punjab, the BJP will nominate Sikh candidates on more than half of the total seats it will contest in next month's assembly polls, its general secretary Tarun Chugh said on Saturday.
Speaking on the BJP-led alliance, which comprises the Punjab Lok Congress and the SAD (Sanyukt), he said it is expected that most of its candidates for the February 20 polls to the 117-member assembly will be from the Sikh community, especially farmers and OBCs. The BJP may also explore the option of announcing a chief ministerial face for the alliance, Mr Chugh said.
"Peace, Development" Key Poll Planks For BJP: Manipur Chief MinisterThe Bharatiya Janata Party will contest the elections in Manipur on the agenda of "peace, development and cohesive unity of communities", Chief Minister N Biren Singh told NDTV.
"Manipur was infamous for unrest, violence, bandh (strike). By 5 pm, all shops used to get closed. All this has been stopped now. This is our success," Mr Singh told NDTV in an exclusive interview.
Amarinder Singh's Party Announces 1st List Of Candidates For Punjab PollsFormer Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday announced his newly-formed Punjab Lok Congress' first list of 22 candidates for next month's assembly polls in the state.
"We are announcing 22 candidates in the first list," said Captain Singh, adding that the second list is likely to be released in two days.
Punjab Lok Congress has so far got 37 of the 117 seats in the state as part of its alliance with the BJP and SAD (Sanyukt), with discussions underway on another five possible seats for the party.
BJP Ally's 1st UP Ticket Is From Samajwadi Party's Azam Khan's Home TurfThe BJP's ally Apna Dal (S) has announced its first candidate for the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. The candidate, Haider Ali Khan, is from Suar in western Uttar Pradesh's Rampur district, from where Abdullah Azam, the son of jailed Samajwadi Party MP Azam Khan is expected to contest.
The announcement came despite no official word on seat-sharing arrangement between the BJP and its alliance partners - Apna Dal (S) of Anupriya Patel and Nishad party of Sanjay Nishad.
Congress Announces 36 Of 37 Candidates For Goa Polls Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday said that the party has announced 36 candidates of 37 for the upcoming assembly elections in Goa and the candidate for the last seat will also be revealed soon.
"Congress has announced 36 of the 37 candidates and shortly we will announce the candidate for that last seat. Yesterday we met with all the 36 candidates. The candidates have pleged that, having regard to the recent history of Goa, they will remain united and serve the full term of five years as members and if elected as MLAs of the Congress party, then we will run a united government," Mr Chidambaram said while addressing a press conference here on Sunday.
"Condition Of Congress Miserable In UP, Do Not Waste Vote": MayawatiBahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday said Congress' condition is so miserable, it "changed" its Chief Minister face for the Uttar Pradesh polls within hours of announcement.
"The condition of the Congress party is so miserable in the UP Assembly elections that their CM candidate changed her stand within a few hours. It would be better, if people do not waste their vote by giving it to the Congress. And vote one-sided for the BSP," Mayawati tweeted.
UP Polls: Mulayam Singh, Jaya Bachchan Among Samajwadi Party's Star Campaigners The Samajwadi Party on Sunday released a list of 30 star campaigners for the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election.
Senior party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, his son and party president Akhilesh Yadav, daughter-in-law Dimple Yadav, Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan, party secretary general Ram Gopal Yadav, and MLA Swami Prasad Maurya are among the star campaigners.
UP Polls: 2 Congress Leaders From Bareilly Join Samajwadi Party Former Congress MP from Bareilly Praveen Singh and Congress leader and former Bareilly Mayor Supriya Aron joined Samajwadi Party on Saturday.
Both the Congress leaders joined the Samajwadi Party in the presence of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow.
"I'm A Modest Congress Worker": P Chidambaram After Trinamool BrickbatsAfter Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee accused him of spreading misunderstanding against TMC, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday said that he won't engage in a verbal exchange with general secretaries of other parties.
"I don't enter in verbal exchanges with general secretaries of other parties. I'm a very modest Congress worker," said Mr Chidambaram on being asked about Abhishek Banerjee's comment on the TMC-Congress alliance for Goa polls.
My Stand "Principled": Manohar Parrikar's Son Day After Leaving BJPUtpal Parrikar, son of former CM Manohar Parrikar who decided to contest the upcoming Goa election as an independent candidate from Panaji constituency, on Saturday said that his stand on Panaji is a 'principled stand'.
"My stand on Panaji is a principled stand. I said yesterday that if the party fields an honest candidate with integrity and no criminal records from Panaji, then I'm ready to withdraw (as an independent candidate)," Mr Utpal told ANI.
Trinamool Candidate For Goa Polls Arrested In Cheque Bouncing CaseSandeep Vazarkar, the Trinamool Congress Party's candidate from Porvorim for the February 14 Assembly elections in Goa, was arrested on Saturday in a cheque-bouncing case on the orders of a Dehradun court, police said in Panaji.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (Porvorim) Vishwesh Karpe said Vazarkar was arrested in the evening after a court at Dehradun issued bailable warrants against him in two different cases.