Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday targeted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) at an election rally in Punjab's Pathankot, and termed it a photocopy of the Congress.
Addressing the rally ahead of the February 20 Punjab Assembly elections, he said farming, trade and industry will be made profitable in five years if the BJP-led alliance is voted to power in the state.
"Give me five years to serve you. I assure you farming, trade, industry will be made profitable," PM Modi said at a poll rally in Pathankot.
The BJP is fighting the Punjab assembly polls in alliance with former chief minister Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress and the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt).
Here are the Highlights on Assembly Elections 2022:
"The truth is that Punjabis gave a chance to the Aam Aadmi Party in 2017 by electing 20 of its legislators and even made it the principal opposition party in the state.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi over protests by Anganwadi workers, saying it does not understand the pain of the people.
"Delhi government does not understand the pain of the people. The fight for the rights of Anganwadi workers is absolutely right," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.
Odisha recorded 70 per cent voter turnout in the first phase of the panchayat elections on Wednesday amid sporadic incidents of violence, officials said.
Polling was held in the first phase for 200 Zilla Parishad constituencies, 22,379 ward member seats, 1,669 Sarpanch posts and as many number of Panchayat Samiti member posts from 7 am till 1 pm, they said.
Polling was held in 71 blocks across all 30 districts of the state.
Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from Jajpur, Puri and Dhenkanal, even as 225 platoons of police were deployed for the elections, an official said. Each platoon consists of 30 personnel, meaning 6,750 police personnel were deployed.
"Nearly 70 per cent of 67.51 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the first phase," State Election Commissioner (SEC) AP Padhi said.
"The percentage of polling may increase as some people were in queues even after 1 pm. The commission was waiting for the report from the district collectors where sporadic violence took place during the polling," he added.
Four journalists were allegedly attacked at a polling booth in Badala panchayat in Kanas block in Puri district.
In Chapamanik panchayat in Brahmagiri block of Puri, ballot boxes were snatched from booth-9 in Kashijharia village.
Polling was disrupted at booth-1 in Sujanpur panchayat as a clash broke out between two groups over stealing ballot paper stamps, as per a report that reached the SEC office.
In Mayurbhanj, nearly 500 voters of Sarajamdihi in Badapheni ward-1 alleged that their names were missing from the new voters' list, and names of only 64 people were in it.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan alleged that members of the ruling BJD in the state perpetrated violence in Dharmasala, Jajpur, Brahmagiri, Angul, Hndol, Bhadrak, Kanas, Jaleswar, Bangirposi, Bhatli and Patnagarh.
"The SEC should take more precautions against violence as four more phases of polling are yet to be held," he said.
Union Minister Bishweswar Tudu claimed that a picture of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was put up in the polling booth in Paramananda Khuntapal Primary School in Moroda Block in Mayurbhanj district where he went to cast his vote.
Ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday met the chief of Radha Soami Satsang Beas Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon at Beas, around 45 km from Amritsar.
Shah, who was in Punjab on Wednesday for a poll rally, took to Twitter to share the information about the meeting.
"Today met Radha Soami Satsang chief Baba Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon.
"The work being done by Radha Soami Satsang Beas for humanity and social service by continuously awakening spiritual consciousness in the society for d
#ElectionsWithNDTV | "We (BJP government) have tried, during the pandemic, that no poor sleeps with an empty stomach": Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally in Pathankot#PunjabElections2022 pic.twitter.com/kuaLxgaml9
- NDTV (@ndtv) February 16, 2022
- Greetings on Ravidas Jayanti.
- Blessed to be here. Lucky that followers of Kabir parampara are also here.
- Quoting Sant Ravidas as BJP follows what he said, "Aisa chaho raaj mein mile sadan ko ann, chot bado ko sab sambh se ravidas rahe prasann"
- He said that he wants a king who makes sure that everyone in his kingdom has food and is treated equal.
- We have the same "Sabka saath, sabhka saath" principle.
- For our government, betterment of the poor, is the most pertinent.
- The world has been affected by the Covid pandemic but the BJP government followed in the footsteps of Sant Ravidas and ensured everyone has food.
- Even in big countries, people have no food but we have given food to people and ensured that.
- This is "pavitra" seva for me.
- Vaccine has become a boon for the country as we made sure free vaccines for all.
- The economy has also improved because of the vaccines and our prioritising it.
- As a normal citizen, I came to Pathankot on scooter and train.
- People from Pathankot were so kind that they brought food for me in lunchboxes.
- Majha's soil has given me love like that of Ma (mother).
- If I tell you something bitter, you won't feel bad, right?
- I lived here for so long. Your food gave me nourishment. But the way, other places gave me opportunity to serve them, Punjab has not.
- First also, we were junior partners, on the margins, for Punjab's peace and security.
- We sacrificed our party's betterment for Punjab through alliances. (referring to Akali alliance)
- Give me 5 years to serve you and I promise you, industries will be better and farmers will prosper. (Says this in Punjabi)
- Punjab will become charddi kala (prosper to new heights)
- The work BJP begins, people support it so much that progress happens for sure.
- Wherever BJP settles, in whichever state, Delhi's remote control, family-driven party gets jittery.
#WATCH | Ashwani Kumar's decision to quit the Congress party is very unfortunate... The ambition for a Rajya Sabha seat makes people do many things: Congress leader Manish Tewari in Ludhiana pic.twitter.com/st8hZzULYR
- ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2022
#PunjabElections | Labourers in Punjab say jobs have dried up over the years, rising unemployment biggest concern
- NDTV (@ndtv) February 16, 2022
NDTV's Mohammad Ghazali reports#ElectionsWithNDTV pic.twitter.com/lGCvBsM3tu
On the occasion of Sri Guru Ravidas Jayanti, paid obeisance at Sant Shiromani Guru Ravidas Janam Asthan mandir in Varanasi. Let us imbibe his teachings of love, compassion, mutual tolerance and oneness of mankind. pic.twitter.com/Ibkv6taocI
- Charanjit S Channi (@CHARANJITCHANNI) February 16, 2022