NCLT allows IL&FS Transportation Networks to offload shares in an expressway project
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has granted permission to IL&FS Transportation Networks to sell its shares in Moradabad Bareilly Expressway to Roadstar Infra Investment Trust. The transfer involves 3,21,40,691 equity shares, representing a 14.5% stake. The transaction, approved by IL&FS's new board and ITNL Board in October 2023, received no objection from Union Bank of India. The tribunal allowed IL&FS to proceed with the sale as per the terms of the share purchase agreement with Axis Trustee Services Limited and Roadstar Investment Managers.
After doing Gharwapsi, both of them stated that they had faith in the Hindu religion for a long time and declared themselves free from the fear of Triple Talaq and Halala.
Three killed as car crashes into tanker while trying to save a monkey in UP
Three people died when a tanker collided with a car on the Moradabad-Aligarh National Highway in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, reports said. The victims have been identified as Axis Bank manager Saurabh Srivastava, cashier Divyanshu and one Amit Rana. According to a report, Saurabh Srivastava and his co-workers were heading towards Chandausi in a car when he swerved the car to save a monkey which suddenly appeared on the road. As a result, the car crashed into a tanker coming in the opposite direction. The tanker driver fled the spot soon after the accident. Police retrieved the bodies crushed inside the mangled remains of the car and sent them for post-mortem. Further investigations are on.
3 Bank Employees Die In UP Car Crash Caused By Monkey On Road
Three people died after a speeding tanker collided with a car on the Moradabad-Aligarh National Highway in Uttar Pradesh on Monday. The accident took place in the Domghar area of Moradabad.
Many times the attendants of patients have to face problems in government-run hospitals because after getting blood and urine tests done, they have to stand in long queues for the reports, sometimes even going from one department to another to get the reports. One has to take rounds, due to which one sweats, but now there is relief news for you. The test report will be available on mobile UP government has started a new facility for patients in its hospitals, now no one will have to run from door to door to get test reports. They can be obtained online only. You can download it through mobile. This will save time and effort and you will be saved from unnecessary problems. The facility in 75 hospitals of UP Till now this facility has been started in 75 government hospitals of UP, you will get an alert of getting the test report through SMS on your mobile phone. According to the information, in the future 18 more hospitals in the state will be added to the list of this facility, where the trial is still going on. 'No need to come to the hospital for reports' Principal Secretary of Health and Medical Education Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma says that the facility of providing lab test reports in government hospitals on mobile through SMS will help many patients and their families. Their time will be saved and they will not have to come to the hospital and stand in line again just to get the report. Presently this facility has been started in 75 such hospitals and we will endeavor to start such service in other hospitals also. These hospitals of the capital Lucknow are included This facility is being provided to patients in Balrampur Hospital, Lokbandhu, Civil Hospital, Jhalkari Bai, Rani Lakshmi Bai Hospital, Thakurganj District Hospital, and Ram Sagar Mishra Hospital in Lucknow, the capital of UP. Apart from this, this facility has been started in 30 government hospitals of Eastern UP, 7 government hospitals of Central UP, and 31 government hospitals of Western UP. Where are the facilities available in East UP? Talking about East UP, there are 4 hospitals each in Prayagraj and Varanasi, 3 hospitals each in Ayodhya and Basti, 2 each in Balrampur, Mau and Barabanki, Azamgarh, Ballia, Gonda, Jaunpur, Kushinagar, Bhadohi, Chandauli, Rae Bareli, Sant Kabir Nagar. Patients have got freedom from long queues in 1-1 hospitals of Shravasti and Sitapur. Where is the facility available in Central and West UP? Talking about Central UP, this facility has been started in 2-2 hospitals in Kanpur and Mahoba, and 1-1 hospital in Unnao, Orai, and Mainpuri. In West UP near Delhi, 3 each from Ghaziabad and Rampur, 2 each from Bareilly, Etawah, Agra, Farrukhabad, Hathras, Muzaffarnagar, Lalitpur, Moradabad and Sitapur, Amroha, Badaun, Bijnor, Kannauj, Pilibhit, Bulandshahr, Saharanpur, In every hospital of Gautam Buddha Nagar, reports have started being received on mobile through SMS, due to which the attendants are getting a lot of relief. (PC: Freepik)
Accused Samajwadi Party MLA kept taking advantage of the victim's helplessness and raping her by threatening to make the photos viral
What are UP's Muslim voters up to in this Lok Sabha election?
Till about a decade ago, the voting behaviour of Muslims in Uttar Pradesh used to be a decisive factor in about two dozen Lok Sabha seats. The main political parties in those elections, such as the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress, whether in alliance or separately, used to bank heavily on the support of Muslims. This used to be the norm from the 1970s till the general election of 2014, when the Narendra Modi wave made all such factors redundant. Riding high on it, the Bharatiya Janata Party got the majority community to vote in such numbers so as to make the Muslim vote bank irrelevant. However, ten years of BJP rule at the Centre has taken away much of the wind from beneath that wave. With two phases of polling having already been completed in the state, the significance of the electoral heft of Muslim voters has once again come into play with both the SP-Congress alliance and the BSP renewing their efforts to wrest Muslim support. UP's Muslims have over the last few years and till this election been caught in a dilemma as they have not been able to consider any one party in the state their benefactor. Earlier, from the heydays of Mulayam Singh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party used to be their go-to party since the late former CM had made the welfare of Muslims nothing short of a sacred political pledge for himself and his party. But as Akhilesh Yadav inherited the party in 2017, he very quietly shelved the pro-Muslim policy and started pursuing a brand of ambivalent-- often so-called soft -- Hindutva. In the recent past, Akhilesh vociferously backed the construction of a statue of Parashuram, the deity revered by Brahmins, proposed the construction of a huge Krishna temple in Vrindavan, inaugurated a Lord Krishna statue in Saifai, and generally avoided having Muslim leaders in his core team of Samajwadi Party after the jailing and subsequent sidelining of Azam Khan. All this changed ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In order to counter the charge of ignoring Muslims, Akhilesh skipped the consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, visited the family residence of late Mukhtar Ansari in Ghazipur to pay condolences (albeit belatedly) and risked disaffection in the party by ignoring upper caste-Hindus for key bye-elections. The importance of being Akhilesh Yadav in this Lok Sabha election Mayawati, meanwhile, had appeared to be softer towards the BJP in the beginning, but her Bahujan Samaj Party has still stuck to fielding Muslims in key elections in the past few years, and the trend is highly visible in this year's list as well. The party's candidates for 54 seats so far includes 14 Muslims. Then there is the AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, who had declared his intention to fight from all seats in collaboration with Apna Dal (K) and some smaller parties with much fanfare, but the initiative seems to have lost steam. The Muslim vote in UP According to several estimates, Muslims account for 19% to 23% of the state's population. Based on figures from various organisations and development programmes, the districts with high Muslim population (above 25%) are: Rampur 50.57%, Moradabad 47.12%, Bijnor 43.04%, Saharanpur 41.95%, Muzaffarnagar 41.30%, Amroha 40.78%, Balrampur 37.51%, Bareilly 34.54%, Meerut 34.43%, Bahraich 33.53%, Shrawasti 30.79%, Baghpat 27.98%, Ghaziabad 25.35%, and Siddharthnagar 29.23%. Polling was completed in the first phase on April 19 in eight constituencies -- Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit. The eight constituencies where voting took place on April 26 were Amroha, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahar, Aligarh, Gautam Buddha Nagar, and Mathura. Of these 16 constituencies, at least 11 constituencies have a Muslim population above 20%. There are indications that in these two phases, Muslim voters may have resorted to voting to bring about a change, and the candidate's faith may not be a factor. This has been often referred to as actical voting where the sole aim is to ensure the defeat of a candidate whose party is considered to be apathetic to Muslims interests. Advantage INDIA bloc? In this case, voting to ensure the BJP's candidates defeat could have led Muslim voters to support either the SP-Congress INDIA bloc, or the BSP. It appears that the community could have preferred the former in most places, while the BSP could be preferred only in places where the INDIA combine is thought to be weaker. This is endorsed by Professor Hilal Ahmad, a veteran political analyst and social scholar. He says that Muslim voters appear to be in favour of the INDIA bloc, regardless of the result. In many districts, there have been reports of voters, including women, having voted in favour of the SP-Congress combine, he said, but added emphatically that the Muslim voter is totally silent with no proclamations from community leaders whatsoever. This, however, does not mean that the results will be follow the same pattern in all the Muslim-dominated seats. For the record, the 2014 Lok Sabha election saw the BJP winning at least eight such seats, including Amroha, Bijnor, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Nagina, Rampur, Saharanpur and Sambhal. But in 2019, the SP-BSP fighting in alliance, won 15 seats including in Muslim-dominated Amroha, Bijnor, Moradabad, Rampur and Sambhal. Another fact to be remembered is that despite general perception that Muslims were voting against the BJP, the party succeeded in getting a percentage of the Muslim votes in the 2022 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. This came out in a post-election survey by CSDS-Lokniti which suggested that least eight per cent of the Muslim votes went to the BJP. Also, the BJP has gone into the 2024 election in alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal which has been favoured by Muslim voters in its stronghold areas. Even during the campaign for the first phase, BJP leaders accompanied RLD leaders in Muslim-dominated areas. UP battle shifts from Jat land to Yadav stronghold All this could mean on the one hand that Muslims are disillusioned that no party has shown faith in them, but rather than abstaining, they will vote for the candidate considered to be the BJP's strongest rival. On the other hand, they could also accept the BJP candidate for the simple fact that the state has a BJP government headed by Yogi Adityanath and no purpose may be served in getting identified as a non-BJP voter till 2027 (when the next Assembly election is scheduled). According to Anshuman Shukla, a veteran political analyst and columnist, although Muslims have increasingly voted in a unified way, political and social mobilization has highlighted divisions along sub-identities like caste and sect among them. This explains the BJP's outreach -- and success -- with Pasmanda Muslims, a term that includes backwards, Dalits and tribal Muslims. According to many researchers, the held belief of Muslims voting en bloc may not be completely true, an idea also suggested in a study Mapping Muslim Voter Behaviour in India by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Even some Muslim scholars agree that Muslims are increasingly getting divided along caste and sectarian lines, an example of which is the lukewarm response to Asaduddin Owaisi after he announced his decision to contest in UP with the Apna Dal (K). Anshuman Shukla says that even though figures show that Muslims could play a crucial role in deciding the result in more than 25 seats in UP, the results will show a different picture. Kashi: A date with the present
UP battle shifts from Jat land to Yadav stronghold
LUCKNOW: The focus of Uttar Pradeshs political landscape is set to shift from the Jat belt to the Braj and Rohilkhand region, popularly called the Yadav land, where the fate of 10 key seats having an admixture of the Yadav-Muslim votes will be decided. At stake in Phase-III of the parliamentary polls on May 7 is he prestige of the Samajwadi Party (SP). In the first two phases, 16 western UP constituencies voted on April 19 and 26. In 2019, of the 10 seats of phase-III, the ruling BJP won eight and the main opposition SP, despite being in a formidable alliance with the BSP, could win just two. The 10 UP seats set to vote in Phase-III include Sambhal, Hathras, Etah, Aonla, Bareilly, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Mainpuri, Badaun and Firozabad. Three members of the Yadav clan are in the fray in the phase. While SP chief Akhilesh Yadavs wife Dimple is contesting from Mainpuri, his two cousins Aditya Yadav is from Badaun and Akshay Yadav from Firozabad. Although the 10 seats fall in the Yadav belt, the ruling BJP has performed exceptionally well since 2014. The BJP won seven of 10 seats restricting the SP to just three Mainpuri (Mulayam Singh Yadav), Badaun (Dharmendra Yadav) and Firozabad (Akshay Yadav). In 2019, the BJP clinched an added seat and won total eight of the 10 seats in this phase. SP won only in Mainpuri and Sambhal. The constituencies going to the polls in the third phase also have the Muslim-OBC combination that can influence the outcome. Patriarchs pocket borough Sambhal The constituency sent SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav to Lok Sabha twice in 1998 and 1999 and SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav in 2004. The BJP wrested it in 2014. While the BSP won the seat twice in 1996 and 2009, Congress last won it in 1984. This time, SP has reposed faith in veteran MP Shafiqur Rehman Barq who won the seat in 2019. However, even before the commencement of poll process, Barq, 92, assed away. Consequently, SP fielded his grandson Zia-ur-Rahman Barq, the party MLA from Kundarki in Moradabad. The BJP has reposed faith in an OBC Parmeshwar Lal Saini. The BSP makes the contest triangular, fielding Shaulat Ali. Saffron citadel named Hathras A reserved seat, Hathras is considered a BJP bastion since 1991. In 2009, the RLD won it as a pre-poll BJP ally. The Congress last won it in 1971. In 2019, despite the infamous gangrape and murder case that created widespread uproar, BJPs Rajvir Singh Diler defeated SPs Ramji Lal Suman. This time, BJP has replaced the MP with Anoop Valmiki, partys MLA, while SP and BSP have given ticket to Jasveer Valmiki and Hembabu Dhangar, respectively. Diler died of heart attack last week. Caste lines are sharp in rural areas. Over 3 years after a Dalit woman was allegedly gangraped, and died 11 days later in 2020, voters in her village are divided. Mostly, Mulayams Mainpuri A Yadav stronghold, the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat has been with the family of Mulayam Singh Yadav since 1996. Mulayam represented it five times in Lok Sabha. The SP has won the seat since 1996. The Congress last won here in 1984. In 2019, Mulayam Singh Yadav won by defeating BJPs Prem Singh Shakya. In 2024, BJPs Jaiveer Singh is challenging SPs Dimple Yadav. Dr Gulshan Dev Shakya is BSP candidate. A debut in Budaun; will it matter? After flip-flops, the Samajwadi party finally fielded Aditya Yadav, son of SP lead Shivpal Yadav. It is Adtiyas electoral debut. Initially SP had named Dharmendra Yadav from the seat but replaced him with Shivpal who wanted the ticket for his son and the party finally succumbed to his demand. Budaun seat has been with SP continuously from 1996 to 2014. The BJP wrested it in 2019. Firozabads fragile loyalty The city of glass, Firozabad is another SP citadel which the party lost to the BJP in 2019. This seat elected SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in 2009 and his cousin Akshay Yadav in 2014. The Congresss Raj Babbar defeated SPs Dimple Yadav in a by-poll in 2009. For 2024, the BJP has announced Vishwadeep Singh as its candidate while the SP has repeated Akshay Yadav, son of SP veteran Ram Gopal Yadav. Its Etah, hub of Hindutva The BJP has been winning here since 1989 representing it in Lok Sabah for six times. In between, the SP won this seat twice. In 2009, Kalyan Singh won as an independent supported by the SP. BJPs Rajveer Singh, son of Kalyan Singh, won this seat in 2014 and 2019. The party has made him its candidate again in 2024. Davesh Shakya is SP candidate. Advantage none in Aonla The BJP has won Aonla seat six times since 1989 and three times since 2009. The SP has won twice. The Congress won last in 1984. Dharmendra Kashyap (BJP), Neeraj Maurya (SP) and Abid Ali (BSP) and main contestants. The third phase is also crucial for the SP because three of the five members from the Yadav family are candidates in this phase. They are Dimple Yadav from Mainpuri, Akshay Yadav from Firozabad and Aditya Yadav from Budaun. The fate of Fatehpur Sikri A perennial water shortage and turmoil in the countrys northwest is thought to have been the key reason for the citys abandonment. After Akbar moved the imperial capital from Fatehpur Sikri to Lahore, and then to Agra, the city was abandoned by 1610. Fast-forward to 2024, the BJP won this seat twice in 2014 and 2019. Before that in 2009, the seat was with the BSP. In 2019, the BJPs Raj Kumar Chahar won it, defeating Congress Raj Babbar. Chahar polled 64.23% votes. The BJP has retained Chahar and the Congress has fielded Ramnath Sikarwar as the INDIA candidate while the BSP has fielded a Brahmin candidate Ram Niwas Sharma. Dalits take centre stage in Agra Known as the Dalit capital of UP with Dalits comprising 21% of the electorate, the BJP has won this reserved seat for five terms since 1991 and thrice in a row since 2009. This time, BJP MP Prof SP Singh Baghel, who won it in 2019, seeks another term. The SP has fielded Suresh Chandra Kardan while the BSP has fielded Pooja Amrohi. Politics and history intertwine with Dalit influence here. Recent events amplified the pivotal role of Dalit voters. Pooja Amrohis candidacy challenges the grassroots engagement. There are 20.57 lakh voters, with nearly three-fourths of them Jatav Dalits, who appear to be with the BSP, despite despair over its declining performance.
Shravan Kumar took the burden of his blind parents on his shoulders and took them on a trip. However, now if parents have to be taken on a pilgrimage, the burden may not fall on their shoulders but on their pockets. There are many pilgrimage sites in the country, which extend from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. It is easy to go on a trip to these pilgrimage sites but due to the possibility of high expenses, the plan keeps getting postponed. IRCTC comes up with many tour packages from time to time, which let you tour the country and the world on a budget. IRCTC also takes you on temple tours. During this summer holidays, you can take your parents to visit the seven Jyotirlingas. IRCTC is coming up with the best tour packages to visit the seven Jyotirlingas. Let us know the complete information about the tour package to visit Jyotirlingas. Where will the journey start Jyotirlinga darshan by IRCTC will start from Yoganagari Rishikesh railway station. Bharat Gaurav will be taken to visit 7 Jyotirlingas on a tourist train. Passengers can join the yatra from Rishikesh, Haridwar, Moradabad, Bareilly, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Orai, Veerangana Laxmibai, Lalitpur. Which Jyotirlingas will we get darshan of? During the yatra, Omkareshwar, Mahakaleshwar, Somnath, Bhent Dwarka, Dwarkadhish Temple, Nageshwar, Trimbakeshwar, Ghrishneshwar and Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga will be visited. Facility This tour package includes 2 AC, 3 AC, and Sleeper class travel, breakfast and vegetarian lunch and dinner, and AC/non-AC buses to local places. When does the journey start? The tour package will commence from 22nd May 2024 to 2nd June 2024. The tour package will be of 11 nights and 12 days, in which you will be taken from Rishikesh in Uttarakhand to Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra to visit the Jyotirlingas. Pilgrimage expenses The ticket price for sleeper class during the journey will cost Rs 22150 per person and a child (5 to 11 years) staying with one/two or three persons will cost Rs 20800. For 3 AC passengers, you may have to spend Rs 36700 per person and for 2 AC passengers, you may have to spend Rs 48600 per person. If you want, you can pay the ticket expense of the tour package in EMI. EMI facility of Rs 1074 per month is also available. (PC: ISTOCK)
Phase III of Lok Sabha polls in UP puts Samajwadi Party to test in 'Yadav land'
LUCKNOW: As Uttar Pradesh gears up for third phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on May 7, all eyes are on the Braj and Rohilkhand regions, commonly dubbed the 'Yadav land.' Here, 10 key seats featuring a fascinating Yadav-Muslim dynamic will undergo scrutiny, posing a significant test to the Samajwadi Party's reputation and influence. The general elections in Uttar Pradesh will be conducted across all seven phases, with the first and second phases being held for 16 seats in the 'Jat belt' of Western UP on April 19 and April 26, respectively. In the 2019 elections, out of the 10 seats contested in phase III, the ruling BJP secured victory in eight, while the main opposition Samajwadi Party (SP), despite forming a formidable alliance with arch-rival Bhaujan Samaj Party (BSP), managed to win only two seats. This time, the SP has forged an alliance with the Congress under the Opposition's INDIA bloc. Conversely, the BSP has opted for a solo approach, setting the stage for a three-way showdown against the BJP-led NDA, echoing the political dynamics of the 2019 elections. The upcoming Phase III of voting will be pivotal for the SP, with 10 crucial seats up for contention. These include Sambhal, Hathras, Etah, Aonla, Bareilly, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Mainpuri, Badaun, and Firozabad. Significantly, three members of the Yadav family are participating in this phase of the elections. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's wife, Dimple, is contesting from Mainpuri, while his two cousins, Aditya Yadav from Badaun and Akshay Yadav from Firozabad, are also in the fray. Although the seats going to the polls in phase III fall under the Yadav belt, the ruling saffron brigade has been performing exceptionally well here since 2014. The BJP had won seven of 10 seats, restricting the SP to just three: Mainpuri (Mulayam Singh Yadav), Badaun (Dharmendra Yadav) and Firozabad (Akshay Yadav) in the 2014 general elections. In the 2019 elections, the BJP secured an additional seat, bringing their total to eight out of the 10 seats in this phase. Meanwhile, the SP retained Mainpuri and emerged victorious in Sambhal. The seats going to the polls in the third phase have the Muslim-OBC combination as the dominant force influencing the outcome across various constituencies. In constituencies such as Etah, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Badaun, and Sambhal, Yadav voters form a significant and influential bloc. Conversely, Muslim voters play a decisive role in Sambhal, Aonla, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, and Firozabad, comprising 6 percent to 13 percent of the population, except in Bareilly, where the Muslim population exceeds 33 percent. Likewise, in Etah, a stronghold of former UP CM Kalyan Singh, non-Yadav communities, particularly the Lodhs, emerge as a significant and decisive force. In other constituencies, the Kachhi, Shakya and Murao communities hold sway, shaping the electoral landscape. Lok Sabha polls 2024: How to crack UPs reserved seat puzzle Uttar Pradesh: RLD onboard, BJP looks for dominance SEAT-WISE DYNAMICS Sambhal Sambhal, considered to be the Yadav pocket borough as it has sent SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav to Lok Sabha twice in 1998 and 1999 and SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav in 2004, the BJP wrested the seat in 2014. While the BSP won the seat twice, in 1996 and 2009, the Congress last won it in 1984. In 2024, the SP had reposed faith in its sitting veteran MP Shafiqur Rehman Barq who had won the seat in 2019. However, even before the commencement of the poll process, Barq, 92, passed away after a prolonged illness. Consequently, SP fielded his grandson Zia-ur-Rahman Barq, the sitting SP MLA from Kundarki in Moradabad. The BJP has reposed faith in an OBC candidate Parmeshwar Lal Saini, who contested against Barq in 2019, to reclaim the seat, while the BSP has made the contest triangular by fielding a Muslim candidate Shaulat Ali. Hathras (Sc) Hathras, a reserved seat considered a BJP bastion since 1991, has been an impregnable fort for the SP and BSP, who have never registered a victory here. In 2009, the RLD won this seat as a pre-poll ally of the BJP, while the Congress last won here in 1971. In 2019, despite the horrific gangrape and murder case that had created widespread uproar, the BJP's Rajvir Singh Diler defeated the SP's Ramji Lal Suman. Diler died of heart attack last week. In 2024, the BJP replaced the sitting MP with Anoop Valmiki, the party's sitting MLA, while the SP and BSP have given the ticket to Jasveer Valmiki and Hembabu Dhangar, respectively. Agra (Sc) Agra, known as the Dalit capital of the state, has nearly 21 percent of its electorate comprised of Dalits. The BJP has won this reserved seat five times since 1991 and thrice in a row since 2009. It has retained sitting MP Professor SP Singh Baghel for 2024, who had won the seat for the first time in 2019. The Samajwadi Party has fielded Suresh Chandra Kardan, while the BSP has fielded Pooja Amrohi. Fatehpur Sikri The BJP won this seat twice, in 2014 and 2019. Before that, in 2009, the seat was with the BSP. In 2019, the BJP's Raj Kumar Chahar won this seat, defeating the Congress's Raj Babbar. The BJP has retained Raj Kumar Chahar and the Congress has fielded Ramnath Sikarwar as the INDIA bloc candidate, while the BSP has fielded Brahmin candidate Ram Niwas Sharma, making the contest interesting. Mainpuri The Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat, a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party, has remained under the control of Mulayam Singh Yadav's family since 1996. The SP patriarch himself represented it five times in the Lok Sabha, while the Congress last won here in 1984. In 2019, Mulayam Singh Yadav won by defeating the BJP's Prem Singh Shakya. Following his demise in 2022, Dimple Yadav, the wife of Akhliesh Yadav, won the seat in a by-poll. In 2024, the BJP's Jaiveer Singh is challenging Dimple Yadav, while Gulshan Dev Shakya is the BSP candidate. Budaun After a few flip-flops , the Samajwadi Party finally fielded Aditya Yadav, the son of party leader Shivpal Yadav. It is Adtiyas electoral debut. Initially, the SP had named Dharmendra Yadav for the seat but replaced him with Shivpal, who wanted the ticket for his son and the party finally succumbed to his demand. Budaun seat has been with SP continuously from 1996 to 2014. It was wrested by the BJP in 2019. This time, BJP has replaced the sitting MP Sanghmitra Maurya with Durvijay Shakya. Firozabad Known as the city of glass, Firozabad is another citadel of the Samajwadi Party. However, it lost to the BJP in 2019. This seat elected SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in 2009 and his cousin Akshay Yadav in 2014. The Congress's Raj Babbar defeated Akhilesh's wife, Dimple Yadav, in the 2009 by-poll. In 2024, the BJP has announced Vishwadeep Singh as its candidate, while the SP has repeated Akshay Yadav, son of SP veteran Ram Gopal Yadav. Etah The BJP has been winning here since 1989, while the SP won it twice, in between, in the 1999 and 2004 elections. In 2009, former UP chief minister Kalyan Singh won as an independent, supported by the SP, while the BJP's Rajveer Singh, the son of Kalyan, won this seat in 2014 and 2019. The party has retained Rajveer as its candidate again in 2024, while Davesh Shakya is the candidate for SP. Bareilly In Bareilly, the BJP has replaced its eight-time MP and former Union Minister Santosh Gangwar, who continuously won the seat from 1989 till 2019, barring 2009 when then Congress leader Praveen Aron, now with the Samajwadi Party, defeated him by a thin margin. This time, the BJP has replaced him with Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar, who will take on Aron. The BSP got a jolt when the nomination of its candidate, Chhote Lal Gangwar, was rejected in Bareilly. Anola The BJP has won this seat six times since 1989 and three times since 2009. The SP has won the seat twice, while the Congress last won it in 1984. Dharmendra Kashyap of the BJP, Neeraj Maurya of SP and BSP's Abid Ali are the main contestants. Phase III: The key numbers Total Seats: 10 Date of Poll: May 7 Total Districts covered: 12 Total voters: 1.89 crore Male voters: 1.01 crore Female voters: 87.48 lakh Third gender voters: 752 Total polling centres: 12,339 Total Polling booths: 20,415 Mixed feelings for Gandhis in UPs rice bowl Meerut: Battle of perception with Ram chant in land of revolution
BJP with its 400 paar slogan misunderstood public mood: Akhilesh
Sambhal/Moradabad: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday, April 28, claimed the BJP will not win any seat in the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls and that the ruling party misunderstood the direction of the wind when it made its slogan of 400 paar. Addressing a rally in Sambhal, Yadav also said the Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .
UP: Samajwadi Party candidate from Ballia booked for spreading hatred
Ballia/Moradabad: Police have booked Sanatan Pandey, the Samajwadi Partys (SP) candidate from the Ballia Lok Sabha constituency, for allegedly spreading enmity and threatening the district election officer, officials said on Sunday, April 28. District officials said an FIR was lodged against Pandey over his statement to reporters on Saturday. Reacting to the FIR, Samajwadi Party Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .
SP candidate from UP's Ballia booked for spreading hatred
SP candidate from UP's Ballia booked for spreading hatred Police have booked Sanatan Pandey, the Samajwadi Party's candidate from the Ballia Lok Sabha constituency, for allegedly spreading enmity and threatening the district election officer, officials said on Sunday. District officials said an FIR was lodged against Pandey over his statement to reporters on Saturday. Reacting to the FIR, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav asked if the Election Commission will take action against those who make comments on the Constitution, ''Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb'' and brotherhood from ''big stages''. During the interaction with reporters, Pandey can be heard saying that he had been winning the election last time but the administration cost him his victory. ''I accepted my defeat last time because I didn't want to challenge the Election Commission,'' he told the reporters. ''During the last elections, I was attacked outside the counting centre and my vehicle was damaged by people on the side of the government,'' he alleged. Pandey also said that he would not allow anything similar to happen this time. ''I have taken an oath this time. If the people of Ballia want to defeat me, I will accept it. But if the people of Ballia want to make me the victor, then the local administration or the BJP will not be able to stop me from getting my winning certificate,'' he further said. ''If they do so, either my body or the collector's body will come out...,'' Pandey said. A clip of the statement has become widely circulated on social media. Superintendent of Police Dev Ranjan Verma said an FIR has been lodged against Pandey under sections 171 F (exercising undue influence in elections), 189 (threatening a public servant), 186 (obstructing a public servant in public work), 505 (2) (spreading hatred and animosity between different groups) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Representation of the People Act on the basis of a complaint filed by Sub Inspector Makhan Singh in Ballia city. He said Pandey, while commenting on the tenure and works of the current dispensation on Saturday, was accused of spreading enmity, hatred and animosity among different sections of society and threatening the district election officer. Samajwadi Party chief Yadav, when asked about the FIR, said registering a case against Pandey is natural based on the remarks he made. Pandey could have expressed his feelings in some other way, he said in Moradabad. ''Cases should also be registered against those who, from big stages, are making comments on the country's Constitution, the 'Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb' and brotherhood. Will the Election Commission take action against them?'' Yadav asked. ''We witnessed in the last polls that in Saharanpur, Bijnor and (neighbouring) Rampur, the administration snatched votes by deploying the police. If he (Pandey) said this, then he must have some suspicion because he had lost by a very ordinary margin last time (2019 Lok Sabha elections),'' he added. Pandey contested the Lok Sabha elections on a Samajwadi Party ticket in 2019, losing to the BJP's Virendra Singh Mast by 16,000 votes. This time, he is pitted against former Ballia MP Neeraj Shekhar of the BJP. Ballia will go to the polls in the last phase on June 1.
BJP's '400 Seats' Promise Backfired, Party Set to Lose in Phase 3 Elections: Akhilesh Yadav
BJP's '400 Seats' Promise Backfired, Party Set to Lose in Phase 3 Elections: Akhilesh Yadav Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday claimed the BJP will not win any seat in the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls and that the ruling party misunderstood the direction of the wind when it made its slogan of 400 paar. Addressing a rally in Sambhal, Yadav also said the Samajwadi Party had an advantage in the third phase, saying that elections on May 7 will be held between Sambhal and his home in Etawah and Mainpuri. ''BJP people did not know the direction of the wind, so they kept saying 400 paar (winning over 400 seats) and when they realised the public sentiment after the two phases of the election, BJP forgot its slogan, the former UP chief minister said. ''The wind that came from the west (western UP) in the first phase will change the BJP government. The similar trend was seen in the second phase also. People are not accepting the BJP, the SP chief said. It is now your responsibility in the third phase, he added to those gathered for the rally taken out in support of party candidate Zia ur Rahman Barq. ''These elections are being held from this part till our home. Netaji (SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav) has also been an MP from this area (Sambhal). Voting is going to take place from here to Mainpuri. I can say that the BJP is not going to open its account in any Lok Sabha seat here, Yadav said. Mulayam Singh, an ex-CM and the SP chief's father, was elected an MP from Sambhal Lok Sabha constituency twice in 1998 and 1999. ''Next to you, Samajwadi Party is winning in Rampur and Moradabad and if all the Lok Sabha seats nearby are winning, then will the people of Sambhal be left behind?'' ''When the seats where BJP lost with the highest number of votes are counted, the name of Sambhal Lok Sabha should be included in that count also, he further urged the voters. Yadav also said the election in Sambhal are an opportunity to pay tribute to party MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq, who was declared as the SP candidate but died earlier this year. We gave the ticket to the very popular Shafiqur Rahman Barq Saheb but he is no longer with us. This is an opportunity to pay tribute to him He always stood for the rights of his people, he said. The SP chief also said that the Lok Sabha polls are a fight between those that want to abolish the Constitution and the INDIA bloc and the socialists who want to protect the Constitution. ''Bharatiya Janata Party is conspiring to abolish the Constitution and take away our and your right to vote. So this is an election to save the Constitution and our rights, he said. Those who are out to change the Constitution will be changed by the public, the SP leader said. Asserting that the BJP insulted the farmers, Yadav said, ''The INDIA alliance government will waive off the loans of farmers. We will provide facilities to farmers.We will guarantee MSP for crops. He added that the BJP betrayed the youth just like the farmers. It was promised to provide two crore jobs every year to the youth. Ever since BJP came to government, papers of every recruitment exam are being leaked, the SP leader said. Yadav said that the BJP government has ''abolished permanent recruitment in the Army'' and ''introduced the Agniveer scheme and made it a four-year job''. Yadav said he was worried that under the current government, even policemen may be asked to serve for only three years like the Agniveer. In Uttar Pradesh, voting took place on eight seats in the first phase on April 19 and eight seats in the second phase on April 26, and most of these seats were in Western Uttar Pradesh. In the third phase, voting will be held on 10 seats in Sambhal, Hathras, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Badaun, Amla and Bareilly on May 7. Voting is scheduled to be held in all seven phases on 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Lohia Global Ventures into Real Estate Sector; Plans Rs 1,000 Crore Investment for Housing Projects
Lohia Global Ventures into Real Estate Sector; Plans Rs 1,000 Crore Investment for Housing Projects Lohia Global, which is mainly into handicrafts exports and automobile businesses, on Thursday said it has entered into the real estate business and will invest Rs 1,000 crore over the next five years to develop projects across Delhi-NCR and Uttar Pradesh. Delhi-based Lohia Global is a privately held company with an annual revenue of around Rs 1,200 crore from four businesses - handicraft exports, electric vehicles, tiles and solar energy. It has formed a separate entity Lohia Developers Pvt Ltd for real estate business. The company has a land bank of around 200 acres across various cities in North India. ''We are entering into the real estate business as we feel it is the right time to monetise our land bank. Market condition is supportive,'' Lohia Developers Director Piyush Lohia told reporters here. ''We will be investing Rs 1,000 crore over the next five years to develop housing projects in Delhi, Moradabad and Lucknow. This will be funded through a mix of debt and equity,'' he said. The company plans to develop 3-4 housing projects in Moradabad and one each in Lucknow and Delhi over the next 4-5 years. In total, it is targeting to develop more than 1,500 apartments with a total area of 30-35 lakh square feet. ''We will be launching our first housing project at Moradabad in July this year. The price range will be around Rs 1-1.5 crore,'' Lohia said. He said the company is acquiring more land for future development. ''Real estate will be contributing significantly to our total group turnover,'' Lohia said. He noted that housing demand would sustain in the coming years as consumers prefer to invest in property both for end-use and investment purposes.
Another Tragedy For BJP After Moradabad, Party's Hathras MP Rajveer Diler Dies Of Heart Attack
Rajveer Diler won the 2019 Lok Sabha election on the BJP ticket and became a Member of Parliament. However, he was not given the ticket to contest the Lok Sabha polls this time.
Another Tragedy For BJP After Moradabad, Party`s Hathras MP Rajveer Diler Dies Of Heart Attack
Rajveer Diler won the 2019 Lok Sabha election on the BJP ticket and became a Member of Parliament. However, he was not given the ticket to contest the Lok Sabha polls this time.
Uttar Pradesh: CM Yogi visits late Kunwar Sarvesh Singh's residence to condole his demise
Uttar Pradesh: CM Yogi visits late Kunwar Sarvesh Singh's residence to condole his demise Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the residence of late BJP candidate Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar Singh in Moradabad on Tuesday to offer his condolences to the bereaved family members. Paying homage to Singh, Yogi Adityanath placed flowers on his portrait and consoled the family members. Kunwar Sarvesh Singh, the BJP's contender for the Moradabad Lok Sabha seat, breathed his last at AIIMS on Saturday at 71. The electoral contest for this constituency was drawn to a close on Friday, April 19, marking the culmination of the first phase of Lok Sabha elections. A seasoned politician, Singh had represented the Thakurdwara constituency in Moradabad as an MLA for four consecutive terms. Additionally, he clinched the MP seat for Moradabad under the BJP banner in 2014. Despite his setback in 2019, the BJP reaffirmed its trust in Singh's candidature by again nominating him for the Lok Sabha ticket. (ANI)
NGT Directs Prompt Demarcation of Ganga's Floodplain in Uttar Pradesh
NGT Directs Prompt Demarcation of Ganga's Floodplain in Uttar Pradesh The National Green Tribunal has directed the authorities concerned to expedite the demarcation of floodplain zones of the Ganga and the Ram Ganga in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad district. The green panel was hearing a plea alleging a state-owned company in the energy sector is carrying out illegal construction in the rivers' floodplains in the Milak Kharakpur Baaje village of the district's Munda Pandey block. A tributary of the Ganga, the Ram Ganga originates in Uttarakhand and enters Uttar Pradesh in Bijnor district. In February, a report by the Moradabad district magistrate and the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board said a pipeline was being constructed by GAIL. A bench of National Green Tribunal Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said in pursuance of the tribunal's earlier directions, the district magistrate filed another report, saying Rs 1.12 crore had been paid to the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) in Roorkee for demarcation of the floodplain. According to the NIH, the determination of geo-coordinates for demarcating the floodplain would be completed within 12 months, following which the demarcation process would begin, the bench -- also comprising Judicial Member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and Expert Member A Senthil Vel -- said noting the report. In an order passed on April 12, the bench noted that according to the authorities concerned, it could be ascertained whether the construction work was within the floodplains only after the process of demarcation was completed. ''Hence, we dispose of the original application, directing the authorities to expedite the process of demarcation of floodplain zone in question and submit a quarterly report before the tribunal disclosing the progress till it is demarcated and to take action against the project proponent (GAIL), if required, after demarcation, and submit final action taken report thereafter,'' the tribunal said.
UP: SP supporter held for derogatory post on death of BJP's Moradabad candidate
UP: SP supporter held for derogatory post on death of BJP's Moradabad candidate Police here on Sunday arrested a Samajwadi Party supporter for making a derogatory remark on the death of Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar, BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Moradabad, officials said. SHO of Kotwali police station Sushil Saini said Faizan, a resident of Bijnor, had uploaded a post on social media with praised for the Moradabad SP candidate and a derogatory remark on the death of Kumar. The SHO said a case was registered against Faizan under Section 505(2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act. The Samajwadi Party had fielded Ruchi Vira from Moradabad in the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP candidate from the seat, who was unwell for some time, died at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Saturday, according to a senior party leader. Kumar was 72. He was among the 12 candidates in the fray from the Moradabad parliamentary constituency that went to polls in the first phase on April 19.
Delhi Police Special Cell Arrests Alleged Kingpin of Interstate Firearms Racket
New Delhi: T he Delhi Police Special Cell arrested an alleged kingpin of an interstate firearms racket in Sonia Vihar and recovered three semi-automatic pistols from his possession. The arrested individual, identified as 34-year-old Dayal Singh, is a resident of Pachauri in Burhanpur district of Madhya Pradesh, the police said. Pratiksha Godara, DCP Special Cell, stated that based on specific information, they apprehended Gandh Das Dawar, a resident of Burhanpur, on February 3, and recovered 20 illegal firearms from his possession. A case under Section 25(8) of the Arms (Amendment) Act was registered at the Police Station Special Cell, Delhi. During interrogation, Davar revealed that he received the consignment of illegal arms from Dayal Singh, intending to supply them to one of his contacts in Delhi. Although efforts were made to arrest Dayal Singh, he evaded arrest during the raids conducted at his hideouts in Madhya Pradesh. On April 18, the police received specific information that Singh would come near Sonia Vihar, Delhi, to supply the illegal firearms to one of his contacts. A trap was laid near Sonia Vihar, resulting in the apprehension and arrest of Singh. Three semi-automatic pistols were recovered from his possession. During interrogation, Singh confessed that he had been involved in manufacturing illegal firearms for the last 6-7 years in his native village in Madhya Pradesh. He learned this skill from his ancestors, who had been making these illegal weapons for many years. Singh disclosed that he supplied 20 illegal firearms, which were recovered from the possession of accused Gandh Das Davar in the present case. He further revealed that he made illegal weapons using a furnace located at his residence. The cost of one pistol was around Rs 1,800-2,000, and he sold them for approximately Rs 5,000 each, the police stated. Security Forces Encounter Naxalites in Chhattisgarh, One Killed Father Allegedly Murders Children, Found Dead on Railway Tracks; Mother Seriously Injured BJP's Moradabad Lok Sabha Candidate Kunwar Sarvesh Singh Passes Away
Congress is history, new opposition of clean people will emerge says UP Dy CM Maurya
Congress is history, new opposition of clean people will emerge says UP Dy CM Maurya Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Sunday slammed opposition and said that the challenge named Congress used to be there in history, not at present and in their place, a new opposition consisting of clean people will emerge. The challenge of the name Congress used to be there in history, but not at present. In their place will come a new opposition consisting of clean people. Akhilesh Yadav has scored the boundary of defeats. He lost in 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2022. Now he will also hit six of defeats when he loses in 2024 and 2027. Even after losing so many times, he is still fighting, I admire his courage. People are now busy eliminating the Samajwadi Party and Congress has no importance left in Uttar Pradesh, he said. Further, speaking on the INDIA bloc's 'Ulgulan Rally', Maurya said all the opposition parties do not have anything to show in comparison with the works of the BJP. INDIA alliance started from Karnataka and by the time it reached Mumbai it remained half. Now whatever rally they hold, the BJP government has done such a good job that the opposition is not able to get space. Once upon a time, everyone would have come together against Congress and today the entire opposition has come together against BJP but still cannot stop our victory. The big targets set for 2024-2029 are our strength. Youth power, women power, and farmers are our strength, UP Deputy CM said. Exuding confidence in winning the Lok Sabha elections, Keshav Prasad Maurya said, BJP and our allies will win eight seats in the first phase with a huge margin. Preparations for the second and third phases are going on in full swing and we are confident that BJP will win 80 seats in 2024. Eight seats in western Uttar Pradesh, including Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur, and Saharanpur, went to polls in the first phase of the general elections on Friday. The most populous state, which sends the most members to the Lower House of Parliament, at 80, will poll across all seven phases. In the 2019 elections, turning the arithmetic of the SP-BSP 'Mahagatbandhan' in Uttar Pradesh upside down, the BJP and its ally Apna Dal (S) won 64 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats. The partners in the alliance, Akhilesh Yadav's SP and Mayawati's BSP, could only muster 15 seats. (ANI)
Security Forces Encounter Naxalites in Chhattisgarh, One Killed
Raipur: Chhattisgarh Police reported an encounter with Naxalites in the Keshkutul area of Bhairamgarh, Bijapur district, resulting in the death of one Naxalite. Police confirmed the recovery of weapons from the site. Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Yadav stated that the encounter operations are ongoing, and further details are awaited. This incident follows a recent encounter earlier this week in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district, where 29 Naxals were killed, and three security personnel sustained injuries. Bastar Inspector General of Police (IG) P Sundarraj declared that 71 Naxals have been neutralized since January 2024, marking significant progress in the fight against Naxals. 71 Naxals have been gunned down to date since January 2024. This is one of the major breakthroughs in Chhattisgarh on the Naxal front. The fight against Naxals is at a decisive step. Our endeavor in the future will be to build on what we have accomplished against the Naxalites. Preparations have started to give a new identity to the area and its people, said IG Sundarraj. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai commended the District Reserve Guard and BSF personnel after the encounter in Kanker district, terming it a significant achievement. The operation resulting in the death of 29 Naxals is considered one of the most significant counter-Naxal operations in recent times. Father Allegedly Murders Children, Found Dead on Railway Tracks; Mother Seriously Injured BJP's Moradabad Lok Sabha Candidate Kunwar Sarvesh Singh Passes Away Enhanced Efficiency of Enforcement Directorate under NDA Government, says PM Modi
Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani Flags Off Mahavir Jayanti Yatra in Rajkot
Surat: Vijay Rupani, former Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP leader, flagged off the Mahavir Jayanti Yatra in Rajkot on Sunday and extended his best wishes to everyone. On the auspicious day of Mahavir Jayanti, with all excitement, Jain society across the country celebrates with the principles of Lord Mahavir. I extend my best wishes to everyone, Rupani told the media. Claiming victory for his party in Gujarat, Rupani stated, The environment is heating up as the election is going forward. BJP is ahead in campaigning across the nation, and in Gujarat, 26 out of 26 seats BJP will win, he told the media.Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat's 26 parliamentary constituencies are scheduled to be held on May 7, 2024, in a single phase during the third phase.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah Extend Wishes Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended greetings to the countrymen on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti, stating that the messages of Lord Mahavir are an inspiration for the country in building a developed India.In a post on social media, PM Modi said, On the auspicious occasion of Mahavir Jayanti, my best wishes to all the families of the country. Lord Mahavir's messages related to peace, restraint, and goodwill are an inspiration for the country in building a developed India. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also extended wishes on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti and said that Lord Mahavir's principles of non-violence, truth, non-stealing, celibacy, and non-possession will guide generations.In a post on social media, Amit Shah said, Infinite wishes to everyone on Lord Mahavir Jayanti. Lord Mahavir Ji, the eternal symbol of sacrifice, penance, truth, and non-violence, paved the way for the welfare of the entire human race through his teachings. His Panchsheel principles of non-violence, truth, non-stealing, celibacy, and non-possession will guide generations. Significance of Mahavir Jayanti Mahavir Jayanti is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir, who was given the name of 'Vardhamana' in his childhood. Born in 615 BC in a royal family, Mahavira renounced his princely status at the age of 30 to start his spiritual journey in search of truth and enlightenment. He practiced austerities and meditated for 12 years in a forest to achieve 'Kevala Jnana.' He then propagated the Dharma known as Jainism. The festival of Mahavir Jayanti is celebrated with rituals such as praying at Jain temples, processions, singing hymns adoring Lord Mahavira, fasting to purify the body and soul, charity, cultural programs, and lectures by religious scholars and leaders. Mahavir Jayanti is celebrated to highlight the significance of Jainism in the world, especially in India. The core teachings of Mahavira, including non-violence, non-stealing, chastity, and non-attachment, hold great importance in the world today. Delhi Police Special Cell Arrests Alleged Kingpin of Interstate Firearms Racket BJP's Moradabad Lok Sabha Candidate Kunwar Sarvesh Singh Passes Away Security Forces Encounter Naxalites in Chhattisgarh, One Killed
The BJP had chosen Kunwar Sarvesh Singh as its candidate for Moradabad Lok Sabha consituency. He was a five-time MLA and one-time MP.
Cong against development, stalled canal project, says Shah
JAIPUR/MATHURA: At a rally in Rajasthans Kota, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday sharply criticized the Congress, branding it as anti-development. Shah was in the town to garner support for Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Had the electorate voted for Congress in 2019, Kota would have been a stronghold for the Popular Front of India (PFI), a banned Islamic outfit. However, due to our support for Prime Minister Modi, the PFI influence has been eradicated, said Shah. He accused the former Ashok Gehlot-led government of hindering the states development. The Gehlot government halted the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) for five years. In contrast, the Bhajan Lal administration advanced the ERCP work within just three months. PM Modi is committed to ensuring water in every village through the ERCP, said the minister. He expressed confidence in the BJP sweeping all seats. All 12 seats contested in the state will be won by Narendra Modi, Shah said. Om Birla has won from Kota twice with a margin of over two lakh votes. He faces Congress Pahlad Gunjal, who recently switched from BJP to Congress. Every vote cast for Om Birla in Kota-Bundi directly supports Modi ji, he added. Earlier, Shah attended a Vijay Sankalp Mahasabha in Bhilwara to support BJPs Damodar Agarwal. Sonia Gandhi aims to make her son Rahul Gandhi the PM, while Modi strives to elevate the nation. Congress politicized Ram Lalla for vote banks, neglecting the true sentiment of the people, he said. Addressing another rally in Mathura in support for party candidate Hema Malini for a third term, Shah said the Congress-SP combined was wiped out in the first phase. The voting in Saharanpur, Bijnor, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit seats took place on Friday. Cong failed to protect national security: Yogi UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath conducted a roadshow supporting BJPs CP Joshi from Chittorgarh Lok Sabha constituency. Yogi criticized Congress, saying, During their tenure, terrorists were pampered with biryani. They even questioned Lord Rams existence. Those disrespecting faith and failing to bolster national security shouldnt govern. He also expressed confidence in BJPs victory.
BJP Moradabad candidate, a 5-time MLA, dies day after polling
JP Nadda condoles death of BJP candidate from Moradabad LS seat Sarvesh Kumar Singh
JP Nadda condoles death of BJP candidate from Moradabad LS seat Sarvesh Kumar Singh BJP national president JP Nadda offered his heartfelt condolences to the party's Moradabad candidate, Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar Singh, who passed away on Saturday. In a post on X, JP Nadda said, The news of the demise of senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader, former MP, and our candidate from Moradabad Lok Sabha constituency Kunwar Sarvesh Singh ji is extremely sad. My condolences are with the bereaved family. As a public leader of Uttar Pradesh and Moradabad, your life full of public service and dedication to the society is unforgettable. I pray to God to give strength to the grieving family and give a place to the departed soul on his feet. Om peace! he added in the post. Earlier, speaking to ANI on Saturday, Ritesh Gupta, the sitting BJP MLA from Moradabad, said Kunwar Sarvesh passed away after a heart attack. He was rushed to AIIMS, Delhi, but couldn't be revived, the BJP MLA added. Condoling the demise of the party's Moradabad candidate, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took to his official X handle to post, I am shocked to learn of the demise of our Moradabad candidate and former MP, Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar Singh-ji. This is an irreparable loss for the BJP Parivaar. In this hour of grief, my thoughts and prayers go out to his family members and loved ones. I pray that Prabhu Shri Ram grants eternal peace to the departed soul while giving his family the strength and forbearance to bear this loss. Om Shanti! Kunwar Sarvesh was pitted against Ruchi Veera of the INDIA bloc in the battle for Moradabad, voting for which was concluded on Friday. (ANI)
BJP candidate from Moradabad seat Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar dies
BJP candidate from Moradabad seat Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar dies BJP candidate from Moradabad Lok Sabha seat Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar, who was unwell for some time, died at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Saturday, a senior party leader said. He was 72. Kumar is survived by his wife Sadhna Singh, a son and a daughter. ''Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar has passed away,'' UP BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary told PTI. ''He had some problem in his throat and had an operation. Yesterday, he had gone to AIIMS for a check-up,'' Chaudhary said. Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar was among the 12 candidates in the poll fray from Moradabad parliamentary constituency that went to polls in the first phase on April 19. He won the Moradabad Lok Sabha seat in the 2014 general elections but lost in 2019 to the Samajwadi Party's S T Hasan. He has also been a five-time BJP MLA from the Thakurdwara assembly segment in Moradabad from 1991 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2014. Condoling his death, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in a post in Hindi on X, said, ''I am shocked by the demise of BJP candidate from Moradabad Lok Sabha constituency and former MP Kunwar Sarvesh Singh ji. This is an irreparable loss for the BJP family. My condolences are with the bereaved family.'' ''I pray to Lord Shri Ram to give a place to the departed soul in his feet and provide strength to the bereaved family and their supporters to bear this loss. Om Shanti,'' he said. Both deputy chief ministers --- Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak -- also expressed grief over the death of Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar. In a post in Hindi on X, Maurya said, ''The news of the sudden demise of former MP from Moradabad Lok Sabha constituency and hardworking and popular BJP leader Kunwar Sarvesh Singh ji is extremely sad. His demise is an irreparable loss for the BJP and the political world. I pray to God to give a place to the virtuous soul in his feet and give strength to the grieving followers to bear this sorrow. Om Shanti!'' Pathak expressed shock over the death of the BJP candidate from the Moradabad Lok Sabha seat. ''My condolences are with the bereaved family. May God give peace to the departed soul and strength to the family members. Om Shanti!'' he said. UP BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary and General Secretary (Organization) of UP BJP Dharampal Singh have expressed deep condolence on the demise of Kunwar Sarvesh Singh. In a statement issued from the UP BJP headquarters, Chaudhary said, ''The untimely demise of Kunwar Sarvesh Singh ji, a hard-working leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, a source of inspiration for BJP workers and former MP from Moradabad, is extremely sad and painful.''
Sarvesh Singh was contesting Lok Sabha elections from the Moradabad seat which went into polls in the first phase of elections held on April 19.
First day, first flop show by BJP: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav recently held a joint rally in UP's Amroha. Yadav expressed optimism about the first phase of polling, labeling the BJP's efforts on the first day as a flop. Gandhi highlighted Congress' promises, such as the Mahalakshmi scheme, which he believes will be revolutionary. The alliance has fielded sitting MP Danish Ali for the Amroha seat. BJP's candidate from Moradabad Lok Sabha seat, Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar, passed away at the age of 72 after being unwell for some time.
BJP candidate from UP's Moradabad Kunwar Sarvesh Singh passes away a day after polling
LUCKNOW: In major turn of events, BJP candidate from Moradabad, Kunwar Sarvesh Singh passed away on Saturday. He had not being keeping well for sometime. He breathed his last in Delhi's AIIMS. He was 72. Moradabad had voted in phase -I on Friday and the BJP candidate had cast his vote. As per the initial reports, the demise of the BJP candidate was attributed to a cardiac arrest, however, the official confirmation was yet to land. However, BJP state president Bhupendra Chaudhury confirming Singh's demise, stated that he had a medical condition in his throat and had undergone surgery. He had gone to AIIMS for a follow-up on Friday. Pall of gloom descended in the ruling party camp with the news of Singh's demise. Significantly, Kunwar Sarvesh Singh had been the five-time MLA of the BJP from Thakurdwara assembly segment of Moradabad. He represented the seat in UP assembly in 1991,1993,1996, 2002 and 2012. He was elected MP from Moradabad in 2014 after the seeping saffron wave. However, he failed to retain the seat in 2019 and lost it to Samajwadi party candidate Dr ST Hasan. Condoling his death, UP Chief Minister in a post on X in Hindi said, I am shocked by the demise of BJP candidate from Moradabad Lok Sabha constituency and former MP Kunwar Sarvesh Singh ji. This is an irreparable loss for the BJP family. My condolences are with the bereaved family. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to give a place to the departed soul in his feet and provide strength to the bereaved family and their supporters to bear this loss. Om Shaanti. Yogi Adityanath ( ) (@myogiadityanath) April 20, 2024 Kunwar Saresh Singh's son, Kunwar Sushant Singh is the BJP MLA from Barhapur. As per Moradabad DM Manvendra Singh, the demise of the BJP candidate would not hamper the poll process. The counting of votes of Moradbad would be held as per the schedule on June 4. Only If the BJP candidate wins, bypoll would be held. BJP leader and party's candidate for the Moradabad Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh died on Saturday. Notably, voting on Moradabad seat took place in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday. Kunwar Sarvesh Singh, born on December 23, 1952, was a businessman and strong leader of the party in Uttar Pradesh. He belonged to Ratupura Village of Thakurdwara in Moradbad. His father Raja Rampal was a 4-time MLA of Congress from Thakurdwara and once an MP from Amroha.
Before becoming an MP, Kunwar Sarvesh Singh represented the Thakurdwara assembly seat five times as its MLA.
Day after polls, BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Moradabad Kunwar Sarvesh Singh passes away at 72
BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Moradabad, Kunwar Sarvesh Singh, has passed away at the age of 72 due to a heart attack at Delhi's AIIMS. The voting for the Moradabad constituency took place on Friday during the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed shock at the news, offering condolences to the bereaved family.
Day after polls, BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Moradabad, Kunwar Sarvesh Singh passes away at 72
BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Moradabad, Kunwar Sarvesh Singh, has passed away at the age of 72 due to a heart attack at Delhi's AIIMS. The voting for the Moradabad constituency took place on Friday during the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed shock at the news, offering condolences to the bereaved family.
Day after polling, BJPs Moradabad candidate Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar dies
Voting in Moradabad constituency in Uttar Pradesh took place in the first phase
BJP's Moradabad Candidate Sarvesh Singh Dies A Day After UP Constituency Went To Polls
BJP's Moradabad candidate Sarvesh Singh, who was undergoing treatment in Delhi, died a day after his Uttar Pradesh constituency went to polls in phase one of general elections.
A day after polling for Moradabad LS seat, BJP candidate dies of heart attack, CM Yogi reacts
The News Mill
BJP candidate from UP's Moradabad Kunwar Sarvesh Singh dies
BJP candidate from UPs Moradabad Kunwar Sarvesh Singh dies
Congress-SP combine wiped out in first phase: Amit Shah in Mathura
Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that the Congress-SP combine was defeated in the first phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh. Polling was held for eight seats, including Saharanpur, Bijnor, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Nagina (reserved), Moradabad, Rampur, and Pilibhit. Speaking at an election rally in support of BJP candidate Hema Malini in Vrindavan, Shah asserted that Congress and SP were wiped out in the first phase. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav claimed a change in the state's atmosphere, stating that people had rejected the BJP after the initial polling.
First day, First show and the polling begins
The first round of 7-phase parliamentary polls was held across 21 states, with sporadic incidents of violence being reported from Manipur and West Bengal. In the biggest round of the elections, all 39 seats of Tamil Nadu, 12 of Rajasthan and 8 of Uttar Pradesh went to polls. With PM Modi eyeing a third term in office, the BJP hopes to win 22 of the 25 seats in Northeast, hold on to its 2019 tally in the Hindi heartland and Maharashtra and better its show in West Bengal as well as in the South. The Opposition INDIA bloc insists that it will do well across the country, especially in the saffron bastion of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar this time. The counting of votes will take place on June 4 Rajasthan: Total seats - 25 1st phase - 12 It was subdued enthusiasm among voters in 12 seats. Voting was largely peaceful in most constituencies, though some witnessed sporadic clashes. In Kuchera, Nagaur, one of the hot seats, supporters of BJP candidate Jyoti Mirdha and INDIA Alliance candidate Hanuman Beniwal of RLP clashed with each others, injuring Tejpal Mirdha, the chairman of Kuchera municipality. Nagour is a Jat-dominated seat. In another hot seat of Jhunjhunu in the Shekhawati region, BJP candidate Shubhakaran Chaudhary fought with security personnel and in Churu, an MLA was involved in altercation with a policeman Uttar pradesh: Total seats - 80 1st phase - 8 The overall turnout seemed to be lower than the 2019 elections. The eight constituencies which went to the polls included Saharanpur (63.29%),Pilibhit (60.2%), Kairana (58.68%), Nagina (SC) (58.05%), Moradabad (57.65%), Muzaffarnagar (54.91), Bijnor (54.68%), Rampur (52.42%). No major incident was reported during the polling. Last time, a turnout of 66.47% was recorded in the eight constituencies. Overall turnout in Uttar Pradesh during 2019 was 59.21%. In the Neuria area of the district, villagers said they would not vote as they are peeved at man-animal conflict Bihar: Total seats - 40 4 A low turnout of 48.23% was recorded in four constituencies where 38 candidates were in the fray. In 2019, 53.47% voters had exercised their franchise. Gaya has the highest 14 candidates in the fray. There is a decrease of around 5.24% of turnout in 2024. According to chief electoral officer H R Srinivasa, Gaya (SC) recorded the highest 52% turnout, Jamui (SC) and Aurangabad 50% each. In Nawada, only 41.50% voters exercised their franchise. In 2019, Aurangabad had recorded 53.63% turnout, Gaya 56.16 %, Nawada 49.33% and Jamui 55.21%. Voters called for poll boycott in six stations, there was no report of clashes or violence though, according to Srinivasa. WEST BENGAL: Total seats - 42 1st phase - 3 Sporadic incidents of violence marred the first phase, with TMC and BJP workers clashing in Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri. Three reserved seatsJalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Beharin North Bengal went to polls. The TMC and the BJP lodged 80 and 39 complaints, respectively, related to violence, voter intimidation, and assaults on poll agents in Cooch Behar and Alipurduar. Union MoS Nisith Pramanik is contesting from Cooch Behar. TMC leader Udayan Guha said that the BJP, along with central forces, unleashed a reign of terror to rig the elections. The BJP, however, denied the allegations. chhattisgarh: Total seats - 11 1st phase - 1 The voters defied the Maoist threat, as the encouraging turnout eclipsed the terror that haunted Bastar zone ahead of the polling. A CRPF personnel, Devendra kumar, was killed in an IED blast at Usoor in an edgy district of Bijapur during an area domination operation. He died of his injuries while on the way to Raipur in a chopper. In the same district, an assistant commandant of CRPF was injured during a poll-related duty at Bhairamgarh. Barring the two incidents, the polling across Bastar remained peaceful. For the first time, 102 new polling stations were set up for the convenience of voters. Madhya Pradesh: Total seats - 29 1st phase - 6 Six constituencies recorded around 67% turnout till 6.30 pm and the figure is likely to go up. The six seats had registered 75.23% polling in. The high-profile Chhindwara seat (where ex-CM Kamal Naths MP son Nakul Nath took on BJPs Vivek Sahu) stood on top in terms of poll percentage with 78.67% as shared by chief electoral officer Anupam Rajan. Another key constituency Mandla-ST (where sixth-time BJP MP and Union minister Faggan Singh Kulaste was pitted against ex-minister and fourth-time Congress MLA Omkar Markam) reported 72.92% polling. The Maoist-hit Balaghat seat reported 72.60% polling Jammu & Kashmir: Total seats - 5 1st phase - 1 For the first-time in over three decades, residents at the International Border in Hira Nagar sector of Kathua district exercised their right to vote for the Udhampur seat without any fear or threat of cross-border firing. It was the first major electoral exercise in J&K since the abrogration of Article 370 and bifurcation of erstwhile J&K state into two Union Territories. People men, women, including young and old thronged at the polling station in Kadyala village close to International Border. India and Pakistan on February 24, 2021, announced to strictly uphold the November 2003 border ceasefire pact between the troops of two countries. Residents said due to the ceasefire, more people have come to vote in this election UTTARAKHAND 5 5 Despite clear weather and relatively low temperature, the turnout was below expectation. Villagers of Jalal in Nainital and Tehri parliamentary constituency boycotted the election for lack of infrastructure, posing risks to their travel and safety. Newlywed couples, dressed in their wedding attire, arrived at several polling stations to cast their votes. However, around 350 were not able to vote on polling day due to wedding ceremonies. Bhagwan Singh, father of the groom from village Chhedi in Srinagar, expressed regret for not being able to vote on polling day due to clash over marriage date Maharashtra: Total seats - 48 1st phase - 5 Voting for the five seats took place without untoward events in Maharashtra. The voting began on a slow pace due to the scorching heat in the Vidarbha region. The tribal and Naxalite district of Gadchiroli witnessed the highest turnout at 64.95%, while Nagpur reported lowest at 47.91% till 5pm. In Ramtek-SC seat, 53.38% turnout was reported, 56.87% in BhandaraGondia and 55.11% in Chandrapur seat. To avoid technical snags cropping up in EVMs in the remote polling booths in Gadchiroli, three spare EVMs were dispatched by a helicopter to the Sironcha area of the district, said an official. Manipur: Total seats - 2 1st phase - 2 Sporadic incidents of gunfire and intimidation of voters as well as Congress workers by armed miscreants marred Lok Sabha elections in ethnic violence-hit Manipur on Friday. The turnout was 72.32% in the Inner Manipur seat and 61.98% in Outer Manipur. The violence occurred in places falling under the Inner Manipur seat which straddles the Meitei-majority Imphal Valley. The armed men fired several rounds outside a polling station at Thamnapokpi in Bishnupur district. Three persons were reportedly injured.The voters and the Congress polling agents were intimidated by the armed miscreants Tamil Nadu: Total seats - 39 1st phase - 39 The polling began at 7am amid tight security in most of the 39 constituencies. Argument broke out between voters and officials in some polling stations as authorities did not allow people to carry their smartphones/mobiles inside the booths. People belonging to Parandhur village with over 1,000 voters near Sriperumbudur did not turn up to vote till 9.30 am. Around 1,000 voters of Ennore who had called for boycott of the election over the ammonia gas leak incident at Ennore Creek withdrew their decision and decided to vote Puducherry: Total seats - 1 1st phase - 1 The Union Territory gets to elect their lone representative to the Lok Sabha. A visit to some of the polling stations in rural areas brought to the fore a mixed picture. Pink booths were the centre of attraction. The green environment at a booth housed on the premises of the more-than-century-old VOC Government Boys school in the town added to the lustre of the arrangements. Gruel, nutritious cereals, millets and buttermilk were given to the voters Lakshadweep: Total seats - 1 1st phase - 1 Nearly 60% voter turnout was recorded until 5pm in the Lakshadweep constituency spanning across 10 inhabited islands of the Lakshadweep Archipelago, with an electorate of 57,784, as per data shared by the Election Commission. Out of this total, 28,506 are women. The polling began at 7.30am across the 10 inhabited islands and concluded at 6.30 pm. An official said that the figures provided are preliminary, as voters who were in line by this deadline were given the opportunity to cast their votes Andaman & Nicobar islands: Total seats - 1 1st phase - 1 Around 3,15,148 voters in Andaman and Nicobar Islands have exercised their franchise till 3pm for the lone Lok Sabha seat in the Union Territory. Seven members of the Shompen tribe, a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTGs) of the Great Nicobar Islands, on Friday exercised their voting rights for the first time, an election official said. Other two primitive tribes, too, exercised their voting rights like in 2019, the CEO said Arunachal Pradesh: Total seats - 2 1st phase - 2 The unique Malogam polling station in Anjaw district of the state recorded cent per cent polling with the lone female voter, exercising her constitutional right on Friday, officials said. Supporters of two candidates clashed at the Bameng Assembly constituency in East Kameng. Irate mobs damaged EVMs in polling stations elsewhere in the state. Miscreants tried to snatch EVMs in three polling stations in the Nacho constituency in Upper Subansiri and in one in Kurung Kumey district, where polling was also suspended Assam: Total seats - 14 1st phase - 5 Long queues were seen outside booths since morning as polling was underway for five constituencies. Poling began at 7 am in Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur and Kaziranga seats, and 86.5 lakh voters are eligible to vote. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal of BJP and Congresss deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi were among those who cast their votes in the first hour Meghalaya: Total seats - 2 1st phase - 2 Voters at numerous polling stations were seen queuing up as early as 6 am, underscoring their enthusiasm to participate in the electoral process. The first five voters were rewarded with mementoes and first-time voters were also felicitated. Voters in a model polling station planted trees after casting their votes. Polling was being held at 3,512 polling stations in which 10 candidates are in the fray Mizoram: Total seats - 1 1st phase - 1 At least 6,500 polling personnel, over 3,500 policemen and 12 companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) have been deployed for the polls in the state. All international borders and inter-state borders have been sealed to ensure peaceful elections, a senior police officer said. Although there are six contenders, it is believed that the fight will be mainly among ZPM, MNF and Congress Nagaland: Total seats - 1 1st phase - 1 Polling personnel in six eastern districts of Nagaland waited for nine hours in booths, but not one of the four lakh voters of the region turned up following a shutdown call given by an organisation to press for its demand for Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT). Of the 13.25 lakh voters in Nagaland, 50.41 per cent have exercised their franchise, the officials said. Nagaland Governor La. Ganesan exercised his franchise at Model Polling Station Sikkim: Total seats - 1 1st phase - 1 Over 50% of the 4.64 lakh voters in Sikkim exercised their franchise in the 32 Assembly seats and in the lone Lok Sabha constituency till 3 pm on Friday, an official said. Thirteen companies of CAPF have been deployed in Sikkim, of which five companies are from ITBP and eight from SSB, he added. Former Indian Football captain and SDF vice president Bhaichung Bhutia who is contesting from Barfung (BL) assembly seat voted Tripura: Total seats - 2 1st phase - 1 The opposition Congress and CPM alleged that largescale rigging in several places across the constituency, with the Election Commission saying that it received some complaints and was looking into those. In the bypolls to the Ramnagar assembly seat, which was being held simultaneously, a turnout of 56.68% was recorded. Altogether 14.61 lakh people are eligible to vote in this phase of Lok Sabha polls in Tripura
Rae Bareli: BJP may field Varun against Priyanka
New Delhi: With the possibility of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi contesting from the Gandhi bastion, Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, saffron corridors are abuzz with speculations that the BJP could field Varun Gandhi from this high-profile seat. The BJP had replaced Varun Gandhi with Jitin Prasada from the Pilibhit Lok Sabha constituency. After his replacement, talks of parleys between Varun Gandhi and Congress emerged, with some claiming that Congress was considering fielding him from Rae Bareli. However, sources close to Varun Gandhi revealed that the top BJP leadership was now contemplating making it a Gandhi vs Gandhi battle in Rae Bareli. When asked, BJP officials remained tight-lipped on the issue. It may be recalled that recently, the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee and Rae Bareli Congress passed resolutions stating that the party should field Priyanka or any other member of the Gandhi family from Rae Bareli. Reports from UP indicated that some top Congress leaders, including Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, rooted for Varun Gandhi. We will be happy if Varun Gandhi joins Congress. He is a tall leader and a well-educated politician. His image exudes transparency, and he has relations with the Gandhi family. We want Varun Gandhi to join the Congress now, Chowdhury told the media. Meanwhile, as the BJP replaced Varun Gandhi, the party fielded his mother, Maneka Gandhi, from Sultanpur. While polling in Bareli is slated for May 20, Sultanpur will vote on May 25. Polling in the Pilibhit Lok Sabha constituency was held today. It was learned that the party began sidelining Varun Gandhi following his alleged anti-party stand on various issues. In 2021, going against the party line, Varun Gandhi demanded the arrest of the perpetrators in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, where farmers agitating against the contentious farm laws were mowed down by a vehicle driven by BJP leader and Union minister Ajay Mishra's son. He also clashed with the Yogi government in UP following the suspension of the licence of Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Amethi. There had also been an influential section in the BJP targeting Gandhi, sources revealed. This particular section mounted pressure on the BJP high command to drop Gandhi and replace him with any other candidate. Jitin Prasada, who was seeking to contest from Kheri, was brought in by the party to contest from Pilibhit. Earlier, breaking her silence on her son being dropped by the party, Maneka Gandhi had said, He (Varun Gandhi) was a very good MP, even issue-wise and for his constituency. But I am sure whatever he does will be good for the country. As polling for the first phase kicked off this morning, a section of BJP leaders indicated that this particular phase could be tricky for the BJP in UP. It may be recalled that of the eight seats that went to polls on Friday, the BJP had won only three during the last general elections, namely Pilibhit, Kairana, and Muzaffarnagar. Samajwadi Party had won Moradabad and Rampur.
Lok Sabha elections: Data shows over 55 pc voting at all 8 seats in Uttar Pradesh
Lok Sabha elections: Data shows over 55 pc voting at all 8 seats in Uttar Pradesh A total of 57.90 per cent voter turnout was recorded in all eight parliamentary constituencies of western Uttar Pradesh, where voting was held on Friday in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election, according to the Election Commission of India. A total of 80 candidates--73 men and seven women--are contesting in the first phase in the state. According to the ECI, Saharanpur recorded 63.29 per cent of voter turnout while Rampur recorded 52.42 per cent, Muzaffarnagar recorded 54.91 per cent and Pilibhit recorded 60.23 per cent. Today, the first phase of elections was held peacefully in eight Lok Sabha constituencies. At most places, voting began at 7 am and concluded by 6 pm but at some places, voting is still going on. According to information received till 5 pm, the average voting percentage in Uttar Pradesh is 67.54 per cent, Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa said. He also said that the state poll body office also received complaints from various political parties and candidates of malfunctioning of EVMs through emails. Complaints of malfunctioning EVMs were received from various political parties and candidates through various mediums, mainly through emails. All the complaints were promptly sent to the districts. There was no incident of violence anywhere, there was a minor scuffle between two parties outside a booth, but prompt action was taken by the police there, he added. The voter turnout in Bijnor was recorded at 54.68 per cent, Kairana at 60.39 per cent, Moradabad at 58.25 per cent, Nagina at 59.17 per cent. Voting for phases two will be held on April 19 and April 26. Next, the state will once again poll in phases three and four on May 7 and May 13. (ANI)
Who Is Isha Arora? Saharanpur Polling Agent Goes Viral; Know All About Her
A total of 21 states are voting today in the first phase of the Lok Sabha Elections. Let us inform you that, of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, voting is being conducted on 8 of those seats in the first round - Saharanpur, Pilibhit, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, and Rampur. Ahead of the voting, a polling official has gone viral for her looks and opinion for the elections.
List of Uttar Pradesh MPs representing Lok Sabha phase 1 seats
Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs to the Lok Sabha, is witnessing polling on eight seats in the first phase of the general elections, which is being held on Friday. These constituencies include Pilibhit, Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, and Rampur. List of MPs of Uttar Pradesh Phase 1 Lok Sabha Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .
102 LS Seats in 21 States Vote Today
NEW DELHI: In another few hours, the curtain will finally lift from the Lok Sabha battleground for 2024. One hundred and two Lok Sabha seats across 21 states and Union territories will go to the polls in the first phase Friday. During the last general election, the Opposition had won 45 of these 102 Lok Sabha seats, while the BJP-led NDA had won 41. With 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry, the largest number of seats which will vote in the first phase is from South India. In 2019, the DMK-led alliance won 39 of the 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Armed with the potent arsenal of Lord Ram, Sanatan Dharma, the Citizenship Amendment Act and the unyielding promise of Modis guarantees, the BJP aims to unsettle its main rival, the I.N.D.I.A. bloc. With rising unemployment, inflation, communal tension, caste census and the farmers agitation emerging as the frontline battlegrounds, the I.N.D.I.A. bloc is all set to engage its adversaries head-on. There are a few wrinkles on the saffron forehead as the 2024 CSDS-Lokniti pre-poll survey indicated that unemployment and price rise remained the main concern of the electorate. As the BJP sought to emphasise issues like the inauguration of the Ram temple and went into a high decibel campaign on Sanatan Dharma, these issues failed to click with voters in comparison to livelihood concerns. Regardless, the survey indicated that the BJP and its allies have a comfortable 12 per cent lead over the I.N.D.I.A. bloc. Meanwhile, all eyes are on Tamil Nadu where the BJP is desperate to open its account. Besides the charisma and popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP is also banking heavily on its newfound Tamil star and state unit chief, former IPS officer K. Annamalai, his constituency Coimbatore will be going to the polls on Friday. His seven-month long En Mann, En Makkal (My land, my people) padayatra culminated in a rally attended by the Prime Minister. In Coimbatore, Annamalai is locked in a triangular fight with the DMK and AIADMK. In Tamil Nadu, the BJP led by Modi had been repeatedly hitting out at the DMK leaders for insulting Sanatan Dharma. Under Annamalai in Tamil Nadu, the BJP is contesting 23 seats on its own, a departure from its approach to contest as an ally. Speaking to this newspaper, a senior BJP leader sounded somewhat cynical. He argued: The BJP has no traditional vote bank in Tamil Nadu. We only gained when the party aligned with the Dravidian players. It was further argued that Tamil Nadu might not positively respond to the BJPs call for one language, one nation, one poll. Tamil Nadus electoral dynamics are crucial for the BJP's broader electoral objectives, whether it aims to retain its current seats or make significant gains towards achieving a landmark majority in the Lok Sabha. Of its 80 Lok Sabha seats, the first phase of polling will be held in eight seats in Uttar Pradesh. The state which has often been electorally viewed as the gateway to Delhi, will be involved in all seven phases of the general election. It may be recalled that of the eight seats voting on Friday, the BJP had managed to win only three in the last general election. These were Pilibhit, Kairana and Muzaffarnagar. The Samajwadi Party had won Moradabad and Rampur. The Bahujan Samaj Party won Saharanpur, Bijor and Nagina. Of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan, polling in the first phase will be held in 12 seats. Securing 24 of 25 seats, it was a clean sweep for the BJP in the desert state during the last general election. Even as the BJP is banking on religion and the CAA to woo the voters, the Opposition is stoking the fire of farmers protests, which it believes is simmering in the desert state. Of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, polling will be held in five seats on Friday. In the fray will be Union minister Nitin Gadkari' on his home turf Nagpur. Given the context of the intense political manipulation in the state, the situation may become tricky for the BJP. During the last general election, it had won 23 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats. Its ally, the Shiv Sena (before the split), secured 18 seats. Sources revealed that in the case of the Uddhav Thackery-led Shiv Sena, the fallout with the BJP and subsequent political maneuvering to oust it, could potentially elicit sympathy from certain sections of voters. Unemployment has also emerged as a major electoral issue in the state, a Congress leader claimed. Other states and union territories going to polls in the first phase include: Madhya Pradesh (6) Bihar (4), Assam (5),Uttarakhand (5), West Bengal (3), Chhattisgarh (1), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Manipur (2), Meghalaya (2), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Sikkim (1), Tripura (1), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Jammu and Kashmir (1), Lakshadweep (1) and Puducherry (1).
Lok Sabha election: Stage set for close contest in western Uttar Pradesh
All three main parties face challenges in this region owing to the sizable presence of Muslims, Scheduled Castes (SCs) and other backward classes (OBCs) across the eight Lok Sabha seats Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit which will go to the polls in the first phase on April 19.
Lok Sabha election: Stage set for close contest in western Uttar Pradesh
All three main parties face challenges in this region owing to the sizable presence of Muslims, Scheduled Castes (SCs) and other backward classes (OBCs) across the eight Lok Sabha seats Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit which will go to the polls in the first phase on April 19.
Lok Sabha elections: Keen contest on the cards as eight seats in western UP vote in Phase-I
LUCKNOW: The battle lines have been formally drawn in Uttar Pradesh for the high stakes Lok Sabha election with eight seats in the western region of the state set to vote in Phase-I on Friday. A total of 80 candidates are in the fray and 1.44 crore voters are set to decide their fate. Of the eight seats, the BJP had lost five Saharanpur, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad and Rampur in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when the SP, BSP and RLD were contesting in a grand alliance. The saffron outfit had to be satisfied with Kairana, Muzaffarnagar and Pilibhit. While Saharanpur, Bijnor and Nagina (SC) were won by the BSP, the SP had emerged victorious in Moradabad and Rampur. This time, while the BJP has accomplished a big strategic victory by winning over the Jayant Chaudhury-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), which has a strong influence on the Jat vote, the Congress and SP have joined hands in the INDIA bloc and the Mayawati-led BSP is going it alone. As per the Congress-SP seat-sharing arrangement, the Congress will contest only one seat -- Saharanpur -- of the eight in the first phase, with the SP contesting the remaining seven. While the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is relying on the popularity of PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath in UP and beyond, improved law and order, beneficiaries of welfare schemes besides the consecration of Ram Lalla in his abode in Ayodhya, the SP has been harping on caste census while pitching for the Pichhda (OBC) Dalit (SC) Alpsankhyak (Muslim) narrative. Yogis new slogan: 80 banega aadhaar, NDA 400 paar... On the other hand, the Congress is looking for a revival in the state where it has been reduced to a non-entity. Across all eight seats set to vote on Friday, Muslims, Dalits and OBC (primarily Jats, Gurjar and Sainis) hold a sizable presence. However, some of the most watched-out contests would be in Pilibhit where the Gandhis Varun and mother Maneka are not in the scene for the first time since 1989 and the saffron party has pinned its hopes on Jitin Prasada against the SPs Bhagwat Saran Gangwar, a five-time MLA from Nawabganj assembly seat in Bareilly. The BSP, on the other hand, has fielded Anees Ahmad Khan, aka Phool Babu, a three-time MLA from Bisalpur. The BJP is finding it tough to sail through in Muzaffarnagar, the sugar bowl of UP, where its sitting MP and union minister Sanjiv Baliyan, is seeking a straight third term. With the RLD becoming part of the BJP-led NDA, all eyes will be on the challenge thrown by the SPs Harendra Malik, a Jat. The BSP has fielded Dara Singh Prajapati, an OBC, who could potentially consolidate both the OBC and Dalit vote. In Kairana, the BJPs sitting MP Pradeep Chaudhary, a Gurjar, is facing a stiff challenge from SPs Ikra Hasan, sister of SP MLA Nahid Hasan. The BSP has fielded Sripal Singh -- a Thakur -- in what is being perceived as a move to nudge the BJP in the west UP region. In 2019, Chaudhary had defeated Ikras mother Tabassum Begum. Polarisation seems to be the high point in Kairana. On what basis is BJP claiming 400 seats: Priyanka Gandhi smells a rat in NDA slogan In Rampur, another interesting contest is in the offing. Touted to be a pocket borough of senior SP leader and 10-time lawmaker Azam Khan, Rampur was wrested by the BJP in the 2022 by-polls necessitated after Azam vacated the seat following his election to the UP assembly. BJP candidate Ghanshyam Lodhi, the sitting MP, is now pitched against the SPs Mualana Mohibullah Nadvi and BSPs Zeeshan Khan who is reported to be invoking Azam and his legacy while campaigning. In Saharanpur, the contest is expected to be intense, with BJPs Raghav Lakhan Pal Sharma, Congresss Imran Masood and BSPs Majid Ali in the fray. This time, the BSP has replaced Fazlur Rehman, its sitting MP, with Majid Ali. Moradabad, the brass city, is also set for an interesting contest as the SP has replaced sitting MP ST Hasan with Ruchi Veera against the BJPs Kunwar Sarvesh Singh. The BSP has fielded Irfan Saifi, who could potentially eat into the Muslim vote bank of the SP. In Bijnor, the RLDs Chandan Chauhan, a Gurjar, is pitched against the SPs Deepak Saini. In 2019, the seat was won by the BSPs Malook Nagar who is now in the RLD. The BSP has fielded Chaudhary Vijendra Singh, a Jat. In Nagina reserved seat, the BJP has fielded its sitting MLA Om Kumar, who will be up against the SPs Manoj Kumar, a former district judge. The seat was won by the BSPs Girish Chandra in 2019. This time, the BSP has fielded Surendra Pal Singh. Moreover, Azad Samaj Party chief Chandra Shekhar Azad too is contesting from here.
8 LS seats in western UP to go to polls on Friday
8 LS seats in western UP to go to polls on Friday The voters of eight Lok Sabha constituencies in western Uttar Pradesh, falling in the Jat and sugarcane belt, are set to exercise their constitutional right as polling for the first phase of the seven-phase parliamentary election begins on Friday. The seats going to polls on Friday are Saharanpur, Bijnor, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Nagina (reserved for Scheduled Castes), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit. The seats are located in nine districts of western Uttar Pradesh. The poll campaign for the first phase ended on Wednesday evening. Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said no campaign-related activity by candidates is allowed in these eight constituencies now and the final preparations for polling are on. The stage is set for a three-cornered poll contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Employment, education and development are among the leading issues for the voters in these constituencies. While the BJP has pitched its campaign on development and the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the opposition leaders have raised the issues of farm bills and unemployment in the region. According to poll officials, the presence of the workers of all political parties has been restricted in these constituencies with the conclusion of the campaign. ''Flying squads, excise teams, static surveillance teams and the District Control Room are active in these constituencies,'' an officer said. A total of 14,849 polling booths and 7,689 polling centres have been set up for the first phase of voting. According to information provided by the Uttar Pradesh Police headquarters, 6,018 inspectors and sub-inspectors, 35,750 constables and 24,992 home guard personnel, along with 60 companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and 220 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed. A total of 80 candidates -- 73 men and seven women -- are in the fray in the first phase of polling. According to the Election Commission (EC), 1.43 crore people are eligible to cast their votes in the first phase. Of them, 76.23 lakh are men, 67.14 lakh women and 824 are transgender persons. According to data compiled by political parties, Muslim voters account for 35 to 50 per cent of the electorate in these constituencies. Twelve candidates are in the fray from Moradabad, 14 from Kairana, 11 each from Muzaffarnagar and Bijnor, 10 each from Saharanpur and Pilibhit and six each from Nagina and Rampur. The BJP has joined hands with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and the SP has allied with the Congress for the election, while the BSP has decided to go solo. The poll campaign was launched in the region by Prime Minister Naredra Modi with a massive rally on March 31. On April 9, Modi held his second rally in Pilibhit, where the BJP has fielded Jitin Prasada, neglecting two-time member of Parliament Varun Gandhi. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has addressed more than 20 rallies in the constituencies going to polls in the first phase. SP president and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has addressed rallies in Pilibhit, Bijnor, Muzaffarnagar, Moradabad and Nagina while BSP supremo Mayawati, also a former chief minister, and her nephew Akash Anand have addressed several election meetings. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra held a roadshow in Saharanpur on Wednesday, garnering support for Imran Masood, who is in the fray as the INDIA opposition bloc candidate. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP bagged Muzaffarnagar, Kairana and Pilibhit, while the SP emerged victorious in Moradabad and Rampur, and the BSP in Saharanpur, Nagina and Bijnor. Subsequently, the BJP wrested back Rampur in a bypoll. Prominent candidates in this phase are Prasada from Pilibhit, Union minister Sanjeev Balyan from Muzaffarnagar and Azad Samaj Party chief Chandra Shekhar Azad from Nagina. The SP's Muslim face in Rampur, Azam Khan, is conspicuous by his absence in the constituency as he is lodged in a jail in Sitapur.
UP Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Phase 1: Uttar Pradesh prepares for its first phase of Lok Sabha elections on April 19, covering eight key constituencies out of the total 80 constituencies. These include Pilibhit, Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, and Rampur, with intense competition among candidates from various alliances.
Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Campaigning ends for first phase in 102 seats
NEW DELHI: Campaigning for 102 parliamentary constituencies distributed across 21 states and Union territories, where voting will be held in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19, concluded on Wednesday. In the first phase, polling will be held in Arunachal Pradesh (2 seats), Assam (5), Bihar (4), Chhattisgarh (1), Madhya Pradesh (6), Maharashtra (5), Manipur (2), Meghalaya (2), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Rajasthan (12), Sikkim (1), Tamil Nadu (39), Tripura (1), Uttar Pradesh (8), Uttarakhand (5), West Bengal (3), Andaman and Nicobar (1), Jammu and Kashmir (1), Lakshadweep (1) and Puducherry (1). Campaigning for the first phase of polling on April 19 in Uttar Pradesh concluded Wednesday evening, with candidates closing up their campaigns for eight parliamentary seats. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, both members of the opposition's INDIA bloc, held rallies in Saharanpur and Moradabad on the final day of the campaign. On what basis is BJP claiming 400 seats: Priyanka Gandhi smells a rat in NDA slogan The seats going to the polls in the first phase on Friday are Saharanpur, Bijnor, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur, and Pilibhit. Likewise, campaigning drew to a close in Uttarakhand at 5 pm this evening, Chief Electoral Officer B VRC Purushottam said. Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in a roadshow in Haldwani on the last day of the election campaign, earlier on Wednesday. After winning all five seats in Uttarakhand in the 2014 and 2019 general elections, the BJP is attempting to retain them for a third term. Six personnel for four voters -- a unique polling booth in Uttarakhand Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the BJP's campaign, built around the development plank, in Madhya Pradesh for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections that ended on Wednesday. With the first phase scheduled for April 19, the fate of 88 candidates contesting six seats in the MP will be sealed by voters. As TN gears up to vote, poll boycott decisions in the Vengaivayals of the state fail to draw attention In Maharashtra, campaigning for Lok Sabha elections came to an end in five constituencies of the Vidarbha region on Wednesday evening. Polling will be held in the constituencies of Nagpur, Ramtek, Bhandara-Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli in the first phase on April 19. The campaigning in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur parliamentary constituency ended on Wednesday evening. It is witnessing its first major electoral battle since the abrogation of Article 370. The polling is slated for the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat in the first phase on April 19 and will decide the fate of 12 contestants. Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Commissioner Saloni Rai said, On April 17 at 6 pm, we suspended all election-related campaigning, and political parties have been directed to not hold campaigning, roadshows, or canvassing other than door-to-door campaigning. Section 144 is also imposed. Flying squad and static surveillance teams have been deployed. Our main objective is a free and fair and inducement-free election, said Rai. Asaduddin Owaisi's Uttar Pradesh gambit and why it has left the BJP chuckling in delight Meanwhile, campaigning for three Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal - Cooch Behar (SC), Jalpaiguri (SC) and Alipurduars (ST) -- going to polls in the first phase on April 19 came to an end at 6 PM on Wednesday. Altogether 14 candidates, including sitting MP and Union minister Nisith Pramanik, are contesting the parliamentary elections from Cooch Behar. Verbal exchanges between main rivals Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress over issues such as corruption, poverty, and pre-poll promises dominated the campaigning for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Chhattisgarh, which concluded on Wednesday evening. Naxal-affected Bastar is the only seat among the 11 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state that will vote in the first phase on April 19, an exercise that will take place in the shadow of the major counter-insurgency operation in Kanker district on April 16. In Mizoram, the campaigning for the lone Lok Sabha seat ended on Wednesday with political parties making last ditch efforts to sweep the voters. Campaigning for the April 19 simultaneous polls in Arunachal Pradesh came to an end on Wednesday evening, setting the stage to elect two Lok Sabha MPs and 50 lawmakers for the state assembly. The BJP has already opened its account by securing 10 seats in the assembly in Arunachal. Campaigning for five Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam, which are due to go for polling on April 19, including the high-profile constituency of Dibrugarh, ended on Wednesday. Congress gave problems to Northeast, BJP made it a source of possibilities: PM Modi in Assam The Lok Sabha poll campaigning for 2024, for the first phase of elections, ended at 5 pm on the five Lok Sabha seats in Assam, including the high-profile seat of Dibrugarh, where Union Minister and former Chief Minister of Assam are contesting. The voting for the Lok Sabha election in the first phase is to be held across 21 states in 102 seats, including five seats in Upper Assam. The campaign for the Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency and the Ramnagar Assembly constituency by-poll also ended at 5 pm on Wednesday. Modi says Congress 'loot' policy would have led to Rs 5,000 mobile bills in northeast All preparations, including security arrangements, have been made for the polling to be held on April 19, an election department official said. Rallies, public meetings and roadshows marked the two-week-long high-decibel campaign. In the meantime, speaking on the preparations for Lok Sabha elections in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, South Andaman SP Niharika Bhatt says, The election campaign will be banned from 6 PM today and no political gathering or street processions will be allowed, that's called the 'Silent' period. Only door-to-door campaigning will be allowed and that too without speakers. DC has also given orders regarding Section 144 to maintain law and order. Voting will start at 7 in the morning on April 19 and go until 6 p.m. A few pink polling booths have been established where all the officials will be women, said the official. The 2024 general elections will be held in India in seven phases, from April 19 to June 1, to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha. The results will be announced on June 4. From backroom boys to consultants: Poll strategists turn campaign makers in India's political war rooms
Campaigning ends for first phase of Lok Sabha polls in 102 seats
Campaigning ends for first phase of Lok Sabha polls in 102 seats Campaigning ended Wednesday evening for 102 Lok Sabha seats across 21 states and Union territories which will go to polls in the first phase on April 19 with top leaders of the BJP-led NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc making a last-gasp effort to woo voters. Leading the charge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took whirlwind tours of various constituencies in the past few days, addressing rallies and holding roadshows, and asserting that he went to people with hope in 2014, trust in 2019 and guarantee in 2024. Many times he said there is ''Modi's guarantee across the country and I am giving the guarantee of fulfilling all these guarantees''. Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and several of their cabinet colleagues, leaders of the Congress such as Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, and other parties also canvassed for their candidates. The BJP has come out all guns blazing at the INDIA bloc over corruption, dynasty politics and insulting the Constitution and Hinduism. The Opposition leaders, in turn, have attacked the government over electoral bonds, alleged misuse of agencies, inflation and unemployment among other issues. The BJP in its manifesto prioritised development and welfare while shunning populist measures and contentious issues like the NRC. Named ''Modi ki Guarantee'', the manifesto largely built on the government's existing welfare schemes targeted at different sections of society, while reiterating the BJP's commitment to roll out one-nation-one-election and Uniform Civil Code, two issues mentioned in its 2019 manifesto too. In its 45-page manifesto titled 'Nyay Patra', the Congress focussed on five ''pillars of justice'' and 25 guarantees under them. Right to apprenticeship, a legal guarantee for MSP, passing a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs, a nation-wide caste census and scrapping of Agnipath scheme are among the promises made by the party in the manifesto. Modi, however, lambasted the Congress manifesto saying it carries the imprint of the Muslim League with ''every page reeking of breaking India''. Eight Union ministers - Nitin Gadkari, Kiren Rijiju, Sarbanada Sonowal, Sanjeev Baliyan, Jitendra Singh, Bhupendra Yadav, Arjun Ram Meghwal and L Murugan, two former chief ministers - Biplab Kumar Deb (Tripura) and Nabam Tuki (Arunachal Pradesh), and former governor Tamilisai Soundararajan (Telangana) are among those in fray. In 2019, the UPA had won 45 of these 102 seats and the NDA 41. Six of these seats have been redrawn as part of the delimitation exercise. Polling will be held in all seats of Tamil Nadu (39), Uttarakhand (5), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1) and Lakshadweep (1). Besides, there will be voting in 12 seats in Rajasthan, 8 in Uttar Pradesh, 6 in Madhya Pradesh, 5 seats each in Assam and Maharashtra, 4 in Bihar, 3 in West Bengal, 2 in Manipur, and one seat each in Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh. Authorities in these constituencies have been directed to ensure that no outsider remains in these areas 48 hours before polling. Any form of electioneering, public meetings, press conferences by political parties, interviews and panel discussions in electronic or print media have been strictly prohibited. In Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister and DMK boss M K Stalin, on the last day of campaigning, described the polls as the ''second freedom movement'' and reiterated that the election is about deciding ''whose regime must not continue'' rather than who should capture power. He also alleged that Modi has ruined the nation for the sake of his ''selfish politics''. BJP Tamil Nadu unit president K Annamalai also held high-voltage campaigns. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav addressed rallies in Saharanpur and Moradabad Wednesday in Uttar Pradesh. In Jammu and Kashmir, Modi had reassured the people about holding of assembly elections and restoration of statehood. Home Minister Shah, during a rally, reiterated that the assembly elections will be held in accordance with the deadline of September 30 set by the Supreme Court. Naxal-affected Bastar in Chhattisgarh will vote in the first phase, an exercise that will take place in the shadow of a major counter-insurgency operation in Kanker district Tuesday in which 29 Maoists, including senior cadres, were gunned down by security forces. The second phase of polling for 89 seats in 13 states and Union territories will be held on April 26.
UP: BJP wants to take away right to vote, says ex-CM Akhilesh
Moradabad: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday, April 17, claimed that the BJP has given the 400 par slogan for the Lok Sabha polls as they want to change the Constitution of the country and take away the right to vote from people. Addressing an election rally here in support of Ruchi Veera, the Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .
'Treated as a soft target ...': Robert Vadra hints at joining politics
Robert Vadra considers entering Lok Sabha elections from Amethi, Moradabad, or Haryana, if Congress approves. He views himself as a soft target due to Gandhi family association and advocates for a secular country in politics.
Moradabad and Rampur constituencies: BJP eyes strongholds of SP in 2024 elections
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A Veteran, An 'Outsider', And A Spoiler: Moradabad Set For Three-Way Lok Sabha Battle
The Moradabad constituency is witnessing a battle between Samajwadi Party's Ruchi Veera and Bharatiya Janata Party's Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar Singh with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) possibly playing spoiler.
SP fielding Hindus in Muslim-dominated constituencies: Mayawati
Pilibhit: Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Monday found fault with the Samajwadi Party for fielding Hindus in Muslim-dominated constituencies and Muslims on seats where Hindus dominate. Addressing election rallies in Pilibhit and Moradabad, she also alleged that atrocities against the minorities are being committed in the guise of Hindutva. Also ReadLS polls: Mayawati focuses Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .
SP fielding Hindus in 'Muslim-dominated constituencies': Mayawati
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Monday found fault with the Samajwadi Party for fielding Hindus in Muslim-dominated constituencies and Muslims on seats where Hindus dominate. Addressing election rallies in Pilibhit and Moradabad, she also alleged that atrocities against the minorities are being committed in the guise of Hindutva.
Mayawati promises to work for statehood for western UP, asks Muslims not to vote for Cong
Mayawati promises to work for statehood for western UP, asks Muslims not to vote for Cong Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday said her party will take ''concrete steps'' to make western Uttar Pradesh a separate state if voted to power at the Centre. Launching her party's poll campaign in western Uttar Pradesh, the BSP chief also asked the Muslim community not to split their votes. ''If the Muslim community splits its votes, and votes for the Congress, then the BJP will get the benefit,'' she said at a rally in Saharanpur. Addressing another rally in Muzaffarnagar, where she campaigned for party candidate Dara Singh Prajapati, she referred to the long-standing demand for statehood for western Uttar Pradesh. ''There has been a long-standing demand for statehood by the people of western Uttar Pradesh. For this, concrete steps will be taken if our government comes to power at the Centre,'' Mayawati told the gathering. The BSP is fighting this Lok Sabha election alone and is not part of the opposition INDIA bloc. Twenty-five years ago, Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh as a separate state. The BSP chief also claimed that if free and fair elections are held and voting machines are not tampered with, the BJP will not return to power this time. ''Most of the BJP's time was spent on making wealthy businessmen wealthier and protecting them... The BJP and other parties run their organisations and contest elections with the support of these businesses. Electoral bond data revealed this,'' she added. At the Saharanpur rally earlier in the day, Mayawati asked Muslims not to split their votes. ''To the Muslims, I would like to say that you should not allow your votes to be split. If you want to defeat the BJP candidate, I would ask the Muslim community not to allow your votes to get split,'' she said. Sharpening her attack on the Congress, the BSP chief said, ''Whenever the BSP has fielded a Muslim candidate, the Congress and other parties have also given tickets to Muslim candidates.'' ''The Congress knows that its candidate will not win the polls. The BSP has a huge chunk of Dalit votes along with Muslims. From the Kairana Lok Sabha seat, we have given the ticket to a 'Kshatriya'. Our candidate will get the 'Kshatriya' votes in Saharanpur as well,'' she added. She further claimed that it would not be easy for the BJP to return to power because of the difference in its words and actions. ''The BJP and its allies have been in power at the Centre and in most states. Owing to their casteist, capitalist, narrow and vindictive policies and style of working, and due to the significant difference in their words and actions, it now seems that it would not be easy for them to return to power at the Centre,'' the BSP chief said. People are not going to fall for the ''rhetoric'' served by the political parties ahead of the polls anymore, she said and accused the BJP of ''politicising'' probe agencies. She said her party is contesting the Lok Sabha election on its own instead of forging an alliance with any party and has given ''appropriate share to all sections of society'' in ticket distribution. Mayawati also hit out at rival political parties, saying their wrong policies have adversely impacted the economy. Apart from this, the country's borders are not completely safe, she claimed. Asking the voters to remain alert, Mayawati said other political parties use the media, opinion polls and surveys to create a favourable atmosphere. ''The BSP does not release its manifesto. Our party believes in speaking less and working more. Our government in Uttar Pradesh did historic work which is now being copied by governments of most parties,'' she said. Hitting out at the free ration scheme Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, Mayawati said, ''Food materials given to extremely poor families is not going to benefit them. This problem can be addressed by giving them work and our party will pay attention to this.'' Earlier in the day, Mayawati accused other mainstream parties of giving an ''ostensible'' respect to Dr BR Ambedkar and ignoring his followers. ''For narrow electoral interests, the ostensible respect given to Baba Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, and ignoring his followers, exemplifies the proverb 'mooh mein ram, bagal mein chhuri', she said in a statement. In a post in Hindi on X, Mayawati paid tributes to Ambedkar on his birth anniversary and called him ''a messiah of millions of poor, exploited, deprived and neglected people in the country''. Eight parliamentary constituencies of Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur, and Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh will vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls on April 19. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
Mayawati to address rallies in Moradabad and Pilibhit
Mayawati's ongoing campaign in UP includes rallies in Moradabad and Pilibhit, seeking votes for multiple candidates. She emphasizes the alliance with Samajwadi Party and RLD for the upcoming LS elections.
Tragic Lightning Strike Claims Lives of Two Children in Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal: Two children tragically lost their lives, and three others were injured due to a lightning strike amid rain on Saturday in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh. Satish Dubey, the in-charge of Vijaypur police station, reported that the incident occurred in the evening in Dhamini village while five children, aged between 8 to 15 years, were grazing goats. According to Dubey, the lightning struck when all the children were gathered under a tree. Unfortunately, two boys, aged 12 and eight, lost their lives, while three others, including two girls, sustained injuries. The injured are currently receiving treatment at Vijaypur Health Centre. The weather abruptly changed this evening, with strong winds and light to moderate rain occurring in several states, including Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and the surrounding areas of Delhi. The Meteorological Department has forecasted the possibility of heavy rain accompanied by thunder in the coming hours. Due to adverse weather conditions in Delhi, 17 flights bound for the airport had to be diverted. Among these, 7 were Indigo flights, 2 were Vistara, 6 were Air India, and 1 was Air India Express. As per IMD predictions, there is a likelihood of hailstorms in many regions of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Western Madhya Pradesh on April 13 and 14, and in Uttarakhand and Western Uttar Pradesh on April 14. Additionally, the Meteorological Department has warned of heavy thunderstorms, rainfall, lightning, and strong winds in Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Western Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab from April 13 to 15. Rainfall is expected in most districts of Karnataka until April 17. In response to the forecast, the Meteorological Department has issued an advisory urging people in Delhi-NCR and surrounding areas to remain indoors and avoid unnecessary travel. The advisory recommends closing windows and doors and seeking shelter in safe places. People are also cautioned against taking refuge under trees during the adverse weather conditions. Iran Launches 300 Drone Missiles on Israel, Escalating Regional Tensions Gunfire Outside Salman Khan's Residence: Security Concerns Heightened Samajwadi Party's Moradabad Dilemma: ST Hasan Reluctant to Campaign for Ruchi Vira Amidst Party Discontent
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From Moradabad, Shah says Congress pampered Art 370 for 7 decades
LUCKNOW: Addressing a public rally in Moradabad, the brass city, which he visited twice in a span of 10 days, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing a gathering, launched a broadside on Congress over the Kashmir issue, accusing the grand old party of pampering Article 370 like a child in its lap for seven decades until it was scrapped in 2019. For 70 years, the Congress pampered Article 370 like an illegitimate child in its lap, Shah said, referring to the special status enjoyed by Jammu and Kashmir under the provision. In the same vein, he flayed AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge for questioning the reference to Kashmir given by PM Modi in his rallies in other states. Is Kashmir not ours? Khargeji asks what Rajasthan and UP have to do with Kashmir. I must remind him that every child of Moradabad is ready to sacrifice his life for Kashmir, said Shah. Modi became PM in 2014 and 2019 because of Uttar Pradesh, he said. UP gave 73 seats in 2014 and 65 seats in 2019 to see Modiji as PM with a full majority. We have to make him PM for the third time by winning all 80 seats in UP. This time, 73 and 65 will not work. We have to ensure a win on all 80, said the Home Minister. Appealing to the voters of western UP to exercise their right judiciously, Shah referred to a common saying that the future of a baby is reflected by his/her actions in the cradle. He said similarly, western UP used to set the trend for success in the rest of UP by voting in phase-I. Rejecting the Oppositions narrative around caste census and its mention in their manifestos, Shah said, Modiji has divided the country into four castes women, poor, youth, and farmers. Work has been done on this basis. Western UP Shah referred to a common saying that the future of a baby is reflected by his or her actions in the cradle. Similarly, he said, western UP used to set the trend for success in the rest of UP by voting in phase-I.
Shah exudes confidence of BJP winning all 80 Lok Sabha seats from U.P.
At election rally in Moradabad, the top BJP leader says attempts are being made to divide the society on caste lines but voters in Uttar Pradesh have made up their minds to give all the 80 seats to the party
Amit Shah slams Congress chief Kharge over remarks on Article 370
Moradabad (UP), April 12: Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday criticised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over his recent remarks on the abrogation of Article 370. Speaking at a rally in Moradabad, HM Shah said: Mallikarjun Kharge asks what people of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have to do with Kashmir. I want to tell them (the [] The post Amit Shah slams Congress chief Kharge over remarks on Article 370 appeared first on The Shillong Times .
In This Uttar Pradesh Town, Eid Is A 'Black Day' For Many Muslims
Four decades after the 1980 Moradabad Eidgah massacre, the UP government has released a report on the incident.
UP: Only PM Modi can keep the country united: Amit Shah
Moradabad (UP), Apr 12 (UNI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday attacked the opposition parties and said only Prime Minister Narendra Modi can keep the country united because if Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress will come to power then they will divide Uttar Pradesh into castes again and split the state into pieces. Addressing... The post UP: Only PM Modi can keep the country united: Amit Shah first appeared on Central India's Premier English Daily .
For 70 Years, Congress Nurtured Article 370 Like Its Child: Shah At Moradabad Rally
Moradabad (UP), Apr 12: Union Home minister Amit Shah on Friday attacked Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge over his recent remark on the abrogation of Article 370. Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp Addressing an election meeting in Moradabad, Shah said, Khargeji of the Congress asks what do people of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have to do with Kashmir. I want to tell them that every child of Moradabad is ready to give his life for Kashmir. For 70 years, [] The post For 70 Years, Congress Nurtured Article 370 Like Its Child: Shah At Moradabad Rally appeared first on Daily Excelsior .
Under PM Modi's leadership, Kashmir has been united with India forever: Amit Shah at rally in Moradabad. Under PM Modi's leadership, Kashmir has been united with India forever: Amit Shah at rally in Moradabad.
Congress nurtured Article 370 like its baby for 70 years, PM Modi scrapped it: Union Home Minister Amit Shah at rally in UP's Moradabad. Congress nurtured Article 370 like its baby for 70 years, PM Modi scrapped it: Union Home Minister Amit Shah at rally in UP's Moradabad.
The importance of being Akhilesh Yadav in this Lok Sabha election
Any discussion around the Lok Sabha election has to begin with Uttar Pradesh. The 80 seats in the state that has given India nine Prime Ministers till date are where any serious electoral calculation begins. More so, since the BJP reestablished the primacy of the state in India's electoral map by winning 71 seats there in 2014 and 62 seats in 2019. Five years on, standing between the BJP and another big tally is Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav. The 50-year-old ex-CM is allying with the Congress this time around. While the Congress has little say in driving the campaign in the state, confined as it is to the speculation over possible faces in Amethi and Rae Bareli, Akhilesh has the opportunity of making it work for himself and his party. This is especially so because of his appeal as the CM behind the first expressway in UP, the launch of the Lucknow Metro and the distribution of free laptops to meritorious students. Will he, wont he? Amethi awaits their Rahul answer even as Smriti Irani gets going But the confusion unleashed in finalising his candidates for many seats, coupled with his frantic efforts to emerge as a well-wisher of the Muslims, have made his supporters wonder if Akhilesh has a firm strategy in place ahead of the first phase of polling on April 19. His recent visit to Ghazipur to offer condolence at the death of Mukhtar Ansari -- a bid to seek the sympathy and support of the Muslim community -- has caused confusion among his supporters who had seen him taking a stand against organised crime and criminals during his chief ministership from 2012 to 2017. It is also pointed out that Akhilesh preferred to stay away from the Ram Mandir temple consecration ceremony but went to comfort Ansaris family. The no-truck-with-criminals CM and a lost election Akhilesh's chief ministership had come after the Samajwadi Party had won 224 seats in the 403-member House in the 2012 Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, since the SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav was not keeping well. The young sons appeal, aided by a state-wide cycle yatra, had been instrumental in ensuring the partys win then. He took over as Chief Minister on March 15 - nine days after the result was announced -- and after reported disgruntlement from many party seniors, and his oath-taking was marked by thousands of people storming the stage constructed for the ceremony. The fiasco damaged tables, chairs, microphones, public address system, flower pots, garlands and the backdrop etc, and made the entire structure come crashing down. The embarrassment made Akhilesh take an independent stand on maintenance of law and order and he started portraying himself as one dedicated to development. He went to the extent of putting his foot down when veteran leaders of SP wanted to induct another criminal-turned politician DP Yadav into the party fold. He carried this further in 2016 by refusing to endorse the merger of Quami Ekta Dal (QED), an outfit headed by the then already jailed gangster Mukhtar Ansari, with the Samajwadi Party. The SP leadership had mooted this move prior to the 2017 Assembly election, but Akhilesh chose to sacrifice these votes calculating that aligning with tainted leaders may outweigh the electoral gains. However, the SP lost the ensuing election in a big way and failed to stage a comeback even in 2022. Candidate one day, not so the next day! The coming Lok Sabha election, thus, is a crucial test for Akhilesh where he is under pressure to post good results. But the frequent change of the candidates in many seats by the SP has led to bewilderment among the workers especially when the responsibility of selecting the candidates has been widely believed to be his. The chaos which was witnessed by changing the candidates in Moradabad, Rampur last week was followed by the Gautam Budh Nagar and Meerut candidates too being changed. To rub salt into the wounds, the embarrassment was used as an excuse by Jayant Chaudhary, leader of SPs erstwhile ally Rashtriya Lok Dal, to mock Akhilesh -- since RLD is now an ally of the BJP. Muslim vote and Owaisi, BSP threat The latest move by Akhilesh then of cosying up to Ansari can be understood in the context of the Muslim vote, which is crucial in the state elections. The Muslim community is believed to be confused due to the BJP's dominance, the incarceration of Azam Khan, and demise of criminal-turned politicians Atiq Ahmad, his brother Ashraf and Mukhtar Ansari. In this scenario, Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM has also jumped into the fray as a potential threat to the SP by targeting the Muslim vote. Akhilesh not only visited Mukhtar Ansari's family but also supported the demand for a probe into Ansari's death, while saying that Ansari was a benefactor for the poor. By doing so, Akhilesh aims to consolidate the Muslim vote and counter the influence of AIMIM in the state. However, the Bahujan Samaj Party has added to Akhilesh's headaches by putting up 10 Muslim candidates so far followed by 10 Dalits and 11 Brahmins. The SP owed its earlier dominance of state politics to effectively using the Muslim-Yadav (popularly known as M-Y) combination in previous elections, but it later started adding leaders from smaller but influential castes. The trick UP Mayawati's electoral sleeve The INDIA bloc platform Joining the INDIA bloc did not mean much as the Congress is struggling for survival in the state, but it gave SP the clout to raise issues such as advocating for a caste census, fighting against injustices faced by STs, OBCs, and Muslims. Even as Akhilesh Yadav failed to retain his allies especially the Apna Dal (K), RLD and SBSP, he has remained the most visible and vocal opposition leader since BSP's Mayawati and Rahul Gandhi and others of the Congress preferred to stay away from an on-ground presence. For most non-BJP supporters, his appeal lies in a youthful countenance and in his performance as Chief Minister during 2012-2017. The tale the numbers tell It is also noteworthy that the SP has maintained a steady vote share in major elections in last ten years and managed to improve its vote share by 10% in the last assembly elections (in comparison to the previous one). In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the vote share stood as follows: BJP 42.6% (71 seats), SP 22.3% and BSP 19.8 - while the SP tally stood at 5 seats, the BSP did not win a single seat. Interestingly, in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, SP and BSP contested in am alliance. While the SP got a 18.1% vote share (5 seats), the BSP got 19.4% (10 seats) in contrast to BJP's 50% (62 seats.) As far as Assembly elections are concerned, the figures of vote percentage and seats won are: 2017- BJP 40% (312 seats), SP 22% (47 seats), BSP 22.4% (19 seats.) 2022- BJP 41.6% (255 seats), SP 32.3% (111 seats), BSP 13% (1 seat.) Going by the maths, the SP has momentum in its favour. Will it stay that way is the big question. 'Is Bar PDA Sarkar': Samajwadi Party finally gets into poll mode, releases vision document
Accused of Uttarakhand dera chief's murder killed in police shootout
Accused of Uttarakhand dera chief's murder killed in police shootout Amarjeet Singh Bittu alias Ganda, one of the assailants who allegedly shot dead Nanakmatta Sahib Gurdwara dera kar seva chief Baba Tarsem Singh last month, was killed by a joint team of the STF and police in an encounter on Tuesday. Bittu had a bounty of Rs 1 lakh on his head. The police said another accused Sarabjit Singh fled from the spot in Haridwar's Kaliyar, and a search is underway to nab him. A reward of Rs 1 lakh has also been announced on Sarabjit Singh, a resident of the Tarn Taran district in Punjab. Director General of Police Abhinav Kumar said that late on Monday evening, the STF received a tip-off that the criminals wanted in the murder case were going from Saharanpur to Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh via Bhagwanpur and Kaliyar in Haridwar. Kumar said that based on the information, the police and STF jointly conducted operations at various places in Haridwar. Around 12:30 am, when the police team tried to stop two suspicious people moving on a motorcycle at the Gagalhedi intersection in Bhagwanpur, both of them started fleeing towards Imlikheda-Kaliyar, the DGP said. When the police surrounded both the accused, they allegedly started firing. In the retaliatory action of the police, Bittu was shot while Sarabjit Singh escaped from the spot taking advantage of the darkness, according to the DGP. The injured accused was taken to the Civil Hospital Roorkee, where doctors declared him brought dead, the DGP further said. Bittu alias Ganda has a long criminal history and several cases are registered against him and his associates in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand for allegedly harbouring terrorists, raising slogans in support of Khalistan, robbing banks etc. Considering the sensitivity of the case, apart from forming a six-member SIT, 11 teams were formed to unravel the murder case. Seven other accused were already arrested in the case during the investigation. Baba Tarsem Singh was shot dead on March 28 on the shrine's premises by two motorcycle-borne men in Udham Singh Nagar district. Besides the two assailants, the police have booked retired IAS officer Harbans Singh Chugh, who heads the Nanakmatta Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Baba Anup Singh and Pritam Singh Sandhu, the vice-president of a regional Sikh outfit, in the murder case.
PM Modi declares on first day of 'Navratri' that worshippers of 'Shakti' will not forgive INDIA alliance With the Navratri festival beginning on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country should remember how the INDIA bloc ''has taken a vow to destroy Shakti'' and those who worship the Goddess will never forgive the Congress and its allies. Nine forms of Goddess Durga or Shakti are worshipped during the nine-day Chaitra Navratri festival. ''Today, on the first day of Navratri, I am also reminding the country how the INDI alliance has vowed to destroy 'Shakti'. The 'Shakti' before which we bow our heads, the leaders of the Congress are speaking about uprooting that 'Shakti','' Modi said at an election rally, again targeting the opposition over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'fight against Shakti' remarks. During the election campaign, Modi and the BJP have been accusing the Congress and the opposition alliance of being ''anti-Hindu'', repeatedly attacking them over Rahul Gandhi's remarks, the comments of DMK leaders against Sanatan Dharma and for staying away from the consecration ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The opposition has, in turn, alleged that the ruling party was resorting to communal polarisation as it has nothing to show in its report card. ''Pilibhit's land is blessed by Mother Yashwantri Devi. This is the origin place of Adi Ganga Maa Gomti. ''Today, the 'Shakti', who is being worshipped in the country, that 'Shakti' has been insulted by the Congress... No worshipper of 'Shakti' will forgive the INDI alliance for this insult,'' Modi said. At an INDIA bloc rally in Mumbai last month, Rahul Gandhi had said, ''In the Hindu religion, there is a word called 'Shakti' . We are fighting against a 'Shakti'.'' Later, Gandhi accused the prime minister of twisting his words. ''The 'Shakti' that I mentioned, Modi ji is the mask of that power and we are fighting against it. It is such a power that today it has captured India's voice, India's institutions, the CBI, I-T, ED, Election Commission, the media, Indian industry and the entire constitutional structure of India in its clutches,'' he had said on X. ''I recognise that power and so does Narendra Modi ji. It is not any kind of religious power, it is the power of unrighteousness, corruption and falsehood. That's why whenever I raise my voice against it, Modi ji and his machine of lies gets upset and enraged,'' the Congress leader had added. Addressing an election rally in Saharanpur on April 6, Modi had said that it is the country's misfortune that leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc are openly talking about ''fighting against Shakti''. ''In every corner of Hindustan, worshipping Shakti is a part of our natural spiritual journey. ''But it is the misfortune of the country that the leaders of INDI Alliance openly throw a challenge that their fight is against Shakti. Can anyone finish Shakti, and challenge the power of Shakti? And, those who made an effort to destroy Shakti, what happened to them? It is mentioned in history and the Puranas,'' Modi had said. Eight parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh -- Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur, and Pilibhit -- will vote in the first phase of general elections on April 19.
Some leaders conspired against me: SP's S T Hasan on missing out party ticket for LS polls
S T Hasan faced nomination issues in Moradabad due to delays caused by conspiracy. Confusion arose when Ruchi Vira claimed to be SP's official candidate on March 24, clarified later. Hasan received party papers late due to delays in Rampur.
India showing world nothing is impossible: PM Modi
India showing world nothing is impossible: PM Modi Amid the various difficulties being faced by the world now, India is showing that there is nothing impossible for it to achieve, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday. He said this has been possible due to every single vote of the people. ''No matter how difficult the goal is, if India is determined to achieve it, it will definitely achieve. Today, with this inspiration and energy, we are working towards the resolution of a developed India,'' he said at a poll rally here. ''Amidst the difficulties of the entire world, India is showing that there is nothing impossible for it,'' he said The prime minister noted there was a time when the Congress government used to ask for help from the world, but during the Covid pandemic, medicines were made available to the whole world from India. ''When India became the world's fastest growing economic power, were you (people) proud of it or not? When our Chandrayaan hoisted the tricolour on the moon, were you proud or not? The grand G20 summit held in India was praised all over the world,'' he added. ''When the country becomes strong, the world listens to it,'' Modi said. Eight parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls on April 19. These are Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit. Counting of votes will be held on June 4.
Congress committed scams in all three worlds: Nadda
Congress committed scams in all three worlds: Nadda BJP president JP Nadda on Monday came down heavily on the Congress, accusing it of committing scams in all the three worlds and said the party did not spare the sky, underground and water. Addressing an election rally in Rampur on Monday in favour of the BJP candidates, Nadda attacked the INDIA bloc and said, ''Modi ji is saying to end corruption and that none of the corrupt persons will be spared. All of them will go to jail.'' Further quoting Modi, he said the 'gathbandhan' (alliance) is saying that the corrupt should be ''saved'' and they are ''engaged'' in it. ''Did the Congress not commit the coal scam? Did the Congress not commit CWG scam, 2G scam, 3G scam, AugustaWestland scam, submarine scam?'' he said. In other words, the opposition bloc committed scams in all the three ''loks'' (worlds), Nadda said. ''They did not spare the 'nabh' (sky), 'paataal' (below the surface of the Earth) and 'jal' (water). The Congress committed corruption in the three worlds,'' he said. He also alleged that Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav committed the laptop scam, the Gomti (river) front scam and foodgrain scam. Similarly, senior RJD leader Lalu Prasad committed fodder scam and job in lieu of land scam, he further alleged. Attacking DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, the BJP chief said, ''Do you know that the income of Stalin is Rs 1.32 lakh crore. There is no source of this income. (Former Jharkhand chief minister) Hemant Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) also committed the scam. ''Has (Delhi Chief Minister) Arvind Keriwal not committed the liquor scam? This 'ghamandiya' alliance is nothing but an alliance of the corrupt people,'' he said. Nadda also said former Congress presidents Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, the DMK ministers and the ministers of the Mamta Banerjee government are on bail. He asked the audience whether Soren, Kejriwal, AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, TMC ministers, KCR's daughter K Kavitha and veteran SP leader from Rampur Azam Khan are in jail or not. ''All these leaders of the 'ghamandia' (arrogant) alliance are either on bail or in jail,'' he said. Listing the ''parivarvadi'' (dynastic) parties, he said, ''Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi; rest of it (in Congress) is full stop. In the National Conference (NC), there are Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah; in the PDP, there are (late) Mufti Mohammad and Mehbooba Mufti; in Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), there was Parkash Singh Badal, and now there is Sukhbir Badal; and there is the Chautala family.'' ''After Mulayam Singh Yadav, it was Akhilesh Yadav and then Dimple (Yadav). They have even left 'chacha' (Shivpal Yadav), rest of it is full stop,'' he said, and cited the examples of Lalu Yadav-Rabri Devi-Tejashwi Yadav-Tej Pratap, Mamta Banerjee and (her nephew) Abhishek Banerjee, KCR-KTR-Kavitha, Karunanidhi-MK Stalin-Udhayanidhi and Uddhav Thackeray and Aditya. ''(There are) Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule. They have pushed away Ajit Pawar,'' he said. ''They have to save their families and indulge in corruption,'' Nadda said. According to the election schedule, eight parliamentary constituencies in UP will vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls on April 19. These are Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit. Counting of votes will be held on June 4.
Bijnor Lok Sabha constituency: Candidates list, polling date, present MP and more
Bijnor will go to polls along with seven other parliamentary constituencies in UP, including Bijnor and Moradabad, in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls.
Power Games | Parties go all-out to pick best candidate
Battle Preparedness Parties go all-out to pick best candidate The current Lok Sabha election is a keenly contested battle in which all political parties are trying to put up the best possible candidates in every parliamentary seat. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadavs failed attempt to change the Moradabad candidate on the last day of filing nomination after he fell out with the jailed co-founder of his party Azam Khan drew a lot of media attention. The Akhilesh-Azam brinkmanship had all the makings of a potboiler. Akhilesh travelling to jail to meet the veteran leader; Azam putting tough conditions for lending support to Samajwadi candidates and then both reportedly going back on their promises. As a result, Akhilesh got stuck with a candidate he didnt want in Moradabad and Azam didnt get the candidate he wanted in his stronghold Rampur. It was quite a thriller. But who can beat Lalu Yadav when it comes to delivering an interesting story. Lalus search for the right candidate for the Munger Lok Sabha constituency against former president of the Janata Dal (United) and Nitish Kumars confidant Rajiv Ranjan aka Lalan Singh led him to local strongman Ashok Mahto. But there was a problem. Mahto had walked out of jail after seventeen years only a year back while the law puts a six-year bar on persons convicted for over two years in criminal cases. Lalu found a novel solution to a seemingly difficult impasse. A decision was taken to help Mahto, who was a bachelor, find a bride and then give his wife the Lok Sabha ticket from Munger. A hunt was launched for a suitable girl for Mahto and he married Anita Kumari. Anita will now take on Lalan. Media Matters Govt may look into BBCs new partnership The BBC has outsourced its entire business of generating news content in six Indian languages to a newly created entity Collective Newsroom. The BBC top brass is flying down from London for the formal launch of the new entity on April 12 in Delhi. The Collective Newsrooms owners and employees are all BBC staff who are now part of the new company. The four founders of the Collective Newsroom are Rupa Jha, who was the editor of languages till the day the new entity was formed, Sara Hassan, a general manager at the BBC, Sanjoy Majumder, managing editor of the BBC and Mukesh Sharma, digital editor of the BBC. Two hundred employees of the BBC have now shifted to the new company. The Collective Newsroom is practically the BBC with a new name and management. The BBC will pay Collective Newsroom a fee for news gathering (salaries of journalists and support staff) and operational expenses (office rentals and other overheads) which will be equal to what the British company was spending on these heads when it directly controlled these operations. The only difference is that Collective Newsroom is a hundred per cent Indian-owned company, while the BBC was a foreign company. The Collective Newsroom was formed as a recent change in the FDI laws barred foreign entities from owning more than 26% of Indian digital news companies. The BBC, UK owned almost 100% of the company managing its India operations. The BBCs UK arm has now applied for a 26% stake in Collective Newsroom. Government sources said the tax authorities will look into the beneficial ownership and the structure of the new entity before acceding to the BBC request for equity acquisition. Shahid Faridi The writer is Resident Editor, TNIE, New Delhi. Follow him on X @Shahid_Faridi
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Acting against corruption to ensure a better future for people: PM Modi in UP
Eight parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh -- Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit -- will vote in the first phase on April 19. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
Congress manifesto completely bears imprint of Muslim League: PM Modi
Congress manifesto completely bears imprint of Muslim League: PM Modi Virtually equating the Congress with the Muslim League, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the grand old party's election manifesto reflects the same thought as that of the Muslim League at the time of the freedom movement. Prime Minister Modi said the Congress, which existed at the time of the freedom movement, has ''ended decades ago''. ''A number of great personalities were associated with the Congress. The name of Mahatma Gandhi was associated with the Congress. The Congress, which is left today, neither has policies in the interest of the nation nor vision for the nation's development,'' Prime Minister Modi said. ''Yesterday, the kind of election manifesto was released, it has proved that today's Congress is completely cut off from the hopes and aspirations of today's India,'' he added addressing an election rally in Saharanpur. Sharpening his attack further, he said said the Congress is not visible even remotely. Prime Minister Modi also took a jibe at the Samajwadi Party, which is a member of the INDIA bloc and an election partner of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. ''The situation of SP (Samajwadi Party) in Uttar Pradesh is such that here they have to change their candidates every hour, whereas the situation of Congress is even more strange. The Congress is not getting candidates at all,'' Prime Minister Modi said. ''Even on the seats, which the Congress considered as its stronghold, it is not able to muster the courage to field candidates,'' he added apparently referring to the Congress strongholds of Amethi and Rae Bareli. Prime Minister Modi said the ''INDI alliance has become another name for instability and uncertainty''. ''That's why today the country is not taking seriously even a single thing said by them,'' he added. Without taking the name of former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Prime Minister Modi said, ''You might remember here in Uttar Pradesh that the film featuring two boys ('do ladke'), which had flopped last time, the film of two boys has been re-released by these people.'' ''I do not understand how many times will these INDI alliance members put the wooden pot (on fire)?'' he added. The Congress and the Samajwadi Party had also contested the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections together. According to the election schedule, eight parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will vote in the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls on April 19. These are Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
INDI alliance is for commission, NDA is on mission: PM Modi
INDI alliance is for commission, NDA is on mission: PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the opposition INDIA bloc's aim is to earn commission after coming to power while the BJP-led NDA is on a mission. Addressing an election rally in Saharanpur, Modi said the opposition alliance was fighting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections just to stop the BJP from winning more than 370 seats. ''During its rule, the Congress' focus was on earning commissions. The INDI alliance too aims to earn commission after coming to power but the NDA and Modi sarkar is on a mission,'' Modi said. ''The opposition is fighting just to stop the BJP from winning more than 370 seats. The Samajwadi Party is changing candidates every hour while the Congress can't even find candidates to field,'' Modi said. ''The Congress does not have the courage to field candidates even in those seats which are considered its stronghold,'' he added. Modi said the Congress manifesto bears a Muslim League imprint and part of it is dominated by leftists. The prime minister said the INDIA bloc has become synonymous with instability and uncertainty and the people of the country were not taking them seriously. He said it is the misfortune of the country that the opposition alliance is talking about fighting against 'shakti'. ''Worshipping shakti is a part of our natural spiritual journey. But, the people of the INDI alliance say their fight is against shakti,'' Modi said. According to the election schedule, eight parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls on April 19. These are Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
After Moradabad & Rampur, SPs Musical Chair Of Candidates In Meerut
Meerut isn't the sole constituency where the Samajwadi Party is grappling with candidate confusion. Party is facing a similar problem in Moradabad and Badaun.
