Neena-Masaba to Soni-Alia: Bollywood's Mother-daughter duos

There are many success stories in the entertainment industry that seem straight out of a fairy tale. But behind each milestone, is perhaps the toil of many generations. This Mother's Day, let us look back at the life stories of mothers whose struggle and hard-earned success have inspired their daughters to be achievers in their own right. Seema Pahwa and Manukriti Pahwa Seema Pahwa had a thriving career ahead of her after starring in India's first soap opera 'Hum Log' in 1984. But then she took a long break to take care of her son Mayank and daughter Manukriti. Once her children grew up, Seema eventually returned to acting along with her theatrical roots by performing plays like 'Saag Meat' and directing Zee Theatre's literary anthology 'Koi Baat Chale.' She has also featured in multiple TV shows, and films like 'Gangubai Kathiawadi', 'Bareilly Ki Barfi' and 'Shubh Mangal Saavdhan.' She has also directed the film 'Ramprasad ki Tehrvi.' Manukriti too has made a name for herself on stage and made her cinematic debut in Yash Raj's 2018 production, 'Sui Dhaaga' where Seema also played a pivotal part. She also assisted Seema during the making of 'Koi Baat Chale' and is all set to create a legacy of her own on stage and in films just like her mother. She is incidentally married to Shahid Kapoor's stepbrother Ruhan and is Supriya Pathaks daughter-in-law. Lillete Dubey - Ira Dubey Multifaceted actor and theatre director Lillete Dubey's theater journey began in 1973 when she along with Barry John and peers co-founded 'Theatre Action Group' (TAG). Over the decades, she has worked in Indian and international productions, on stage, on television, and in films like 'Zubeidaa', 'Monsoon Wedding', 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' and many more. In 1991, she set up 'The Primetime Theatre Company' and for over three decades has showcased original Indian plays and regional adaptations for a global audience. Her acclaimed body of work includes Zee Theatre's teleplays like 'Adhe Adhure', and 'Womanly Voices'. Her career and fulfilling family life have also given her daughters Neha and Ira, roots and wings. Ira is a trained actor and is juggling theatre productions like '30 Days in September', 'Womanly Voices' and 'Adhe Adhure' with films like 'Aisha', and 'Dear Zindagi.' She has also toured with the internationally acclaimed one-woman show, '9 Parts of Desire', directed by Lillete. Neena Gupta - Masaba Gupta In her autobiography 'Sach Kahoon Toh,' celebrated actor Neena Gupta recalls how as a single mom, she would take her daughter to work with her including on the set of 'Tipu Sultan' which was tragically engulfed in fire. Both mother and daughter have come a long way since then. Neena who has appeared in cult films ('Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro', 'Saath Saath', 'Utsav'), starred in the clutter-breaking Doordarshan show 'Khandaan' and directed a TV drama ('Saans') is now also enjoying major commercial success via hits like 'Badhaai Ho' and 'The Last Color'. Her work in the OTT show 'Panchayat' has also been critically acclaimed. Daughter Masaba, after establishing herself as a fashion and beauty entrepreneur, has also successfully ventured into acting with the popular Netflix show, 'Masaba Masaba' where Neena plays herself with trademark candor. Both women exemplify success, grit, resilience and also well-deserved personal and professional triumph. Soni Razdan-Alia Bhatt Soni Razdan was an important part of new-age cinema including 'Chowringhee Lane', 'Mandi', 'Saaransh', 'Trikaal', 'Khamosh', 'Daddy,' 'Buniyaad' and many more. She also starred in the superhit Doordarshan show 'Buniyaad' but a big mainstream break eluded her. However, right from her debut as 'Student of the Year', her daughter cracked the code of commercial success. Alia Bhatt's work in 'Highway', 'Raazi' where she starred with Soni, 'Gully Boy,' 'Dear Zindagi' and more recently in 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' has made her the darling of critics as well. Her film company 'Eternal Sunshine Productions' is also doing very well. In 1977, famous Italian auteur Franco Zeffirelli wanted to cast Soni as Mary in the miniseries, 'Jesus of Nazareth'. She did not land the part but life came full circle when her daughter starred in an international production, 'Heart of Stone' in 2023. Pooja Bedi - Alaya F Pooja Bedi's iconic red dress from 'Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar' is an unfading cinematic memory from the 80s. This was a decade, when she shaped popular culture with her appearances in a Baba Sehgal hit ('Dil Dhadke') and also bold advertising campaigns. She also worked on her late mother Protima Bedi's memoir 'Time Pass', is a successful columnist, and took a long break from acting to raise her children. Her daughter Alaya F earned a diploma in acting at the New York Film Academy, made her debut in 'Jawaani Jaaneman' and won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Interestingly her mother had been nominated for a Filmfare Award for 'Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar' but did not win. Alaya is now experimenting with narratives like 'Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat' along with commercial films. And just like Pooja, she too is on a unique creative trajectory.

UP Girl Raped, Thrown Under Vehicle With Hands And Legs Tied, Probe On

A minor girl was allegedly raped by two youths in the Faridpur police station area of Bareilly, police said on Saturday.

15-Year-Old Girl Gang-raped In UP's Bareilly, Found With Hands & Legs Tied; 3 Accused Absconding

Based on the police complaint we have lodged an FIR of gang rape regarding the matter. The minor identified the woman and one of the male accused

UP: Girl raped by two youths, thrown under trolley in Bareilly

The News Mill

2 Sisters Found Dead At UP Home, Family Alleges Harassment By Neighbour

Bodies of two sisters, including a minor, were found under suspicious circumstances in Bareilly district, police said on Thursday.

15-year-old found dead on tracks, parents allege forced conversion, rape in UP; suspect on the run

BAREILLY: Police are looking for a 22-year-old man after the parents of a teenaged girl alleged that he raped her and pushed her before a train here after months of harassment. The mother of the 15-year-old girl, whose body was found on the railway tracks on Wednesday, also alleged that the man had made her convert to Islam a month back. Members of local right-wing Hindu groups staged a protest against the incident outside the police station on Wednesday and Thursday. According to the mother's complaint to the police, Fariyad (22), who was from the same locality as them, was harassing her daughter for the last seven months. The daughter told her mother a month back that Fariyad had made her adopt Islam, as per the complaint. On Thursday, when my daughter was going to fill the form for her improvement exam of Class 12th, Fariyad took my daughter forcefully on a bike, raped her and pushed her before a moving train that resulted in her death, reads the FIR. Based on the complaint, police lodged an FIR on Thursday against the man under sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape), 363 (kidnapping), 506 (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code along with relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Uttar Pradesh's Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act. The body has been sent for postmortem examination and investigations into the matter are underway. We are also making efforts to arrest the accused, Circle Officer (CO) Gaurav Singh said.

Test reports: No need to visit government hospitals of UP for reports, facility will be available on mobile only.

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)

Rahul Gandhi, who chose Wayanad for its Muslim vote bank, would resign from Rae Bareli and retain Wayanad if he wins both, read what Congress loyalist said

Rawal claimed that Rahul Gandhi had put forth a condition before agreeing to contest from Rae Bareli. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had, as per Rawal, said that if Congress abandons both Rae Bareilly and Amethi, then it will send a wrong message to the public as polling of five phases has yet to commence.

Whatta Meal: Aparshakti Khurana Enjoys This Dish In Bareilly

Aparshakti Khurana shared a glimpse on his Instagram stories, showing a plate with two smoked chicken leg pieces garnished with fresh parsley.

High Voter Turnout in Third Phase; Clashes and Allegations Mar West Bengal and UP Voting

High Voter Turnout in Third Phase; Clashes and Allegations Mar West Bengal and UP Voting Nearly 65 per cent voter turnout was recorded on Tuesday in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections in 93 constituencies spread over 11 states and Union Territories with stray incidents of violence in West Bengal. Assam recorded the highest turnout at 81.71 per cent followed by West Bengal at 76.52 per cent and Goa at 75.20 per cent, while Uttar Pradesh witnessed the lowest at 57.34 per cent, with Bihar at 58.18 per cent, Gujarat at 59.51 per cent and Maharashtra at 61.44 per cent doing slightly better, according to the figures from the Election Commission at 12.15 am. The overall voting percentage was 64.58 per cent. According to the EC, the figures are an ''approximate trend'' and are likely to rise as data is being collected. While the official time for the voting to conclude is 6 pm, it can go beyond to enable voters who have come in the queue before the end of fixed polling hours to exercise their franchise. Among other states and UTs, Chhattisgarh recorded 71.06 per cent polling, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 69.87 per cent, Karnataka 70.41 per cent, and Madhya Pradesh 66.05 per cent, according to the EC. As many as 17.24 crore people, including 8.39 crore females, were eligible to vote in the third phase and 1.85 lakh polling stations manned by 18.5 lakh officials had been set up. With this, voting has been completed in 20 states/UTs and 282 Lok Sabha seats out of 543. The overall voting percentage in the first and second phases was 66.14 per cent and 66.71 per cent respectively. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were among those who exercised their franchise in Gujarat, where elections were held in 25 seats. While PM Modi cast his vote at a polling booth in Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, Shah voted at a polling booth in Ahmedabad. Shah (Gandhinagar) is among the bigwigs in the fray along with Union ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia (Guna), Mansukh Mandaviya (Porbandar), Parshottam Rupala (Rajkot), Pralhad Joshi (Dharwad) and SP Singh Baghel (Agra). The stakes are high for the BJP in this round as it had won an overwhelming majority of these seats, including all in Gujarat, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, in the last election. Both the BJP and the INDIA bloc claimed that they had the upper hand after the third phase. ''Across all the states and UTs, voters from all walks of life have placed their faith in the NDA and our development agenda. INDI Alliance is losing even more steam, thanks to their regressive economics and outdated votebank politics,'' Modi said on X. The Congress claimed that the BJP has been wiped out in the south and reduced to half of its strength after the three phases ''Its very clear that for the BJP, it is South mein Saaf, North mein Half,'' Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on X. In Uttar Pradesh, where several members of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's family are contesting, party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the BJP workers were trying to ''loot booths'' in Mainpuri and people from opposition parties were being detained in police stations. Yadav cast his vote in Saifai (Etawah) in Mainpuri constituency where his wife and sitting MP Dimple Yadav is contesting. Sporadic incidents of violence marred the polling in the four constituencies in West Bengal as TMC, BJP and Congress-CPI(M) workers clashed with each other in various parts of Murshidabad and Jangipur seats. According to state election officials, Murshidabad registered the highest voter turnout of 80.13 per cent followed by Maldaha Dakshin (76.15 pc), Maldaha Uttar (75.92 pc), and Jangipur (73.71 pc). The TMC, BJP, and the Congress-CPI(M) alliance lodged separate complaints related to poll violence, voter intimidation, and assaults on poll agents. The EC received 182 complaints by 9 am, most of which were from Murshidabad and Jangipur constituencies. ''The TMC has unleashed a reign of terror in the entire constituency. Strict action must be taken by the Election Commission,'' Left-Congress combine candidate Mohammed Salim said in Murshidabad seat. In the Karimpur area of the seat, clashes were reported between the TMC and the CPI(M) supporters outside a few booths. Clashes were reported between the TMC and the Congress activists from the Domkol area. In some areas, TMC workers held protests alleging that central forces were assisting BJP workers in ''intimidating'' voters at booths in the Maldaha North constituency. In Uttar Pradesh, Agra witnessed 53.99 per cent polling, Aonla 57.08 per cent, Budaun 54.05 per cent, Bareilly 57.88 per cent, Etah 59.17 per cent, Fatehpur Sikri 57.09 per cent, Firozabad 58.22 per cent, Hathras 55.36 per cent, Mainpuri 58.59 per cent and Sambhal 62.81 per cent. ''In Mainpuri, BJP people are trying to loot booths. They are detaining opposition people in police stations,'' SP chief Yadav alleged without elaborating. ''There is information from some places that the government is using force. It is heard that officers have been deployed outside polling booths,'' he said. In Budaun, the villagers of Dhoranpur boycotted the polling to protest against the alleged non-fulfilment of their demand for a road. District Magistrate Manoj Kumar said the issue has come to his notice and a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) has been sent to the village. Not a single vote was also cast in three villages of Firozabad -- Nagla Jawahar, Neem Kheria and Nagla Umar -- as the villagers tried to draw the administration's attention to their problems. SP candidate Aditya Yadav in Budaun alleged that his party supporters were not being allowed to vote in some places. ''I have made a complaint in this regard with the EC observer and have given proof of police atrocities. We are only getting assurances,'' he said. Queues were seen at polling booths in most Lok Sabha segments in northern districts of Karnataka. Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and Bhagwanth Khuba, and Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge were among those who came in early to cast their votes. Former chief minister B S Yediyurappa along with sons B Y Raghavendra, BJP candidate from Shimoga Lok Sabha segment, and B Y Vijayendra, party's state president, along with other family members cast their vote at Shikaripura in Shivamogga district. Two government officials on poll duty died in Karnataka after suffering a heart attack, sources in the Election Commission said. A 45-year-old woman polling officer - Kaushika Babariya- deployed at a polling booth in Amreli district of Gujarat, also died of a heart attack. In Gujarat, the Banaskantha district collector ordered an inquiry after Congress Lok Sabha candidate Geniben Thakor alleged that electors were threatened and asked to vote for the BJP by some youngsters posing as Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel at a polling station. In Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, his wife Sunetra Pawar, who is the NCP candidate from the Baramati Lok Sabha seat, and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar were among those who cast their votes. Sharad Pawar was welcomed with a traditional 'aarti' as he arrived at a polling booth in the Malegaon area of Baramati constituency in Pune district. Ajit Pawar and Sunetra Pawar cast their votes at a polling booth in Katewadi area of Baramati. Sunetra is pitted against her sister-in-law Supriya Sule, Sharad Pawar's daughter and the sitting MP from there. In Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accompanied by his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma and daughter Sukanya Sarma exercised his franchise at Amingaon in Barpeta Lok Sabha seat. Amid rains, people used different modes of transport, including boats, to reach the polling stations across Guwahati, Barpeta, Dhubri and Kokrajhar constituencies. With the BJP bagging Surat unopposed, 25 seats in Prime Minister Modi's home state of Gujarat went to polls on Tuesday, besides 11 seats in Maharashtra, 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh, the remaining 14 of the 28 in Karnataka, seven in Chhattisgarh, five in Bihar, four each in Assam and West Bengal, and all two in Goa. Voting was held in two seats in Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu and nine seats in Madhya Pradesh, including Betul where elections were earlier deferred. Over 1,331 candidates, including around 120 women, were in the fray in the third phase. The next four phases will be on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1. The counting of votes is on June 4.

UP records 57.34% voter turnout in phase-III amid complaints from various pockets

LUCKNOW: The trend of a low turnout in Uttar Pradesh continued as the state recorded a voting percentage of over 57 per cent across the 10 seats that went to the polls in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday. According to Election Commission figures, Agra witnessed 53.99 per cent voting, Aonla 57.08 per cent, Badaun 54.05 per cent, Bareilly 57.88 per cent, Etah 59.17 per cent, Fatehpur Sikri 57.09 per cent, Ferozabad 58.22 per cent, Hathras 55.36 per cent, Mainpuri 58.59 per cent and Sambhal 62.81 per cent. The overall voter turnout in UP in Phase-III was 57.34 per cent and the figure is expected to be revised later. The voting percentage was lower than the 60.023 per cent in the corresponding phase in 2019. With the conclusion of phase-III, the fate of candidates in 26 of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies of Uttar Pradesh has been sealed in EVMs. The third phase of ensuing Lok Sabha polls was significant for the first family of the Samajwadi Party as three members of the Yadav clan were in the fray -- SP chief Akhilesh Yadavs wife Dimple Yadav in Mainpuri, the bastion of party patriarch late Mulayam Singh Yadav, Ram Gopal Yadavs son Akshay in Ferozabad and Shivpal Yadavs son Aditya in Badaun. Meanwhile, during the day, a group of Muslim women in Badaun's Sahaswan assembly segment claimed that they were stopped from casting their vote. They also alleged that the men accompanying them were beaten up by police. However, Badaun District Magistrate Manoj Kumar refuted the charges, saying people who had already cast their votes were gathering unnecessarily and police had to move them away to maintain law and order. Samajwadi Party leaders remarks on Ram temple stirs controversy amid Lok Sabha polls Incidents of poll boycott were also reported from a number of places including Dhoranpur village of Badaun. Villagers boycotted the poll for the first three hours, saying their demand for a road was not fulfilled. Later, a sub-divisional magistrate reached the village and persuaded the local people to vote. Reports of poll boycotts also came in from Nagla Jawahar, Neem Kheria and Nagla Umar villages in Ferozabad. However, later with the district administration's intervention, the villagers cast their votes. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that BJP workers were preparing to loot booths in Mainpuri without giving details. He also alleged rigging at some places. In another allegation, BJP leader Prem Shankar Shakya said stones were pelted on him when he was going to vote along with the party's former district unit chief Pradeep Chauhan and others in Mainpuri's Kusmara area. SP Badaun candidate Aditya Yadav alleged that the local administration did not allow party supporters to vote at various booths in Ujhani Sahaswan. In Sambhal, SP candidate Zia-ur-Rehman Barq alleged that a circle officer doubled up as a BJP worker and snatched bags and voter slips from his party's workers and detained them. With Rahul not contesting from Amethi, BJP and Congress chalk out fresh strategy

Some police officers violating ECI orders: SP candidate from Sambhal

Some police officers violating ECI orders: SP candidate from Sambhal Samajwadi Party candidate from Sambhal, Ziaur Rahman Barq, accused some police officers of attempting to disrupt the environment and violating the orders of the Election Commission during the third phase of voting in the Sambhal seat in Uttar Pradesh for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The SP candidate also said he has filed a complaint with the poll body and demanded that action be taken against such officers. The third phase of polling for 93 parliamentary constituencies spread over ten states and a Union Territory was held today. Our people want that peace be maintained and cast their votes peacefully. However, some police officers are trying to disrupt the environment here and do not follow the constitution and orders from the Election Commission of India...I have registered my complaint with the EC and action should be taken against such officers..., he told ANI. ECI is spending crores of rupees to increase voter turnout. But the Chief Electoral Officer, Sambhal, has crossed all the limits of indecency, the SP candidate added. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged on Tuesday that the behaviour of the police and administration is not right and in Mainpuri, party workers have been locked up. The behaviour of the police and the administration is not right. The BJP will be wiped out in this phase. Police are beating people in the Sambhal and we are getting information from Mainpuri that Samajwadi Party workers and leaders are being locked up. The ministers, their associates and family members are roaming freely. Therefore, I want to appeal to people to come out and vote and save democracy. I hope that the Election Commission will take action on it, he said. Meanwhile, polling concluded in ten seats in Uttar Pradesh: Sambhal, Hathras, Mainpuri, Agra (SC), Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Etah, Budaun, Aonla, and Bareilly. In this phase, more than 1300 candidates, including around 120 women, are in the fray. A total of 17.24 crore voters are eligible to cast their franchise in this phase at 1.85 lakh polling stations. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP bagged 72 of the 93 seats that were polled today. The general elections are being held across seven phases in a six-week marathon running from April 19 to June 1. The counting and the results will be declared on June 4. (ANI)

UP Woman Jailed For Exact Period Man She Falsely Accused Of Rape Served

A district court in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly sentenced a woman to four years and five months in jail for filing a false case of rape against a man, recanting her statement and turning hostile during the trial.

Historic Verdict: Girl Jailed for False Rape Accusation, Innocent Youth Acquitted

Lucknow: In a landmark verdict, the court of Judge Gyanendra Tripathi in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, acquitted an innocent youth falsely accused in a rape case. Simultaneously, the court sentenced the girl who made the false allegation to four years, six months, and eight days of imprisonment, equivalent to the period the youth spent in jail. Additionally, the girl has been fined Rs 5,88,822.47 as compensation for the youth's time spent in custody. According to ADGC Crime Sunil Pandey, the girl's mother filed an FIR alleging rape on September 2, 2019, at Baradari police station. The accused, Ajay alias Raghav, a resident of Nekpur Subhashnagar, Bareilly, and his daughter used to work together in making tableaux. The allegation was that Ajay had abducted his daughter on August 29, 2019. The police registered an FIR and recovered the girl. In her written statement, the girl accused Ajay of feeding her intoxicating prasad, abducting her, and raping her in Delhi. Ajay was arrested and remained in jail without bail. The trial was conducted in the court of fast track judge Nishod Kumar. The girl initially gave a strong statement against Ajay on October 13, 2023. However, during cross-examination on February 8, 2024, she retracted her statements, claiming illiteracy and police pressure. She confessed that Ajay had not raped her and that she had signed the written statement under duress. Upon the girl's retraction, Judge Nishod Kumar ordered her immediate arrest for giving false testimony under oath. A case was filed against her, and she was taken into judicial custody. Subsequently, she was presented in the CJM court and remanded to judicial custody.This verdict marks a significant step in ensuring justice for false accusations and upholding the dignity of the judiciary system. Devastation in West Bengal: 12 Dead Due to Storm and Lightning Intense Heatwave Continues to Grip Multiple States Across India Putin Embarks on Fifth Term Amidst Global Scrutiny: A Look into Russia's Political Landscape

Phase 3 of Lok Sabha Elections: 38.12% Voters Turnout Recorded in UP Till 1 PM

Phase 3 of Lok Sabha Elections: 38.12% Voters Turnout Recorded in UP Till 1 PM More than 38 per cent voters came out to cast their votes till 1 pm for 10 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. The state witnessed 38.12 per cent polling till 1 pm in the third phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha election. While Agra witnessed 36.89 per cent polling, Aonla recorded a 36.95 per cent voter turnout, Budaun 34.97 per cent, Bareilly 34.93 per cent, Etah 38.87 per cent, Fatehpur Sikri 39.09 per cent, Firozabad 40.06 per cent, Hathras 37.73 per cent, Mainpuri 38.32 per cent and Sambhal 42.97 per cent, the Election Commission (EC) said. Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. More than 1.89 crore voters are eligible to vote in these 10 constituencies. Prominent among those who cast their votes are the Samajwadi Party's (SP) Akhliesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav, their daughter Aditi Yadav, Ramgopal Yadav, Dharmendra Yadav and members of Yadav clan in Saifai (Etawah) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates S P Singh Baghel and Parmeshwar Lal Saini in Agra and Sambhal respectively. SP President Akhilesh Yadav alleged that BJP men were preparing to loot booth in Mainpuri. ''There is a tussle going on within the BJP as to whose hand power should remain. Everyone understands this. The statements given by them (BJP leaders) are for self-appeasement. These people talk cleverly, Yadav said. In Budaun, the villagers of Dhoranpur boycotted the polling. They protested against politicians for not paying heed to their demand for a road. District Magistrate Manoj Kumar said the issue has come to his notice and a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) has been sent to the village. Alleging that administration was not allowing to vote SP supporters, SP candidate Aditya Yadav in Budaun said there are various booths in Ujhani Sahsvan this is happening. ''I have made a complaint in this regard with EC observer and have give proof of police atrocities. We are only getting assurances,'' he said adding that water was poured on SP agents polling bag having voter slips. Talking to reporters in Sambhal, SP candidate Zia-ur-Rehman Barq alleged that a circle officer doubled up as a BJP worker and snatched bags and voter slips from SP workers and detained them. He requested the EC to remove the officer immediately. Not a single vote was cast in three villages of Firozabad -- Nagla Jawahar, Neem Kheria and Nagla Umar -- as the villagers tried to draw the administration's attention to their problems. It is an important phase for the family members of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav. SP's Dimple Yadav is aiming to retain the Mainpuri seat, which she won in a by-poll following the death of her father-in-law and party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav. Akshay Yadav, the son of SP national principal general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, will try to reclaim the Firozabad seat. Aditya Yadav, the son of SP national general secretary Shivpal Yadav, is making his electoral debut from the Budaun constituency, which was won by his cousin Dharmendra Yadav in 2014. Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of 80 parliamentary constituencies among all the states. Polling in the state is spread across all seven phases from April 19 to June 1. The counting of votes will be taken up on June 4.

People upset with government, BJP will face a very bad defeat: Akhilesh Yadav after casting his vote

People upset with government, BJP will face a very bad defeat: Akhilesh Yadav after casting his vote Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, his wife and SP candidate from Mainpuri Lok Sabha Seat, Dimple Yadav cast their vote at a polling station in Uttar Pradesh's Saifai. After casting his vote, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the ruling BJP party would face a very bad defeat as people of every section were upset with the government. Speaking with the reporters, Akhilesh Yadav said, ... BJP is going to have a very bad defeat because farmers, youth, businessmen, people of every section are upset with them. Yadav also alleged that the leaders of the BJP should be punished for deliberately conducting the elections in the summer season. He said, We are voting in summer and BJP people should also be punished for this, although they will say that this is the decision of the Election Commission, BJP people deliberately make you vote in the summer to hurt you. This voting could have taken place a month earlier. The SP chief also appealed to the people to vote and said, I appeal to all my colleagues and voters to vote in large numbers. This voting can change the lives of people. The SP chief also alleged that the BJP leaders and workers tried to capture the booth and said, We hope that the Election Commission will take action on the complaints that are coming. It is being heard at many places that BJP workers and leaders want to capture the booth. I saw an official here who was abusing people... I will appeal to the voters to vote in large numbers and remove this government... The polling is going on for 93 Lok Sabha seats across 12 states and union territories in the third phase of the general election on Tuesday. The states and union territories where the elections are being held in this phase are Assam (4), Bihar (5), Chhattisgarh (7), Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (2), Goa (2), Gujarat (25), Karnataka (14), Maharashtra (11), Madhya Pradesh (8), Uttar Pradesh (10) and West Bengal (4). The BJP has bagged the Surat seat unopposed. In Uttar Pradesh, voting is underway in 10 seats: Sambhal, Hathras, Mainpuri, Agra (SC), Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Etah, Budaun, Aonla, and Bareilly. In this phase, more than 1300 candidates, including around 120 women, are in the fray. A total of 17.24 crore voters are eligible to cast their franchise in this phase at 1.85 lakh polling stations. Prominent leaders to contest in today's poll battle include Union Home Minister Amit Shah, former Madhya Pradesh chief ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Digvijaya Singh, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Samajwadi Party leader Dimple Yadav, and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, among others. In the 2019 general election, the BJP won 72 of the 93 seats that go to the polls today. The Lok Sabha elections are being held across seven phases, from April 19 to June 1. The counting is scheduled for June 4. (ANI)

Shivpal Yadav's organisational efficacy is at test in Badaun

Dimple won Mainpuri bypolls. Badaun tests Shivpal's son Aditya. Mayawati targets Muslim votes. Firozabad features Akshay Yadav. Sambhal has Ziaur Rahman Barq. Bareilly sees Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar against Praveen Singh Aron.

Polling begins in UPs 10 Lok Sabha constituencies

Polling begins in UPs 10 Lok Sabha constituencies Lucknow: Polling for 10 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh began on Tuesday morning in the third phase of the parliamentary elections. The constituencies where polling is being held include Sambhal, Hathras, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Badaun, Aonla, and Bareilly, spanning across 12 districts [] The post Polling begins in UPs 10 Lok Sabha constituencies appeared first on Mangalorean.com .

Polling underway in 10 third-phase seats of Uttar Pradesh

Polling underway in 10 third-phase seats of Uttar Pradesh Polling began Tuesday morning for 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh, including high-profile Mainpuri, in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Over 1.89 crore voters will seal the fate of 100 candidates in parliamentary constituencies of Sambhal, Hathras (SC), Agra (SC), Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Budaun, Aonla and Bareilly, where polling began at 7 am and will go on till 6 pm, according to the Election Commission. It is an important phase for Uttar Pradesh's Yadav family. The Samajwadi Party's (SP) Dimple Yadav is aiming to retain the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat, which she won in the bypolls following the death of her father-in-law and party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav. Akshaya Yadav, the son of SP national principal general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, will try to reclaim the Firozabad seat. Aditya Yadav, the son of SP national general secretary Shivpal Yadav, is making his electoral debut from the Budaun constituency, which was won by his cousin Dharmendra Yadav in 2014. Polling during the day will also seal the fate of Union minister S P Singh Baghel, Uttar Pradesh Tourism Minister Jayveer Singh and its Minister of State for Revenue Anoop Pradhan Balmiki. Baghel, Jayveer Singh and Balmiki are contesting from Agra (SC), Mainpuri and Hathras (SC) Lok Sabha seats respectively. Rajveer Singh, the son of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and BJP stalwart Kalyan Singh, is looking to score a hat-trick from Etah, which was represented in 2009 by his father as a candidate of the Jan Kranti Party. In Bareilly, the main contest has narrowed down to the BJP's Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar and the SP's Praveen Singh Aron after the nomination papers of BSP candidate Chhotey Lal Gangwar were rejected. In the third phase, the BJP has given tickets to five new faces -- Chhatrapal Gangwar from Bareilly, Durvijay Singh Shakya from Budaun, Anoop Pradhan Balmiki from Hathras, Vishwadeep Singh from Firozabad and Jayveer Singh from Mainpuri. The first four replaced Santosh Gangwar, Sanghamitra Maurya, Rajveer Singh Diler and Chandrasen Jadaun. Jayveer Singh is the sole candidate in this phase who replaced a losing candidate from the BJP. The BJP retained the winning candidates from Etah, Agra (SC), Aonla and Fatehpur Sikri. It also gave a ticket to Parameshwar Lal Saini from Sambhal Lok Sabha seat. The Congress has fielded Ramnath Singh Sikarwar from Fatehpur Sikri, while its INDIA bloc ally SP has fielded candidates in the remaining nine seats in this phase. Uttar Pradesh has 80 parliamentary constituencies, the largest number among all states. Polling in the state is spread across all seven phases from April 19 to June 1. The counting of votes will be taken up on June 4.

Woman gets 1,653 days in jail after man does time in false rape case

Additional district court in Bareilly booked a woman under section 195 (giving false or fabricated evidence with intention to procure conviction) of IPC for changing her statement and turning hostile in a confinement and rape case. ADJ Gyanendra Tripathi sentenced her to 1,653 days in jail along with Rs 5.9 lakh cash fine on Saturday evening.

Bareilly constituency of Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha Election 2024: Date of voting, result, candidates list, main parties, schedule

Vaani Kapoor in and as 'Badtameez Gill', headlines dramedy set in Bareilly & London

Rahul Gandhis decision to contest from Rae Bareilly

Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi's decisionto contest in the ongoing Indian parliamentary elections from the Rae Bareilly constituency in Uttar Pradesh, instead of Amethi, has been widely commented on by the Indian media, as if it was a great historical event.

Vaani Kapoor to play the lead in 'Badtameez Gill', shoot starts soon in Bareilly

Vaani Kapoor to play the lead in Badtameez Gill shoot starts soon in Bareilly

Vaani Kapoor teams up with Aparshakti Khurrana and Paresh Rawal for 'Badtameez Gill'

Bollywood actress Vaani Kapoor is set to star in the upcoming dramedy film Badtameez Gill directed by Navjot Gulati. The movie revolves around a modern-day girl and her family, with the story spanning locations in Bareilly and London. Kapoor will be joined by Aparshakti Khurrana playing her brother and Paresh Rawal as her father.

Vaani Kapoor to star in dramedy movie Badtameez Gill

Described as a coming of modern-age dramedy, the film is about a girl (Kapoor) and her family set in Bareilly and London

Vaani Kapoor to Star in Forthcoming Dramedy 'Badtameez Gill'

Vaani Kapoor to Star in Forthcoming Dramedy 'Badtameez Gill' Bollywood star Vaani Kapoor will play the lead role in ''Badtameez Gill'', an upcoming movie from filmmaker Navjot Gulati. Described as a ''coming of modern-age dramedy'', the film is about a girl (Kapoor) and her family set in Bareilly and London, a press release said. The project, which will soon start shooting in Bareilly, will also feature ''Jubilee'' star Aparshakti Khurrana in the role of Kapoor's brother and veteran actor Paresh Rawal as her father. ''We needed a gorgeous, confident girl who can be a riot for her family & her friends. Vaani is this person in real life. So, when we met her, we knew we had found our lead! She will light up the screen with her presence and hopefully we will entertain a lot of people with our film,'' producers Nickky Bhagnani and Viicky Bhagnani said in a statement. ''Badtameez Gill'' is produced by Nickky Bhagnani and Viicky Bhagnani, Ankur Takrani and Akshad Ghone. Gulati is best known for writing movies such as ''Running Shaadi'' and ''Ginny Weds Sunny''. His directorial credits include ''Jai Mummy Di'' and the upcoming movie ''Pooja Meri Jaan''. Besides ''Badtameez Gill'', Kapoor will also feature in ''Khel Khel Mein'', co-starring Akshay Kumar, Taapsee Pannu, Ammy Virk, Aditya Seal, Pragya Jaiswal and Fardeen Khan.

Amit Shah slams dynastic SP, Congress for skipping Ram temple opening

LUCKNOW: Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on the opposition bloc, especially the Samajwadi Party, over dynastic politics while addressing poll rallies in Badaun, Bareilly, and Sitapur on Thursday. He slammed Congress and SP leaders for refusing to attend the consecration of Ram Lalla. In Badaun, Shah criticised the Samajwadi Party for fielding Aditya Yadav, the son of senior SP leader and Akhilesh Yadavs uncle Shivpal Yadav, after much flip-flopping. He accused Akhilesh Yadav of giving tickets to five family members, including himself, his wife Dimple Yadav, and cousins Akshay Yadav, Aditya Yadav, and Dharmendra Yadav, questioning whether no other Yadav besides the first family of SP was capable of contesting elections. Shah addressed a public rally in Budaun, emphasizing that the upcoming election is to give Prime Minister Narendra Modi a third mandate and to tackle issues like terrorism, Naxalism, and crime in Uttar Pradesh. In Bareilly, Shah criticised Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Akhilesh Yadav for not attending the Ram Temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, accusing them of prioritizing their vote banks over national interests. Continuing his tirade against Congress, Shah stated that the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi would end w i t h a C o n g re s s Dhoondho Yatra after June 4. He praised the governance of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, highlighting improvements in law and order and development under his leadership. Shah assured the people of Sitapur that the BJP would protect the reservation provisions for SC, ST, and OBC communities guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. He criticised Congress for allegedly favouring Muslims over other communities and accused them of divisive politics.

Vaani Kapoor in and as Badtameez Gill, headlines dramedy set in Bareilly & London

Vaani Kapoor in and as Badtameez Gill, headlines dramedy set in Bareilly & London Mumbai: Actress Vaani Kapoor is all set to star in the upcoming coming of modern-age dramedy titled Badtameez Gill and its shooting will be taking place in Bareilly. Producer duo Nickky & Viicky in a statement on Thursday said: Vaani [] The post Vaani Kapoor in and as Badtameez Gill, headlines dramedy set in Bareilly & London appeared first on Mangalorean.com .

After June 4, Rahul will take out Congress Dhundho Yatra: Shah in Bareilly

Bareilly (UP), May 2 (UNI) Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah on Thursday targeted Rahul Gandhi and ridiculed him for his erstwhile Bharat Jodo Yatra (Uniting India March), saying what began as his partys campaign to regain popularity sometime back, will soon end with a Congress Dhundho Yatra (Finding Congress March), suggesting that... The post After June 4, Rahul will take out Congress Dhundho Yatra: Shah in Bareilly first appeared on Central India's Premier English Daily .

Congress dhoondo yatra will be taken out after June 4: Union HM Amit Shah

Congress dhoondo yatra will be taken out after June 4: Union HM Amit Shah Bareilly: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi had taken out the Bharat Jodo Yatra but after June 4, it would be time for Congress Dhoondo Yatra. Addressing a rally in Bareilly, he said, [] The post Congress dhoondo yatra will be taken out after June 4: Union HM Amit Shah appeared first on Mangalorean.com .

Congress Dhoondo Yatra Will Be Taken Out Post June 4...`: Shah Attacks Rahul

Addressing an election rally in Bareilly, Shah alleged that Rahul, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and SP's Akhilesh Yadav did not attend the Ram Temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya fearing this may alienate their vote bank.

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami stokes land Jihad rhetoric

In yet another incident of Islamophobia, Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami recently raised land jihad conspiracy during an election rally in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, to target Muslims. Dhami was speaking at an election rally on April 29. However, the videos of his anti-Muslim hate speech surfaced on the internet a day later. Notably, land 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 .

Amit Shah Predicts 'Congress Dhoondho Yatra' as Conclusion of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra

Amit Shah Predicts 'Congress Dhoondho Yatra' as Conclusion of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday attacked Rahul Gandhi, suggesting that his party will get such a drubbing in election that he will have to take out a 'Congress Dhoondho Yatra' after June 4. Addressing an election rally in Bareilly, Shah alleged that Rahul, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and SP's Akhilesh Yadav did not attend the Ram Temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya fearing this may alienate their vote bank. ''The 'shehzade' (prince) of 'ghamandia' INDI Alliance started his election campaign with Bharat Jodo Yatra but on June 4 (counting day), it will end with a 'Congress Dhoondho Yatra','' Shah said. ''In the first two phases, Congress is nowhere, while Narendra Modi has made a century and taken a lead in the '400 race' (race to 400 seats),'' he said. He said that this election is for ending terrorism and Naxalism and making India the third major economy globally. Shah hit out at the INDIA bloc partner Samajwadi Party, saying it indulges in dynastic politics, for its president Akhilesh Yadav has given tickets to five members of his family in the current election. He said that while Akhilesh is contesting from Kannauj and his wife Dimple Yadav is in fray from Mainpuri, Akshay Yadav, Aditya Yadav, and Dharmendra Yadav, all three his family members, are contenders from Firozabad, Budaun, and Azamgarh. ''Had he given a ticket to some Yadav youths, it would have been better,'' he said. Shah said that for the past 70 years, Congress had been stalling the Ram Temple construction, a task the BJP finished. ''When you made Modi PM for the second time, within five years, we won the case, did the groundbreaking, and performed the consecration ceremony of the temple on January 22. Samajwadi Party chief Akhliesh Yadav, Dimple, Rahul and Priyanka, all were invited by the temple trust but they did not attend the consecration ceremony because of the fear of their vote bank,'' Shah said. ''You all know who their vote bank is,'' he added. On revoking Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, he said, ''Congress president asks what do people of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have to do with Kashmir. He doesn't know that for Kashmir, every child of Bareilly can sacrifice his life In Kashmir, our tricolour is flying with pride.'' On the ''surgical strike'' after Pulwama attack, Shah said that under the past Congress governments, there was no reprisal for such acts and anyone could enter the country and do bomb blasts. ''We did a surgical strike inside Pakistan to get rid of terrorists.'' Shah claimed that Uttar Pradesh was riven with communal riots till 2017, when Yogi Adityanath came to power, made it riot-free, and stopped residents' exodus from western UP. ''In Yogi's regime, it is the hooligans who are migrating,'' he said. In Samajwadi Party's UP, factories forged country-made pistols, but now they manufacture tanks and missiles that will be fired on Pakistan, he said. Claiming that the Opposition's INDIA bloc is torn with internal differences, he said, ''Akhilesh wants to become a chief minister. Sonia ji wants his son (Rahul Gandhi) to become the prime minister. Those who are working to make their family members PM and CM, can they think of the poor's welfare?'' In Budaun, Shah referred to renovation and other work done on religious places by the Modi government. ''Be it 'Mahakal ka darbar', Kedarnath Dham, Badrinath Dham or covering with gold of Somnath temple, Modi made places of faith more energetic. Will SP, BSP and Congress do that?'' Shah said. Referring to Akhilesh and Rahul, he said when he stood up in Parliament to introduce the bill to abolish Article 370, ''do ladke'' stood against it and claimed the bill will lead to bloodshed in the valley. ''No one has the courage to pelt a stone there. At Lal Chowk, where no one could go a Krishna Janmashtami procession was taken out,'' Shah said on the post-Article 370 Kashmir. He said that the Congress government did not have courage to counter terrorism due to fear of erosion of its vote bank. Rahul's grandmother (Indira Gandhi) gave the slogan of 'Garibi Hatao' but did nothing to see that it happens on the ground, he alleged. He said Rahul and Akhilesh called COVID vaccine ''Modi ki vaccine'' and ''did politics'' on it when the country was battling a pandemic. ''Akhilesh himself went in the night and took the vaccine with Dimple Bhabhi,'' he said. Bareilly and Budaun will go to poll in the third phase on May 7.

Rahul Will Be Forced To Take Out Congress Dhoondho Yatra After June 4: Shah In Bareilly

Bareilly (UP), May 2: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday attacked Rahul Gandhi, saying he started his partys campaign with Bharat Jodo Yatra that will end with a Congress Dhoondho Yatra, suggesting that the party will get a severe drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections. Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel Addressing an election rally here, Shah alleged that Rahul, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and SPs Akhilesh Yadav did not attend the Ram Temple consecration ceremony [] The post Rahul Will Be Forced To Take Out Congress Dhoondho Yatra After June 4: Shah In Bareilly appeared first on Daily Excelsior .

Rahul will be forced to take out 'Congress Dhundho Yatra' after June 4: Amit Shah in Bareilly

Amit Shah criticizes Rahul Gandhi's campaign, predicting Congress's defeat in Lok Sabha elections. He accuses Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi, and Akhilesh Yadav of avoiding Ram Temple ceremony to not lose votes.

Congress to end Amethi and Raebareilly suspense, to announce candidates in 'next 24-30 hours'

Congress to end Amethi and Raebareilly suspense, to announce candidates in 'next 24-30 hours'

Muslim cleric accuses SP of selling minority votes, calls for boycott

Bareilly: Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, National President of the All India Muslim Jamaat, has alleged that SP was selling minority votes. He called upon the community to boycott SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and his party, and vote either for the BSP or press NOTA. Also ReadTelangana: Shabbir Ali accuses PM Modi of inciting communal hatred 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 .

Ex-MP Dhananjay Singh Released on Bail from Bareilly Jail

Ex-MP Dhananjay Singh Released on Bail from Bareilly Jail Former MP Dhananjay Singh was on Wednesday released from Bareilly jail after he was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court last week. The MP-MLA court in Jaunpur on March 6, sentenced Singh and his associate Santosh Vikram to seven years of rigorous imprisonment in a 2020 kidnapping and extortion case. The former MP was lodged in Jaunpur district jail and was later shifted to Bareilly jail. Allahabad High Court granted bail to Singh on Saturday but refused his plea to suspend or stay a seven-year jail sentence passed by the district court. Singh and his associate Santosh Vikram were found guilty by the district court for their involvement in the kidnapping and extortion of Namami Gange project manager Abhinav Singhal. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Singh said that a fake case was lodged against him in 2020 for exposing corruption in the Namami Gange project in Jaunpur district. Singh has been released on bail but he cannot contest elections due to the conviction in the district court. Singh's wife Srikala Reddy is contesting from Jaunpur parliamentary constituency as a candidate of the Bahujan Samaj Party. In Jaunpur, the BJP has fielded former Maharashtra minister Kripa Shankar Singh, while the SP has fielded Babu Singh Kushwaha, a former BSP minister accused in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam. Dhananjay Singh, who was the BSP MP from Jaunpur between 2009-2014, said that after being released from the jail he will visit Jaunpur. He extended best wishes to his wife for the Lok Sabha elections. Elections in Jaunpur will be held on May 25 in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls.

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.

Travel tips: IRCTC brings tour package to take parents on pilgrimage, will not be a burden on the pocket

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)

Shivpal Shivpal's son Aditya faces fight over peace and development

Entering Budaun from the neighbouring 'Smart City' Bareilly, the largely backward district presents a picture in contrast. The roads are fine but there are fewer signs of big commerce and unemployment emerges as the main issue, even as locals talk about an increased sense of peace under the BJP government.

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

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We are also covering: Amethi, Rae Bareilly And A Congress Dilemma: Fight Or Flight? Tough Choice For Rahul, Priyanka; and other top stories

Seizures Worth Rs 33,000 Crore in UP During Election Period

Lucknow: Law enforcement agencies in Uttar Pradesh have intensified their crackdown on illegal activities like the distribution of cash and liquor to ensure free, fair, and peaceful Lok Sabha elections in compliance with the instructions of the State Election Commission. According to the Election Commission, from March 1 to April 28, liquor, drugs, precious metals, and cash worth Rs 32,977.30 lakh (Rs 329.773 crore) were confiscated in the state. On April 28 alone, seizures amounted to liquor, drugs, and cash worth Rs 182.07 lakh across the state. Ten parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh are scheduled to go to polls in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 7. These constituencies include Agra, Hathras, Firozabad, Etah, Bareilly, Fatehpur Sikri, Alona, Mainpuri, Sambhal, and Badaun. Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa stated, Stringent enforcement of the model code of conduct in the state aims to ensure a fair, inclusive, and secure electoral process free from inducements. He further added, From March 1 to April 28, a concerted effort by various enforcement agencies, including Excise, Income Tax, Police, and Narcotics Department, led to the confiscation of items valued at a total of Rs 32,977.30 lakh. Rinwa provided a breakdown of the seized items, which included Rs 3,211.02 lakh in cash, liquor worth Rs 4,583.70 lakh, drugs worth Rs 21,850.88 lakh, precious metals worth Rs 2,175.30 lakh, and other miscellaneous items totaling Rs 1,156.39 lakh. On April 28, enforcement agencies seized liquor, drugs, and cash worth Rs 182.07 lakh. This included Rs 4.39 lakh in cash, 18,989.75 liters of liquor worth Rs 51.58 lakh, 441,702.58 grams of drugs worth Rs 112.38 lakh, and 5,916 grams of precious metals worth Rs 13.72 lakh. On the same day, authorities seized 361.70 kg of drugs valued at approximately Rs 90.42 lakh in the Phulpur assembly constituency of Prayagraj. Additionally, 5,916 grams of drugs worth around Rs 13.71 lakh were confiscated in the Agra South assembly constituency. Tragedy Strikes as Dam Burst Claims Dozens of Lives in Southern Kenya Congress Authorizes Mallikarjun Kharge to Decide Candidates for Amethi, Raebareli Congress Fields Top Leaders in Punjab for Lok Sabha Polls

Lok Sabha elections: Drugs, liquor, cash worth Rs 329 crore seized in Uttar Pradesh

Lok Sabha elections: Drugs, liquor, cash worth Rs 329 crore seized in Uttar Pradesh In compliance with the instructions of the State Election Commission to ensure free, fair and peaceful Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, the law enforcement agencies have intensified the crackdown on illegal activities such as distribution of cash and liquor in the state. Subsequently, liquor, drugs, precious metals, and cash worth Rs 32,977.30 lakh (Rs 329.773 crore) were confiscated in the state from March 1 to April 28, the Election Commission said on Monday. On April 28 alone, liquor, drugs, and cash worth Rs 182.07 lakh were seized across the state, it added. 10 parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will go to polls in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections scheduled to be held on May 7. The list includes Agra, Hathras, Firozabad, Etah, Bareilly, Fatehpur Sikri, Alona, Mainpuri, Sambhal, and Badaun. Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer, Navdeep Rinwa said, The stringent enforcement of the model code of conduct in the state aims to ensure a fair, inclusive, and secure electoral process free from inducements. From March 1 to April 28, a concerted effort by various enforcement agencies--including Excise, Income Tax, Police, and Narcotics Department--led to the confiscation of items valued at a total of Rs 32,977.30 lakh. This seizure included Rs 3,211.02 lakh in cash, liquor worth Rs 4,583.70 lakh, and significant quantities of drugs worth Rs 21,850.88 lakh, alongside valuable metals worth Rs 2,175.30 lakh and other miscellaneous items totalling Rs 1,156.39 lakh, he said. On April 28, Excise, Income Tax, Police, Narcotics Department, and other enforcement agencies seized a total of Rs 182.07 lakh worth of liquor, drugs, and cash, he said, adding that this included Rs 4.39 lakh of cash, 18989.75 litres of liquor worth Rs 51.58 lakh, 441702.58 grams of drugs worth Rs 112.38 lakh, and 5916 grams of precious metals worth Rs 13.72 lakh. On April 28, authorities seized 361,700 grams (361.70 kg) of drugs valued at approximately Rs 90.42 lakh in the Phulpur assembly constituency of Prayagraj. Additionally, 5,916 grams of drugs worth around Rs 13.71 lakh were confiscated in the Agra South assembly constituency, he added. (ANI)

This party wants to be voice of 'mard' in LS polls

LUCKNOW: Unlike other political parties, winning or losing elections does not matter to the Mera Adhikaar Rashtriya Dal (MARD), which has jumped into the electoral battle to be the voice of the 'mard' and to defend men's honour. MARD has lost deposits on all seats it has contested so far since it was formed in 2018 but its leaders say they are undeterred by election losses. The party has released its 'MANifesto' for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls with the slogan Beton ke samman me, 'mard' utre maidan me (In honour of sons, men have stepped onto the battleground). The party has so far announced candidates for three seats - Lucknow, Ranchi and Gorakhpur. The MARD party has previously contested in seven different elections -Lok Sabha polls in Varanasi and Lucknow in 2019, bypoll in Bangarmau assembly seat in 2020, assembly polls in Bareilly, Lucknow North, Bakshi Ka Talab (Lucknow) and Chauri Chaura seats in 2022. We have jumped into the fray in honour of men, to raise the voice for those who are harassed and exploited in the name of women's security. Winning and losing does not matter to us, MARD party national general secretary Ashutosh Kumar Pandey told PTI. When asked about the fate of his party candidates contesting polls this time, he candidly accepts, This time too, they can lose their deposits. We don't have a lot of resources and we also do not take donations. Our candidates contest at their own expense. The benefit of contesting the polls is that now more parties are coming to raise the issues of men, Pandey said. Kapil Mohan, the party's national president, said men are suppressed in a bid to empower half the population. The party wants to highlight this issue so that people pay attention to it, he said. In the party 'MANifesto', the party has promised that a separate Men's Welfare Ministry and National Men's Commission will be created so that before any policy or law is formulated, the point of view of men is taken into account. It will help in formulating schemes keeping in mind the health, security and honour of men, Pandey added. The party has also promised a Men's Security Bill to save men from exploitation by laws made for women. To ensure that men's side is heard, Pandey said the party has promised a Men power line on lines of Women power line,a helpline which provides immediate assistance to women in cases of harassment, stalking, etc. The party has also promised to promote the self-reliance of women so that men are not harassed in the name of alimony, Pandey said. Pandey claimed over 200 men commit suicide every day as they are not heard properlyy anyone. People will be more aware of men's rights slowly and that was their objective, he said.

Bharatiya Samaj Party aims to represent 'mard' in Lok Sabha elections

Bharatiya Samaj Party aims to represent 'mard' in Lok Sabha elections Unlike other political parties, winning or losing elections does not matter to the Mera Adhikaar Rashtriya Dal (MARD), which has jumped into the electoral battle to be the voice of the mard and to defend mens honour. MARD has lost deposits on all seats it has contested so far since it was formed in 2018 but its leaders say they are undeterred by elections losses. The party has released its MANifesto for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls with the slogan ''Beton ke samman me, mard utre maidan me'' (In honour of sons, men have stepped on to the battleground). The party has so far announced candidates for three seats - Lucknow, Ranchi and Gorakhpur. The MARD party has previously contested in seven different elections Lok Sabha polls in Varanasi and Lucknow in 2019, bypoll in Bangarmau assembly seat in 2020, assembly polls in Bareilly, Lucknow North, Bakshi Ka Talab (Lucknow) and Chauri Chaura seats in 2022. ''We have jumped into the fray in honour of men, to raise the voice for those who are harassed and exploited in the name of womens security. Winning and losing does not matter to us,'' MARD party national general secretary Ashutosh Kumar Pandey told PTI. When asked about the fate of his party candidates contesting polls this time, he candidly accepts, ''This time too, they can lose their deposits.'' ''We don't have a lot of resources and we also do not take donations. Our candidates contest on their own expenses. The benefit of contesting the polls is that now more parties are coming to raise the issues of men,'' Pandey said. Kapil Mohan, the partys national president, said men are ''suppressed'' in a bid to ''empower half the population. The party wants to highlight this issue so that people pay attention to it, he said. In the party MANifesto, the party has promised that a separate Men's Welfare Ministry and National Men's Commission will be created so that before any policy or law is formulated, the point of view of men is taken into account. ''It will help in formulating schemes keeping in mind the health, security and honour of men,'' Pandey added. The party has also promised a Men's Security Bill to save men from exploitation by laws made for women. To ensure that men's side is heard, Pandey said the party has promised for a ''Men power line'' on lines of Women power line a helpline which provides immediate assistance to women in cases of harassment, stalking, etc. The party has also promised to promote self-reliance of women so that men are not harassed in the name of alimony, Pandey said. Pandey claimed over 200 men commit suicide every day as they are not heard properly by anyone. People will be more aware about men's rights slowly and that was their objective, he said.

SP has conceded defeat even before contest, says Yogi

LUCKNOW: Targeting the Samajwadi Party (SP), senior BJP leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday claimed that the states main opposition party had conceded defeat even before preparing for the contest. The frequent changes in candidates by the Samajwadi Party indicate that the party has accepted defeat even before the elections are over, he stated. While addressing a rally in support of Dharmendra Kashyap, who is contesting the Aonla Lok Sabha seat in Bareilly, Adityanath accused the SP, along with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress, of being responsible for creating identity crises and security crises in the country during their back-to-back regimes. He alleged that previous regimes in the UP hampered the countrys development, allowed starvation deaths and adopted an appeasement policy, which resulted in communal flare-ups and the loss of scores of innocent lives. He claimed rampant corruption plagued the state administration before 2014, saying unemployed youth were forced to migrate in search of work. Holding a rally in Etah, Adityanath alleged that the hidden agenda of Congress, SP and BSP is to tamper with the reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and the backward class and impose an inheritance tax on peoples property after surveying it. Addressing a rally in support of BJP candidate Prof SP Singh Baghel from the Agra Lok Sabha seat, the CM stated that the enthronement of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya is a moment to reckon with till eternity. He also held rallies in Badaun for Durvijay Singh Shakya and in Jalalabad, Agra, for Prof SP Singh Baghel.

Lok Sabha Polls 2024: Will Bareilly Ka Bazaar continue to be music to BJP's ears?

The upcoming election in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, takes on new dimensions as BJP stalwart Santosh Singh Gangwar is denied a ticket after eight terms, making it a battleground for the Opposition INDIA bloc. Former Union minister Gangwar's replacement, Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar, faces off against Congress-turned-SP candidate Praveen Singh Aron. While BJP remains confident in Chhatrapal's candidacy, Aron's campaign is bolstered by the support of SP's Bhagwat Saran Gangwar and discontent over Santosh's exclusion. The election is poised to test BJP's stronghold in the region amidst shifting loyalties and a charged political atmosphere.

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.

Dhananjay Singh shifted to Bareilly jail

'Abki Baar 400 Paar' echoes as massive crowd gathers at Modi-Yogi's roadshow in UP's Bareilly

'Abki Baar 400 Paar' echoes as massive crowd gathers at Modi-Yogi's roadshow in UP's Bareilly A massive assembly gathered along the streets of Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly on Friday evening, fervently participating in the grand rally led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The BJP stalwarts were rallying support for the Lok Sabha candidate from Bareilly, Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar. The rally commenced from the Swayamvar Banquet Hall in Rajendra Nagar, traversing through Shivaji Chowk to the DD Puram intersection at Shaheed Chowk. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath urged the public to elect Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar from Bareilly and send him to the House. Responding to their rallying call, the voters of Bareilly resounded chants of 'Jai Shri Ram' and pledged their commitment to achieving the ambitious goal of 'Abki Baar 400 Paar'. Notably, both majority and minority communities joined hands in welcoming Modi and Yogi during the extensive 45-minute roadshow, underscoring a collective spirit of inclusivity. Throughout the roadshow, the public assured Modi and Yogi that, in return for the development, security, and good governance they've provided, they would ensure Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar's victory for the third time in Bareilly under PM Modi's leadership. The air resonated with chants of 'Jai Shree Ram' and musical renditions of devotional songs, enveloping the surroundings in a reverent aura. Enthusiastic slogans like 'Modi-Yogi Zindabad' and 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' echoed through the streets. Earlier, PM Modi addressed a public gathering for the Aonla constituency in Bareilly on Thursday. Addressing a rally at Aonla in Bareilly district, the Prime Minister attacked the INDI alliance, claiming that the leaders of the opposition alliance are seeking votes for changing the Constitution to provide religion-based reservation. The leaders of the INDI alliance are seeking votes so that they can change the constitution for providing religion-based reservations, while I need 400 seats so that their (opposition's) intention of looting the reservations of ST, SC, and OBC and making it religion-based can be buried, the PM said. (ANI)

Abki Baar 400 Paar echoes as massive crowd gathers at Modi-Yogis roadshow in UPs Bareilly

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Modis 12km-long roadshow paints Bareilly in BJP colour

Lok Sabha Polls: Massive Crowd Greets PM Narendra Modi In Bareilly Roadshow

PM Modi was joined by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the BJP candidate in an open flower-bedecked vehicle as the roadshow started from Damru crossing.

Congress was biased against Hindus for vote bank, today they're exposed: PM Modi in Bihar's Araria

Congress was biased against Hindus for vote bank, today they're exposed: PM Modi in Bihar's Araria In a fresh attack against Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed on Friday that the grand old party was iased against Hindus for vote bank. The first right on the resources of our country lies with the poor of this country irrespective of religion. The way Congress was biased against the Hindus of India for their vote bank, today they have been exposed, PM Modi said while addressing a public rally in Bihar's Araria. The Prime Minister attacked the INDIA bloc over the Supreme Court decision rejecting the plea for 100 per cent VVPAT verification of EVM votes and said every leader of the opposition grouping has committed the sin of creating doubts in the minds of people about Electronic Voting Machine and heir dreams have been shattered. They did not let people exercise their right to vote for decades. Booth capturing was very common. They did not even let the people step out to vote. Now when the poor and honest voters have the strength of EVM, they are trying all they can to get rid of the EVM. Today, the Supreme Court has given a strong verdict saying that the old system of ballot paper voting will not come back, he said. He said opposition parties should apologise to the people for creating doubts about the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Today, the whole world praises India for its democracy, for its election process, and its use of technology in the election process and these people for their own self-interest were defaming the EVMs. These people have continuously tried to betray democracy, he said. PM Modi said the verdict of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is to make India strong economically and people of Bihar have an important role to play. Today, there are two main streams in politics. One stream is BJP-led NDA which wants to strengthen the people of India. On the other side is the INDI alliance which wants to fill their own pockets by seizing the property of the people, he said. Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister addressed a public rally in Bihar's Munger in which he attacked the opposition coalition accusing it of appeasement. There is an NDA model on one side and there is an INDI Alliance model on the other. INDI alliance model is appeasement (tushtikaran) and NDA's model is satisfaction (santushtikaran). We have to ensure that no one is left behind. We gave toilets, gas, electricity connections, and water facilities to our mothers and sisters. We gave free ration and free medical treatment, PM Modi said in Munger. We never asked anyone about the religion or caste of the beneficiaries...anyone who is eligible will get the benefits. This is true secularism and true social justice, he added. The Prime Minister said that the Congress party has set its eyes on the wealth of people and wants to conduct an x-ray, adding that it will seize more than half of the properties inherited by the people. The INDI alliance is using all its might for appeasement. The 'Shehzada' of Congress has said something which will bring a problem for everyone. He has said that a survey would be conducted for every family. The families have small properties and savings, women have some jewellery. The 'Stree Dhan' is considered sacred. Congress, which looted the country with corruption, has now set its eyes on your properties, PM Modi said. Congress wants to impose an inheritance tax. They say they will conduct an x-ray of every family. Today, you are able to pass on your properties to your children. But, Congress is planning... the guru of Shehzada (veiled jibe at Sam Pitroda) has said that they will seize more than half of your property. Now, two out of four-room houses, five acres out of 10-acre land, you will have to give to the government. The INDI alliance has come up with this dangerous plan, he added. The Prime Minister also addressed a public meeting in West Bengal's Malda today, where he attacked the ruling Trinamool Congress and its ally Congress. He said the ruling TMC and the Congress, which are partners in the INDIA bloc but are contesting the ongoing Lok Sabha separately in the state, are competing with each other in their 'appeasement' politics and attempts to woo a 'certain' community. The Congress wants to grab your properties and the TMC hasn't spoken a single word against it. They are competing with each other for appeasement and attempts to win over a certain community or vote bank. While the TMC government has worked to grant permanent residency to infiltrators from Bangladesh, the Congress is talking about redistributing your assets among a certain vote bank, PM Modi added. The only glue that holds the TMC and the Congress together is appeasement. These parties can go to any lengths to advance their appeasement politics and reverse any decision taken in the national interest, he added. Amid a verbal assault from PM Modi over its alleged wealth survey and redistribution pitch, the Congress has clarified that neither did it make any promise in its manifesto nor did Rahul Gandhi make any such assurance to voters. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said his party was in favour of a comprehensive socio-economic caste census. Senior party colleague and Lok Sabha candidate, Shashi Tharoor, too, waded into the matter, saying there was no mention of wealth redistribution in the Congress manifesto, adding that it was a desperate attempt by the BJP to divert public attention from the burning bread-and-butter issues affecting the people. Nowhere does it (manifesto) talk about wealth redistribution. Nowhere does it say anything about taking anybody's gold and snatching the mangalsutra of women. These are preposterous claims by the BJP and show their desperation. They know that they are losing these elections and will fling muck at us as much as they can, Tharoor said. PM Modi wrapped up the day's electioneering with a mega roadshow in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly. The day witnessed the voting in 88 constituencies across 13 states/UTs in the second phase today. According to the Election Commission, the overall turnout was registered at around 60.9 per cent. The voting was held in 13 seats in Rajasthan, 20 in Kerala, eight in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, five each in Assam and Bihar, six in Madhya Pradesh, three each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and one each in Tripura, Manipur, and Jammu & Kashmir. The first phase of voting in 102 constituencies across 21 states/UTs were held on April 19. The third phase of the seven-phase parliamentary elections will be held on May 7 and the final phase will be on June 1. The results will be announced on June 4. (ANI)

Massive crowd greets PM Modi in Bareilly roadshow

Massive crowd greets PM Modi in Bareilly roadshow Bareilly: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a massive road show in Bareilly to garner support for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Chhatrapal Gangwar. The BJP has replaced sitting MP Santosh Gangwar, who won the seat for the party eight times, with former Uttar Pradesh minister [] The post Massive crowd greets PM Modi in Bareilly roadshow appeared first on Mangalorean.com .

PM Modi holds roadshow in Uttar Pradeshs Bareilly

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PM Modi's Electrifying Roadshow Draws Mammoth Crowds in Bareilly

PM Modi's Electrifying Roadshow Draws Mammoth Crowds in Bareilly Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday evening led a roadshow here as he waved at the large crowd gathered along the route. Standing on a saffron-coloured vehicle decorated with flowers, Modi held an illuminated 'lotus' symbol and waved it at the people, many of whom carried ''Abki Baar 400 paar'' placards. The prime minister was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and BJP candidate from Bareilly Chhatrapal Gangwar. The roadshow started from the Rajendra Nagar area and will end at the cross-section in DD Puram area, covering a distance of around 1.2 kilometers, local party officials said.

Need 400 seats to stop Opposition from snatching quotas robbing people: Modi

BAREILLY (UP), Apr 25: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the opposition parties wanted to win the Lok Sabha elections to bring religion-based reservation while he sought 400 seats to stop them from snatching the quotas of Dalits and Other Backward Classes. At election rallies in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, he also pitched [] The post Need 400 seats to stop Opposition from snatching quotas robbing people: Modi appeared first on Northlines .

Leaders of INDI alliance seeking votes to change Constitution: PM Modi in Bareilly

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Congress, SP consider themselves bigger than Lord Ram, they also insulted Shri Krishna: PM Modi at Bareilly rally.

Congress, SP consider themselves bigger than Lord Ram, they also insulted Shri Krishna: PM Modi at Bareilly rally. Congress, SP consider themselves bigger than Lord Ram, they also insulted Shri Krishna: PM Modi at Bareilly rally.

Judge, Who Ordered Gyanvapi Videography Survey, Claims Getting Death Threats From International Phone Numbers

Additional Sessions judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar, who in 2022 had ordered for a videography survey of Varanasis Gyanvapi complex, has once again complained about getting death threats, but this time from international numbers. According to a report by Times of India, Justice Diwakar, who has been recently transferred to Bareilly where he has initiated suo Continue reading Judge, Who Ordered Gyanvapi Videography Survey, Claims Getting Death Threats From International Phone Numbers The post Judge, Who Ordered Gyanvapi Videography Survey, Claims Getting Death Threats From International Phone Numbers appeared first on OurVoice | WeRIndia - Analysis & Opinion .

Judge Handling Gyanvapi Survey Alleges Receiving International Calls

Judge Handling Gyanvapi Survey Alleges Receiving International Calls Additional Sessions Judge (Fast Track Court I) Ravi Kumar Diwakar, who had passed an order to conduct a videography survey of Varanasi's Gyanvapi complex in 2022, has complained of getting calls from international numbers, police said on Thursday. Bareilly Senior Superintendent of Police Ghule Sushil Chandrabhan said that he has received a letter from Judge Diwakar. In the letter, Judge Diwakar said that he had been getting calls from international numbers, causing deep concerns following which he approached the police. Judge Diwakar told the police that he received a call from an international number on April 15 at 9.45 pm but he did not answer it. The calls have continued since then, even though he never answers them, the SSP said. The cyber cell and the Kotwali police have been instructed to investigate the matter, he said. Judge Diwakar is known for his strong verdicts. In Bareilly, he gave death sentences to eight people. He also initiated a suo motu action on the 2018 Bareilly riots case and summoned the alleged mastermind, cleric Tauqeer Raza to face trial.

Meet man who once sold tea with his father, cracked UPSC thrice without coaching, became IPS then IAS officer with AIR..

Born in Sitarganj in the Udhamsingh district of Uttarakhand, Himanshu was raisedin Sirauli, a small town in Bareilly district. His childhood was interrupted by immense struggles as the financial condition of his family was very poor.

Railways takes over RINLs forged wheel plant in Rae Bareilly

The take over terms include part payment of cash to the steelmaker -- pegged at 800-900 crore -- and a transfer of 1000 crore of RINLs debt to the forged wheel unit

Drunk father-son duo push man off terrace of hotel in UPs Bareilly

BAREILLY (UP), April 22: A 27-year-old youth was seriously injured after he was allegedly pushed off the first floor of a five-star hotel here by a businessman and his son in an inebriated condition, police said on Monday. The injured man is undergoing treatment in a hospital, while the police have registered a case against []

Drunk father-son duo push man off Hotel terrace in UP

Bareilly: A 27-year-old youth was seriously injured after he was allegedly pushed off the first floor of a five-star hotel here by a businessman and his son in an inebriated condition, police said on Monday.The injured man is undergoing treatment in a hospital, while the police have registered a case against the father-son duo and efforts are on to nab them, they added. The victim, Sarthak Agarwal, had gone to attend an engagement ceremony at a hotel in the city's Izzatnagar area on Saturday evening, the police said citing Sanjay Agarwal, a businessman dealing in chemical supply. Textile businessman Riddim Arora and his father Satish Arora, residents of Janakpuri, were present at the same function, they said. Late in the night, the father-son duo in an inebriated condition allegedly abused Agarwal and even beat him up when he objected, the police said. Later they pushed him off a terrace on the first floor of the hotel, leaving the man seriously injured. They also tried to throw his friend Nandikar when he tried to save Agrawal, they added. According to the victim's father, Riddim had kicked and punched his son even after he fell unconscious and tried to shoot him dead. His friends admitted the injured Sarthak to SRMS Medical College. Izzatnagzar SHO Jaishankar Singh said based on Sanjay's complaint, an FIR was registered against the accused duo on Sunday under Indian Penal Code sections of attempt to murder, assault and intimidation. On Monday morning, a raid was conducted to arrest the accused persons but they were not found at their home. The mobile phones of the Riddim and his father have been put on surveillance. Raids will also be conducted at the places of their acquaintances and relatives. Two teams are working to nab the accused, he said. The entire episode was captured in the CCTV cameras installed in the hotel premises. In the video clip, the accused are seen beating Sarthak who can be seen apologising. Despite this, the accused dragged him and threw him down, the SHO added.

On camera: Man pushed off hotel terrace in Bareilly during wedding celebration

On camera Man pushed off hotel terrace in Bareilly during wedding celebration

There's more hunger in me: actor Rajkummar Rao

There's more hunger in me: actor Rajkummar Rao It has been 14 years for Rajkummar Rao in the movies and the actor says he continues to be hungry for challenging roles quite like his upcoming film ''Srikanth'', in which he plays the visually impaired industrialist Srikanth Bolla. The actor, who made his film debut with 2010's ''Love Sex Aur Dhokha'', has carved a niche for himself with films across genres like ''Shahid'', ''Trapped'', ''Bareilly Ki Barfi'', ''Newton'', ''Stree'', and ''Monica, O My Darling'', among many others. In ''Srikanth'', Rao essays the role of the titular industrialist who pursued his dreams despite his visual impairment, ultimately founding Bollant Industries. Directed by Tushar Hiranandani, the film will hit the screens on May 10. ''I don't really plan. Whatever character, film I'm doing at that moment, that's (becomes) my dream role. I'm only focused on that character and that story. I'm sure there's much more ahead for me. ''Like, two-three years ago I didn't know that I would be able to do 'Srikanth', but it happened. (Today) There's more hunger in me as an actor, and there's more fire. There'll be way more challenging characters (coming) my way,'' the National Award winner told PTI in an interview here. Asked if he would like to do an action film or a potboiler movie, Rao said he didn't have any such desire. ''But if somebody offers me a film like that with a great story attached to it and somebody sensible is making it, then I don't mind it,'' he added. The 39-year-old actor, who has been part of critically-acclaimed biographical projects like ''Shahid'', ''Omerta'' and ''Bose: Dead/Alive'', said there is a duty towards the real-life character he plays on screen. ''In biopics, you're portraying a real-life character. Some people know that character, if not all. So, there's always that comparison. If you hit it right, you'll get a lot of love because people would be like, Wow, he's actually recreated the same person for us on screen. ''But if we hit it wrong, then there's a big problem. It's not a responsibility, but there's some duty towards the person whose life you're portraying because he has his people around who know him for such a long time. So, there's some kind of duty towards his life,'' he said. Rao was Hiranandani's first choice to play the lead role in ''Srikanth'' and the actor said he was a bit scared initially to take up the role. ''I love challenges. And, something that scares me excites me even more. And 'Srikanth' did that to me. I've never played a visually impaired man before. I didn't know if I would be able to do it. ''But that's the fun where you push yourself out of your comfort zone. There was so much research that had to be done. Whenever I get an opportunity like that, I totally cherish it,'' Rao said. The Gurugram-born actor said he wasn't well versed with Bolla's life story until Hiranandani reached out to him for the film. ''But when I got to know about his story, I was inspired... I thought it would be such an inspiring story. I knew the way Tushar wrote it that it won't be a sad film. It would be a film which will make you smile, cry a little but will give you so much. It will also tell you about an important and amazing journey of this great guy called Srikanth,'' he said. Rao recalled his first meeting with Bolla and described the tech entrepreneur as someone who was ''full of life''. ''He is witty, confident, go-getter and loves talking... I was totally zapped because he's so confident about everything in life. Sometimes I would ask him (director Hiranandani) that 'Are you sure he's blind because he comes across as if he is way more normal than us','' he said. Alaya F, Jyotika and Sharad Kelkar also round out the cast of ''Srikanth''. The film is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishna Kumar and Nidhi Parmar Hiranandani.

LS polls: Case registered against SP MLA from Baheri

LS polls: Case registered against SP MLA from Baheri A case was registered against Samajwadi Party MLA from Baheri, Attaur Rahman, on Saturday for making false allegations and hurling abuses on BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Bareilly, Chhatrapal Gangwar, and his nephew, police said. Circle Officer (CO) Pankaj Srivastava said that acting on the complaint of Jitendra Kumar, a resident of Devarniya police station area, a case under sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence. language etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) and 500 (punishment for defamation) was registered against Baheri MLA Attaur Rahman in the Kotwali police station on Saturday evening on the orders of the Senior Superintendent of Police. Citing the FIR lodged on the complaint of Jitendra Kumar, the CO said that the SP MLA had called former minister and Lok Sabha candidate Chhatrapal Gangwar and his nephew as robbers in his speech at Bareilly's Nehru Yuva Kendra on April 16. It was also said that these people will call and ask for money from businessmen and they will drive away these robbers from Bareilly. An attempt was made in the speech to vitiate the atmosphere by commenting on religion. The video of this entire matter has also become public. The CO said that the matter is being investigated.

Voting in third phase in UP: Nomination papers of 104 candidates found valid, 78 papers rejected

Voting in third phase in UP: Nomination papers of 104 candidates found valid, 78 papers rejected The nomination papers of 104 candidates were found valid during scrutiny on Saturday, while the nomination papers of 78 candidates were rejected for the elections to be held in 10 Lok Sabha constituencies in the third phase in Uttar Pradesh, a senior official of the Election Commission said. The nomination papers of BSP candidate Chhotalal Gangwar was rejected as it was incomplete. In the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, the process of filing nomination papers for 10 seats Sambhal, Hathras, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Budaun, Amla and Bareilly began from April 12 and the scrutiny of nomination papers took place on Saturday. The date for withdrawal of nomination papers has been fixed on April 22 and voting in these seats will be held on May 7. Returning Officer of Bareilly Lok Sabha constituency Ravindra Kumar said that the nomination papers of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Master Chhote Lal Gangwar was rejected during the scrutiny because it was incomplete. In the third phase, a number of prominent candidates, including Union Minister and BJP candidate SP Baghel from Agra and Samajwadi Party candidate Dimple Yadav from Mainpuri, are trying their luck. Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa said that in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections-2024, a total of 182 candidates filed nominations for 10 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state. He said that the nominations of 104 candidates were found valid and the nomination papers of 78 candidates were rejected during the scrutiny of nomination papers on April 20. The CEO said that 21 candidates filed their nomination papers for Sambhal Lok Sabha constituency, out of which the nomination papers of eight candidates were rejected and the nomination papers of 13 candidates were found valid. A total of 18 candidates filed the nominations for Hathras (SC) constituency, out of which eight were rejected and the nomination papers of 10 were found valid. In Agra (SC), the nomination papers of all 11 candidates were found valid, whereas for Fatehpur Sikri Lok Sabha constituency, the nomination papers of 9 out of 19 candidates were rejected and the nomination papers of 10 were found valid. In Firozabad, out of total 22 candidates, the nomination papers of 15 candidates were rejected and the nomination papers of seven candidates were found valid. A total of 12 candidates filed nominations in Mainpuri, out of which the nomination papers of four candidates were rejected and the nomination papers of eight were found valid. In Etah, out of the total nominations of 14 candidates, the nomination papers of four were rejected and those of 10 candidates were found valid. Out of a total 16 candidates in Budaun, the nomination papers of four candidates were rejected and the nomination papers of 12 candidates were found valid. In Aonla Lok Sabha constituency, out of 21 candidates, the nomination papers of 12 candidates were rejected and nine were found valid. An official said that a person named Satyaveer had filed his nomination papers as a BSP candidate from Aonla Lok Sabha seat in Bareilly district, but his nomination papers were rejected as he was not the candidate authorised by the party.

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.

NHAI Identifies 33 Highway Stretches For Monetisation Through ToT/InvIT Modes

The identified stretches include Lucknow-Aligarh, Kanpur-Ayodhya-Gorakhpur, and Bareilly-Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh, Gurugram-Kotputli-Jaipur bypass and Jaipur-Kishangarh in Rajasthan, Panikoili-Rimuli in Odisha, Chennai bypass in Tamil Nadu, and Muzaffarpur-Darbhanga-Purnia highway in Bihar.

NHAI identifies 33 highway stretches for monetisation in FY25

NHAI plans to monetise 33 highway stretches covering 2,741 kilometres in the current fiscal year through toll operate transfer (TOT) and infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) modes. Identified stretches include Lucknow-Aligarh, Kanpur-Ayodhya-Gorakhpur, and Bareilly-Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh, among others.

Asaduddin Owaisi's Uttar Pradesh gambit and why it has left the BJP chuckling in delight

The year was 2015. For Sanjarpur, a small village in Azamgarh in eastern Uttar Pradesh, an offer for its adoption by a political leader could well have helped it shun the image of being a error nursery after its two residents, both Indian Mujahideen operatives, were eliminated in Delhis Batla House encounter in 2008. However, the fact that the offer came from the All India Majlis Ittehadul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi from distant Hyderabad made the village people realise quickly that it was nothing more than an attempt by him to win over Muslims in UP. Owaisi, also an MP from Hyderabad in Telangana, reportedly applied to the government for adopting the village under the Sansaad Adarsh Gram Yojna, but nothing further is known of the fate of that application. Hyderabad: Despite anti-incumbency, Owaisi is frontrunner The Owaisi initiative caused sleepless nights for Samajwadi Party leader and the then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav who was into the third year of his term: his comfort zone of the Muslim-Yadav (MY) support was jolted. Long confined to his state, Owaisi had turned to UP (and subsequently Bihar) in the same year. He visited Lucknow during the month of Ramzan (corresponding to July) in 2014 and met, among others, Maulana Saeed Athar Qasmi of the Tehreek Umar Society, an outfit ostensibly dedicated to welfare projects for the Muslims. Qasmi was entrusted with the task of strengthening the membership drive and Mohammad Shaukat Ali of Azamgarh was made the party convenor in the state. In the following year, Owaisi visited the state in January, April and July and brothers Asaduddin and Akbaruddin established a line of contact with the community through a couple of local Muslim leaders in Lucknow and Azamgarh. A rattled Akhilesh Yadav did what he could to check Owaisi's inroads and denied him permission to hold a public meeting in the state as long as he remained the Chief Minister. As per Owaisis own claims, made in a rally in Azamgarh on January 12, 2021, Akhilesh had stopped him from visiting UP 12 times. PDM versus PDA A lot has changed since then. For the 2024 election, Owaisi's party is in alliance with Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), besides two smaller outfits Pragatisheel Manav Samaj Party and Rashtriya Uday Party. The alliance thus formed is named PDM, standing for Pichhdaa (backward), Dalit and Muslim. It came into being after Pallavi Patel's party separated from the INDIA bloc after its demand to be handed the Mirzapur, Phulpur and Kaushambi Lok Sabha seats was not met. Incidentally, PDM seeks to counter Akhilesh's favourite phrase PDA - Pichhdaa (backward), Dalit and Alpsankhyak (backward.) The combination of a Kurmi-dominated Apna Dal (K) and a Muslim-oriented AIMIM may pose a serious threat to Samajwadi Party as both have a score to settle with Akhilesh Yadav. Already, PDM has announced candidates for seven Lok Sabha seats, which includes a Muslim candidate from Rae Bareli and OBC candidates from Bareilly, Hathras, Firozabad, Fatehpur, Bhadohi and Chandauli. SP realizes that Owaisi wishes to make inroads into UP by playing the Muslim card even as the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress are keen on doing the same. The importance of being Akhilesh Yadav in this Lok Sabha election Interestingly, despite having a substantial Muslim population, Uttar Pradesh has not seen a Muslim community-oriented political outfit achieve electoral success in the last several decades. On the other hand, caste-oriented parties as SP and BSP have done much better to achieve dominance in the state. Muslims preferred to support either of these parties after the Congress lost its appeal a few decades ago. The AIMIM has had some success in Bihar, though. In the 2020 Bihar elections, Owaisi's party had won five seats (but in June 2022, four of the MLAs joined the RJD). In this Lok Sabha election, AIMIM has decided to contest 11 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. Maulana Mulayum and the Azam Khan factor In the past, there was a notable attempt to form a Muslim-driven party when the Peace Party, launched by Dr Mohammad Ayub Khan, a medical practitioner from eastern UP in February 2008, contested the UP Assembly elections in 2012 and won four seats. Although it professed to espouse the cause of Dalits and Muslims, its approach was to offer an alternative to Muslims as 'their' party. Interestingly, the past three decades have seen very few leaders emerge from the community itself. Mulayam Singh Yadav held sway over the community, earning the sobriquet of Maulana Mulayam with his strident statements favouring the community especially during 1989-1991. It was in the SP that Muslims saw a tall leader in Azam Khan of Rampur, who wielded considerable influence in western UP. He did help SP consolidate their hold among the community but Akhilesh's arrival in 2017 saw him being marginalised. In the words of S Abbas, a senior lawyer in Lucknow, he SP was considered a well-wisher of Muslims only until Mulayam was alive, but Akhilesh does not care for the community. His disregard for Azam Khan when the latter was hounded by the present government is not unnoticed by the community. The Owaisi plan and its impact Senior Muslim politicians such as Ahmed Hasan, Shafiqur Rahman Burq and ST Hasan did emerge but could not find place in the core team of Akhilesh Yadav. Incidentally, the criminals turned politicians from the community such as Atiq Ahmad and Mukhtar Ansari, only had a limited and local appeal. Mukhtar Ansari: End of a don of many states, many parties In the 2022 Assembly elections, Bahujan Samaj Party gave tickets to 88 Muslim candidates, followed by the Samajwadi Party, who gave it to 64 candidates, and the AIMIM, who gave it to 60. Of these only 32 from SP and 2 from Rashtriya Lok Dal were elected. In some constituencies, AIMIM got more votes than the margin by which the SP candidates lost. If the SP had got those AIMIM votes also, it would have won easily. AIMIM aims to specifically target Muslim-dominated regions, as is evident by Owaisi's recent visit to the family home of late Mukhtar Ansari in Ghazipur and his meeting with local leaders. Incidentally, for some reason Akhilesh visited Ansari household much later. Zia-ul-Haq, a native of Basti, notes that Owaisi has a limited appeal among UP's Muslims primarily because he is a Shia from southern India. His brand of politics has so far not appealed to the community but some educated young Muslims have been drawn to his arguments and statements. His being a lawyer obviously helps. Even though the so-called Muslim vote bank appears to have lost its ability to sway elections in the last 10 years, Owaisi is obviously attempting to rise as the community's go-to leader by playing upon their fears. For the BJP, it means a further fragmentation of the Muslim votes, as the BSP, too, has chosen to field a large number of Muslims this time. Owaisi is widely seen as a polarising figure and if he engages in frequent campaigning, it might lead to further polarization, helping BJP's prospects. It is not for nothing that Owaisi is termed as the B-team of the BJP, observes Abbas. ( Ratan Mani Lal is a senior journalist based in Uttar Pradesh. )

UP: Upset Hindu youth commits suicide by consuming poison after a Maulana influenced his father to convert to Islam in Bareilly

According to Harishankar's family members, a Maulana paid frequent visits to theirhome. The Maulana is reported to be a resident of Ejaz Nagar Gautiya, Bareilly.

EC's novel initiative to increase voter turnout in UP: Polling stations in housing societies

EC's novel initiative to increase voter turnout in UP: Polling stations in housing societies The Election Commission of India has set up more than 200 polling stations within housing societies in the urban areas of Uttar Pradesh to increase the voter turnout in the politically crucial state. In an interview with PTI, state's Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said the poll body is targeting urban areas that have registered a low voter turnout in the past and expressed that Uttar Pradesh will secure the first position as far as voting percentage is concerned. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the voting percentage in Uttar Pradesh was a tepid 59.11 per cent. ''We have taken a number of important steps to ensure that all kinds of barriers that prevent voters from casting votes are removed. We have ensured that the polling station is located within a two-kilometre radius of every voter. ''Also in urban areas, we have undertaken a new initiative of setting up polling stations within gated communities and multi-storeyed housing societies where there has been a low voter turnout in the past,'' Rinwa told PTI. The senior official said 200-plus polling booths have been set up across the state, with Noida taking the lead. ''Uttar Pradesh has the maximum number of such polling stations and Noida has taken the lead in this regard. Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Kanpur, Bareilly and even Mathura will have such polling stations,'' Rinwa said. Asked if the polling percentage in Uttar Pradesh will exceed 60 per cent this time, the CEO said, ''I am confident that UP voters will score the first division and pass with flying colours.'' Rinwa highlighted that SVEEP (Systematic Voter's Education and Electoral Participation) activities are also ongoing in the state. SVEEP is a flagship programme of the Election Commission for voter education, spreading voter awareness and promoting voter literacy. On the tepid voter turnout in 2019, Rinwa said, ''To find out the reasons, we have taken a bottoms-up approach for each assembly constituency. ''We have asked the EROs (electoral registration officers) and DMs (district magistrates) to prepare a Turnout Implementation Plan (TIP) -- an initiative of the ECI -- to identify the reasons for the low turnout in each assembly constituency and polling station. This is happening for the first time in the country,'' Rinwa said. Rinwa said, this time, more than 15.30 crore people across Uttar Pradesh would be exercising their franchise and the voting will be held from 7 am to 6 pm -- except in two assembly constituencies of Sonbhadra district, as it was earlier affected by Left Wing Extremism. Sonbhadra shares its boundaries with Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. ''Keeping this in mind, the polling timing of 7 am to 4 pm has been proposed to the ECI. The ECI is yet to approve the timing, as it is done phase-wise,'' he said. Robertsganj (SC) Lok Sabha seat in Sonbhadra will go to polls in the seventh phase on June 1. Asked about the challenges in implementing 'One Nation, One Election' in a state like Uttar Pradesh, Rinwa said, ''There will be no problems if we have the necessary infrastructure, mainly, sufficient number of EVMs.'' ''We have over 1.62 lakh polling stations... if 'One Nation, One Election' is implemented, a minimum of 3.24 lakh EVMs will be needed, one for LS polls, and one for assembly polls,'' he added. The official further said the weather in April and May will be hot, and it might discourage the voters from coming out. ''Keeping this in mind, we have asked our DEOs (district election officers) to ensure clean drinking water at polling stations and shade for the voters standing in queues. ''We have also asked for some furniture for senior citizens, pregnant women and physically challenged voters,'' Rinwa said. Rinwa said the people have been advised to use the early morning hours to cast their vote to avoid the afternoon sun. On steps taken by the ECI to ensure that the polling staff also remains physically and medically fit during the election period, the UP CEO said, ''We will provide medical kits to all the polling teams, along with a list of do's and don'ts.'' On the challenges faced by the poll body, the official said, ''In UP and Bihar, there are a number of voters in the voters' list, who do not exist. This happens as people do not file Form 7 to get their names deleted.'' ''In the recent special summary revision, we have taken a number of steps to ensure that our voter list is clean,'' he added. Form 7 has to be filed in case of the death of a voter, shifting to a different constituency, and duplication of a voters identity among other reasons.

Wont tolerate distortion of facts via social media comments, says SC

NEW DELHI: Expressing its displeasure over the way the social media was being misused to make comments on pending cases, the Supreme Court has said that it will not tolerate distortion of facts. A two-judge bench of Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Bela M Trivedi made these observation, while hearing a contempt plea filed by Aminul Haque Laskar, who is now part of the Congress (INC), against All India United Democratic leader and Assam MLA Karim Uddin Barbhuiya. Justice Bose retired on Wednesday. The apex court also asked Barbhuiya to respond to the contempt case filed against him by Laskar. Courts shoulders were broad enough to deal with criticism. It is a matter of serious concern that now-a-days there has been a profuse misuse of social media platforms on which the messages, comments, articles etc. are being posted in respect of the matters pending in the Court, the bench noted. The court also pointed out that posts on social media platforms under the guise of right to freedom of speech and expression, which have the tendency of undermining the authority of the courts or of interfering with the course of justice, deserves serious consideration. Laskar in his contempt petition said that the AIUDF leader had uploaded a post on March 20 on Facebook claiming that he (Barbhuiya) had won a case, at a stage when the top court had only reserved its judgment in the matter. Questioning the posts on social media with respect to pending cases, the court took said, It was very usual that the judges do react during the course of the arguments being made by the lawyers, sometimes in favour and sometimes against a party to the proceeding. But that did not give any right to either of the parties or their lawyers to post comments or messages on the social media distorting the facts or not disclosing the correct facts of the proceedings. The court said such conduct needs to be taken up extremely seriously when parties attempt to interfere with pending proceedings and prejudice the administration of justice. SC fixed the matter for further hearing after four weeks. The SC ordered that a copy of the courts order should be sent to the AG of India. Also in top court SC stays NBW issued against cleric Tauqeer In a relief to prominent Muslim cleric, Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, the Supreme Court has granted an interim stay on the execution of the non-bailable warrant issued against him in the 2010 Bareilly communal riots case. On March 2, 2010, riots broke out in the UP over a religious procession route. Many were injured and shops and vehicles burned. Issue notice limited to the impugned order having been passed without assigning any reason. In the meanwhile, there shall be stay of operation of the impugned order, it said. SC to hear plea on Lyngdoh panel report The Supreme Court will hear on July 23 a plea challenging a recommendation by the Lyngdoh Committee which stipulates that a candidate cannot contest more than once for the post of an office bearer of a students union. The plea came up for hearing on Wednesday before a bench of Justices Surya Kant and K V Viswanathan. Counsel for the respondent(s) seeks and is granted four weeks time to file the counter affidavit, if so required. Post the matter on July 23, the bench said in its April 10 order.

When bigwigs migrate from hills to plains

DEHRADUN : In the hills of Uttarakhand, migration of people is the biggest obstacle in its development. Since hundreds of people have shifted to the plains in the last few years, politicians too are gone, leaving their constituencies in the remote hills. At least six former chief ministers left their parliamentary and assembly constituencies along with other leaders and migrated to the states plains. Formed more than 23 years ago as the 27th state of the country, Uttarakhand was supposed to amplify the demand for the representation from the hilly regions in the assembly and Parliament. After the Almora parliamentary seat was reserved in 2009 and the Haridwar seat was generalized, veteran leaders of Almora seat and Garhwal region had moved to Haridwar. Bharat Ratna recipient Govind Ballabh Pant, Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna and Narayan Dutt Tiwari were the first to start this tradition. BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi, Harish Rawat, Bachi Singh Rawat, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt are also on the list of migrants from the hills. One of the prominent leaders in the hilly regions, Govind Ballabh Pant originally hailed from Almora district. He practised law in Ranikhet. After independence, in the first Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 1951, he contested from Bareilly. Despite being able to contest from Almora or Ranikhet, he became the first UP CM. Speaking to this newspaper, analyst Anoop Nautiyal said: Whether we view the migration as a challenging problem or an undeniable reality, the fact is that both leaders and residents have chosen to leave these areas. He said the trend is due to leaders predilection to stay in the plains. It is difficult to garner peoples support in remote hilly areas. In the plains, it is easier to chart out ones political career, said Nautiyal. Historian Jai Singh Rawat said the exodus from the hills has become common, with leaders also descending to the plains out of necessity. It is a harsh reality. As flies are drawn to honey, individuals too shift to areas of perceived benefits.

SC stays operation of Non-Bailable Warrant issued against cleric Tauqeer Raza Khan Ticker: 2010 Bareily riots case

NEW DELHI, April 11: In a relief to prominent Muslim cleric, Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, the Supreme Court has granted an interim stay on the execution of the non-bailable warrant issued against him in the 2010 Bareilly communal riots case. On March 2, 2010, riots had broken out in the Uttar Pradesh town over a []

Mastermind in UP police recruitment paper leak case arrested from Jewar

LUCKNOW: In a major breakthrough, the Special Task Force (STF) of UP Police nabbed Ravi Atri, 38, the mastermind of the police constable recruitment paper leak, on Wednesday. He was arrested from Jewar in Gautam Budhh Nagar. A native of Gautam Budh Nagar and based in Delhi before going underground following a probe into the police recruitment paper leak, Atri happens to be the 401st accused arrested so far in connection with the paper leak racket. UP Police Recruitment Board had held an examination to recruit 60,000 constables on February 17 and 18 where over 48 lakh candidates had appeared. Later, the government cancelled the tests and ordered re-examination following the paper leak. While the re-examination will be done in next 6 months, a manhunt was launched for those behind the fiasco. Atri was on the run ever since. An intensive investigation unfolded across various states including Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana and districts of UP including Varanasi, Jhansi, Agra, Kanpur, Bareilly, Ghaziabad, Prayagraj, Meerut, Gorakhpur, Hathras, Noida, and Ballia. A total of 12 cases have been registered in connection with the scandal. Additional DG, law and order, Amitabh Yash, said that efforts of STF Field Unit Meerut tracked Atri and arrested him. During interrogation, Atri said that after passing the Intermediate examination from Shriram Inter College, Thora, Gautam Budh Nagar, in 2006, the accused went to Allen Coaching Centre, Kota, Rajasthan for medical preparation where he came in contact with the examination mafia in 2007. He then started appearing as a solver in various competitive examinations. After passing the HPMT examination in the year 2012, he got admission in PGIMS, Rohtak, Haryana and passed the third year in 2018 but did not appear in the fourth-year examination. Prior to it, he was nabbed by Daryaganj Crime Branch, Delhi in the paper leak case of NEET PG exam in the year 2012 and went to jail. He was also incarcerated the same year after Shahbad Dairy police station, Delhi arrested him for getting the paper of SBI exam out. In 2015, the AIPMT paper was out. The STF said that now Delhi police constable Vikram Pahal, Goldy, Guniya, Dawood, Neetu, Monu Dhakla, Anurag and Ankit Mishra were wanted in connection with the case. Held for getting paper of SBI exam out Prior to it, he was nabbed by Daryaganj Crime Branch, Delhi in the paper leak case of NEET PG exam in the year 2012 and went to jail. He was also incarcerated the same year after Shahbad Dairy police station, Delhi arrested him for getting the paper of SBI exam out.

Ground report: Changing candidates in Pilibhit, Bareilly may impact BJP in UP

Pilibhit has been represented by the mother-son duo of Maneka and Varun Gandhi since 1996 and the locals share a deep sentimental connection with the family, which, they say, has stood with them in their times of need. BJP will win because of PM Modi's popularity. But had Varun Gandhi contested, it would have probably won with a higher number of votes, Ram Swaroop, a village head from the Marauri block of Pilibhit, told ET.Gandhi had won with more than 700,000 votes in 2019.

Maneka, Varun not in fray after three decades, BJP goes full steam with campaigning in Pilibhit

Maneka, Varun not in fray after three decades, BJP goes full steam with campaigning in Pilibhit For the first time in more than three decades the mother-son duo of Maneka and Varun Gandhi will not be in the fray from the Pilibhit constituency for which the BJP is going full throttle with Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to address a mega election rally here on Tuesday. The party has denied a ticket to sitting MP Varun Gandhi from the constituency that has been represented either by him or his mother since 1996. Instead, it has fielded Uttar Pradesh Minister Jitin Prasada from the seat. Pilibhit goes to polls on April 19 in the first of the seven-phase Parliamentary elections. Prasada, who won the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha polls from Shahjahanpur and Dharura constituencies, respectively, on Congress ticket, crossed over to the BJP in 2021. So far, he is the only Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister to be fielded in this Lok Sabha polls. However, the member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council is facing an uphill task of making a political ground for himself in Pilibhit where locals express a deep connection with Varun Gandhi. ''Jitin Prasada has very little influence in Pilibhit. As of now, he is being seen as an outsider fielded up by the BJP for the polls here,'' said Sushil Kumar Gangwar, a retired college principal. Maneka Gandhi won the seat on a Janata Dal ticket in 1989, lost in 1991 and won again in 1996. She won from the constituency again in 1998 and 1999 as an Independent candidate. She won the seat in 2004 and 2014 as a BJP candidate. Varun Gandhi won the seat in 2009 and 2019 as a BJP candidate. She is seeking reelection from Sultanpur which she won as BJP candidate in 2019. Baburam Lodhi, a local village head, said, ''Varun Gandhi's connection with Pilibhit is very old and deep. This bond was reflected in the emotional letter he wrote after being denied nomination from the seat.'' Varun Gandhi wrote an emotional letter to the people of his constituency in which he asserted that his relationship with them would remain intact till his last breath. The incumbent MP asserted that his relationship with Pilibhit is one of love and trust which is far above any political calculations. Though Jitin Prasada claims to have the full support of the party organisation, locals claim those close to Varun are not happy with the BJP's decision. Prasada has so far remained tight-lipped on the issue. At public meetings, he describes himself as an ambassador of Modi and seeks votes in the prime minister's name. In a show of support for Prasada, BJP MLAs under Pilibhit Lok Sabha constituency -- Sanjay Gangwar, Baburam Paswan, Vivek Verma and Swami Prakhashanand -- were proposers in his nomination papers. ''Varun Gandhi has not come to Pilibhit even once after he was denied a ticket. He didn't even attend the election event of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and is likely to skip Prime Minister Modi's rally. This certainly gives a message,'' said Balwant Singh, a Sikh farmer in the Puranpur area of the district. Party sources say that PM Modi's rally in Puranpur has been planned to ''clear doubts in the minds of voters'' and ''push the case for Jitin Prasada.'' The rally will be the first by a prime minister in the constituency in close to a decade. In 2014, then incumbent prime minister Manmohan Singh held a Lok Sabha poll rally in Pilibhit. According to estimates, Pilibhit, located in the Terai belt bordering Nepal, has around 18 lakh electorate with Kurmis being the third largest voter group after Muslims and Lodhis. The Mauryas, Pasis and Jatavs are seizable vote banks, followed by Bengalis, Brahamin and Sikhs. The BJP's main rival Samajwadi Party has fielded Bhagwat Saran Gangwar in the seat. A former minister, Gangwar is said to have a hold on the influential Kurmi voters here. In public meetings, the Samajwadi Party candidate toes the party line and speaks of saving democracy and protecting the rights of PDA -- ''Pichhada (backwards), Dalit and Alpsankhyak (minorities)''. ''The PDA family is being harassed by the ruling party and it will not stop till the government is changed. We also have to protect the Constitution from those who are adamant about changing it,'' he said. However, unlike the BJP, that has organised public meetings of Chief Minster Yogi Adityanath, his deputy Brajesh Pathak and the party's state unit president Bhupendra Singh to canvass for Prasada, top Samajwadi Party leadership has not held any rally for Bhagwat Saran Gangwar. The BSP fielded Anis Ahmed, a former Uttar Pradesh minister, for the seat. Political observers feel that he can dent the Samajwadi Party's prospects in the constituency by attracting a substantial number of Muslim votes. Ahmed has so far focused his campaign in Muslim pockets of the constituency. ''We have been neglected by both the BJP and SP. It is time that we realise this and unite with our Dalit brothers to take power,'' the BSP said in a public meeting here on Friday evening. Pilibhit Lok Sabha constituency has five assembly segments -- Baheri, Pilibhit, Barkhera, Puranpur and Bisalpur. In the 2022 assembly elections, the BJP recorded massive wins in four assembly segments. The Samajwadi Party managed victory in Baheri. ''The 2022 assembly elections results are certainly a great motivator for the BJP. But the way they are campaigning for Jitin Prasada shows that the party doesn't want to leave anything to chance,'' said Dr Somendra Agarwal, a retired medical officer. With over three dozen private hospitals in the city area itself, Pilibhit is a medical hub in the Terai belt after Bareilly. It however has only one Government Degree college and it is for girls. Locals complain about a dearth of industries in the region, except a few prominent sugar mills. ''It is very difficult for a youngster belonging to the middle class to have growth opportunities here. It is the rich who are prospering,'' claimed Vivek Kumar Aggarwal, a political science student from here enrolled in a government college in the adjoining Bareilly district. The district, however, has a thriving tourism economy steered by the ecologically rich Pilibhit Tiger Reserve. However, the growth in the sector is limited in the absence of sufficient infrastructure like better road and rail connectivity. Major parts of the constituency suffer from flooding by the Sharda river in monsoons. ''The politicians have for long neglected the core issues of Pilibhit. People here have always voted over sentiments and that can change with time,'' said Pradeep Gangwar, a local trader.

UP: Mohammad Ansari poses as Kallu Yadav to trap a Hindu widow, threatens her to convert to Islam by blackmailing with her intimate pictures

Another case of purported love jihad came to the fore from Rae Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh where a Muslim youth named Mohammad Ansari hid his religious identity and posed as a Hindu to trap a Hindu widow in his love affair.

Banbhoolpura violence: Wife of mastermind arrested from Uttar Pradesh

Banbhoolpura violence: Wife of mastermind arrested from Uttar Pradesh The wife of Banbhoolpura violence mastermind Abdul Malik has been arrested from a village in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district, a senior police official said on Thursday. Safia was arrested from Biharipur village in Bareilly on Tuesday by the Uttarakhand Police. Nainital SSP Prahlad Narayan Meena said she has been arrested on charges of carrying out illegal plotting, construction and transfer of land by using the name of a dead person under criminal conspiracy to grab government land in Malik Ka Bagicha area of Haldwani, he said. Her husband Abdul Malik and their son Abdul Moeed are already in custody. The two were arrested on February 24 and February 28 respectively. Violence broke out in Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani on February 8 over the demolition of an 'illegally' constructed madrassa and an adjoining mosque. The violence left six persons dead and more than a 100, including police personnel and journalists injured.

PM Modi to address digital NaMo rally of UP BJP booth members, 'panna pramukhs' on Apr 3

PM Modi to address digital NaMo rally of UP BJP booth members, 'panna pramukhs' on Apr 3 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday will address a digital NaMo rally through the NaMo app at all 22,648 booths of 10 Lok Sabha seats going to the polls in the third phase in Uttar Pradesh. According to a BJP release issued here on Tuesday, the prime minister will also interact with some booth presidents on this occasion. Prime Minister Modi will connect through the NaMo app with the workers of 22,648 booths of Sambhal, Badaun, Bareilly, Aonla, Etah, Hathras, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad and Mainpuri Lok Sabha seats on Wednesday at 1 pm, BJP state general secretary Sanjay Rai said in the release. The prime minister will address the booth committee members and 'panna pramukhs', it added. The office-bearers of state, area and district units will also go to their booths and join this NaMo rally. Modi will also personally talk to some booth presidents and get information about the activities of the party, it added. Voting for the 10 seats in the third phase will take place on May 7.

PM Modi to address booth committees members, panna pramukhs of UP virtually tomorrow

PM Modi to address booth committees members, panna pramukhs of UP virtually tomorrow Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the digital Namo rally through the Namo app at all the booths of 10 Lok Sabha seats falling under the third phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday. On this occasion, he will also talk to some booth presidents. State General Secretary Sanjay Rai said that in the third phase, voting will be held on May 7 in Sambhal, Badaun, Bareilly, Aonla, Etah, Hathras, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad and Mainpuri. Prime Minister Modi will connect with the workers through the Namo app on April 3 at 1 pm at 22,648 booths in all these Lok Sabha seats. Sanjay Rai said that the Prime Minister will address the booth committee members and panna in-charges in the Namo rally. He said that state, regional and district officials will also join this Namo rally by visiting their booths. He said that the Prime Minister himself will talk to some booth presidents and will also get information about the party's activities. Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases beginning April 19. Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs, 80, to Parliament, will vote in all seven phases. Earlier in the 2019 elections, proving all the arithmetic of the SP-BSP 'mahagatbandhan' in Uttar Pradesh wrong, the BJP and its ally Apna Dal(S) won 64 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats. The alliance partners, Akhilesh Yadav's party and Mayawati Party's, won 15 seats. Voting for phases one and 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. The Uttar Pradesh electorate will also vote in phases five, six and seven on May 20, May 23 and June 1 respectively. The votes will be counted on June 4. The elections for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held from April 19 to June 1, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 4. (ANI)

UP CM interacts with intelligentsia to garner support for Pilibhit, Badaun, Bareilly candidates

LUCKNOW: UP CM Yogi Adityanath visited Pilibhit, Bareilly and Budaun to campaign for the BJP candidates of the ensuing polls on Tuesday. While Yogi cabinet minister Jitin Prasada is the BJP candidate in Pilibhit, Durvijay Singh is in Budaun, and Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar in Bareilly. In fact, on all the tree seats of Rohilkhand, the party has changed the candidates. While Jitin Prasada has replaced sitting BJP MP Varun Gandhi in Pilibhit, Surviaya Singh has been preferred to Sanghmitra Maurya, daughter of Swami prasad Maurya, in Badaun and in Bareilly the veteran sitting BJP MP and former Union Minister Santosh Gangwar has been replaced by Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar. Yogi Adityanath addressed the gathering of intellectuals in all three constituencies to seek vote and support for the three party candidates. Besides that, party candidate Rajveer Singh, son of former CM late Kalyan Singh, from Aonla. Seeking support for Jitin Prasada in Pilibhit, the CM laid stress on the efforts to harmonize heritage with development initiatives. Initiatives such as the establishment of medical colleges, construction of roads and bridges in Pilibhit are being actively pursued to integrate the region with the broader developmental agenda. The government is promoting Pilibhit as a prime destination for eco-tourism, Yogi added. In Pilibhit, he assured the gathering of the efforts being made in order to minimize the man-animal conflict by erecting electric fencing around farm land situated in the middle of the forests. Moreover, he also informed the audience about the compensation moves for farmers affected by wildlife conflicts by integrating the loss of lives with the disaster category. In Badaun, where the Samajwadi party has fielded Shivpal Yadav, CM Yogi accused the SP-Congress alliance of tarnishing the state's reputation and inciting chaos and anarchy during their previous regimes. Their tenure was marked by bomb explosions, present dispensation is committed to organize peaceful Kanwar Yatras, he added. The CM exhorted the voters to unite for a new India under PM Modi's leadership. He mentioned the achievements of Modi government like ban on triple talaq, abrogation of Article 370 from J&K, and the construction of the Ram temple. He also counted the development works done by his government in Badaun where the party has replaced sitting MP Sanghmitrs Maurya who had to pay for her fathers tirade against Sanatan, Hindu deities and Ramcharitmanas. Meanwhile, in Bareilly, the CM said that 2024 elections are an opportunity for the people of India to express their gratitude to Modi Ji. On one side there is the 'Swarth ka Parivar and on the other side there is 'Modi ka Parivar of 140 crore Indians. The CM also praised current and 8-time BJP MP Santosh Gangwar for his relentless efforts towards the development of Bareilly.