UP Election: BJP-led alliance to get 80 per cent seats in assembly polls, says Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday claimed that the BJP and its allies are all set to get 80 per cent seats in the Assembly elections as people have voted for the party on issues of nationalism, development, good governance and security.

"Casteism has been demolished. Those who indulged in dynasty politics have failed. People have given their support to the BJP on the issue of nationalism, development, good governance and security in the six phases of polling held so far and this trend is continuing in the seventh and last phase scheduled for Monday," Adityanath told reporters here. "I can say with full confidence that when polling is over and results are declared on March 10, 80 per cent seats will be won by the BJP with its allies and it will form its government with a massive majority," he said. Attacking the Opposition, he said people have come to know that their sensitivity is only for professional mafia, criminals and terrorists. People will not give them another opportunity, he said.

Union minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said the BJP will win the Uttar Pradesh election riding on pro-incumbency vote, thus breaking the jinx that the people of the state never give a second consecutive term to any political party. It is often seen that a ruling party faces anti-incumbency sentiments after being in power for five years, he said. However, ever since Narendra Modi took over as the prime minister in 2014, the election pattern at the Centre and the state has thrown up a new phenomenon in favour of pro-incumbency, which is sometimes difficult to comprehend, analyse or predict, the Union minister of state for personnel said. Behind this changed response of the voters, there has been a lot of serious strategisation with sensitivity, he added.

The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) on Saturday said it will decide its stand after the Goa election results by taking the ally Trinamool Congress in confidence, but will "never support" Pramod Sawant as chief minister. Sawant, chief minister of the outgoing BJP government, had sacked MGP ministers from his cabinet, said MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar, but did not categorically rule out supporting the BJP again. Results of the Assembly elections in Goa would be declared on March 10. Dhavalikar told PTI that in case of a fractured mandate, his party and the TMC will decide whether to support any party or coalition only after taking each other into confidence.

Top BJP leaders on Saturday exuded confidence that the party will form the government in four states where it was in power, including in Uttar Pradesh, and it will make impressive gains in Punjab. Addressing a joint press conference here, BJP president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the party will get a massive majority in Uttar Pradesh and those hoping for any dilution in the party's mandate would be disappointed. "People will give BJP a good majority in four states where it is in power," Nadda said.

BJP national president J P Nadda on Saturday accused the Congress of misleading farmers in the name of loan waiver, and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given Rs 6,000 to farmers every year under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme. "Today many people call themselves farmer leaders, but they did nothing for the community. The Congress has misled the farmers in the name of loan waiver. (On the other hand) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given Rs 6,000 every year to farmers under PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi," he said at an election meeting.

Describing Uttar Pradesh as the land of her forefathers, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday vowed not to leave the state regardless of the ongoing assembly elections results. Accusing her party rivals in general of practising politics of caste and religion and the BJP in particular of pursuing “hollow nationalism”, she said she would stay put in the state and continue to fight for its people till the emergence of a true and correct change in its politics.

The high-octane campaign for the seventh and final phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly election covering 54 assembly seats, including in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency Varanasi, ended on Saturday, with the BJP and its rival parties attacking each other on a range of issues from COVID-19 handling, law and order, economic and security situation to farmers' stir. With this, the curtain came down on rumbustious electioneering over the last two months when assembly polls were also held in four other states - Goa, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Manipur.

We will form the govt again in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur and will have good performance in Punjab: Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah in Delhi

People will give BJP good majority in four states where it is in power: BJP chief J P Nadda at press conference

In these 4 states, another major focus was on development - educational institutions, connectivity, highways, airports and more. In UP, 5 airports have come up, 10 universities, 78 degree colleges, 28 engineering colleges, 59 medical colleges have been started. 

Before 2017 there used to be violence during elections but now elections are taking place in a peaceful manner. Polling for six phases has been completed and campaigning for the seventh phase is going on peacefully, says UP CM Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow

PM Modi changed the country's agenda. PM Modi focused on villages, poor, underprivileged sections who were deprived of development and welfare schemes. We closed illegal slaughterhouses and established an Anti-Romeo squad to provide safety to women, says Yogi Adityanath

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday interacted with intellectuals and other prominent personalities here and said if the BJP returns to power in Uttar Pradesh, the state will be at the forefront of economic development. Modi, who represents Varanasi in the Lok Sabha, also stressed the need for a stable government in the state which can take bold decisions, according to the participants. Nearly 200 participants interacted with the prime minister at the 'Prabudh Varg Sammelan' held at Raman Niwas here.

Ahead of the last phase of polling in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that his government has provided five lakh government jobs while his policies created two crore self-employment opportunities in the last five years in the state. "In the last five years, we have given government jobs to five lakh youth and worked to ensure that around two crore youngsters are engaged in self-employment. The BJP has also made arrangements for the drinking water in every house through 'Har Ghar Nal Yojana'," said Adityanath while addressing a public rally in Sonbhadra.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah urged the voters in Jaunpur on Saturday to elect candidates who have the "values of service" in their DNA. He also asserted that one or two gangsters, who are still out of jail, will be put behind bars once the BJP returns to power in the state on March 10, when the results of the ongoing Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls are declared. Addressing a poll meeting in the Malhani Assembly constituency, Shah said, "Do not make the musclemen win this time. You should make such a candidate win who has the values of service in his DNA. The one who does not want to snatch, but wants to give. The one who does not slap anyone, but wants to send the person who has slapped to jail."

The contest for the five assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur appears to be challenging for the BJP even though it had swept the district, neighbouring the prime minister's Varanasi parliamentary constituency, last time riding the “Modi wave”. The five seats of Mirzapur – Chunar, Mariyan, Mirzapur Nagar, Majhawan, and Chhanbey – will vote in the last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, and are poised for a strong contest between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party. The BSP and the Congress candidates are working to ensure that the contest is a multi-cornered one. An anti-incumbency sentiment was evident among several people in the district.

The Election Commission has suspended an official deployed as a zonal magistrate for elections in the Kairana Assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh for negligence in duty, officials said on Saturday. Voting for the Kairana Assembly seat in Shamli district was held on February 10 in the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections.

On the directives of the Election Commission, Assistant Commissioner of Commercial Taxes Narender Pratap Singh, who was deputed as zonal magistrate in the Kairana constituency, has been suspended, Shamli District Magistrate Jasjit Kaur said.

The district authorities had recommended action against the official based on a complaint stating EVM machines were found unattended in his vehicle after polling in the constituency. The complaint was lodged by the Samajwadi Party. A policeman and a home guard have already suspended in this connection.

The Congress on Saturday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for campaigning in his constituency Varanasi for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls at a time when thousands of Indian students are stranded in war-torn Ukraine.

Taking to Twitter, Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, "Ukraine:Our students stranded at Pisochyn, Road show at Varanasi, No show at Pisochyn, Sad but true."

The Election Commission on Friday barred Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party candidate Abbas Ansari from campaigning for 24 hours in the ongoing Uttar Pradesh assembly polls over a speech threatening to "settle the account" with government officials. The 24-hour ban on the Mau candidate began at 7 pm on Friday. Abbas is the son of jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari. The Election Commission order cited a video clip of Abbas Ansari's speech in Hindi, in which he threatens to "settle the account" with government officials.

"Commission has observed that the aforesaid statement is threatening to various officers including officers assigned election duties to conduct peaceful, free & fair elections and hence the statement has potential to interfere with free exercise of the electoral right of electors," the order read.

Crowds cheered and showered flower petals on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cavalcade as he held a mega roadshow here, drumming up support for BJP candidates ahead of the last phase of the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh. Modi stood in an open-roof vehicle as the convoy travelled over three kilometres through the holy city, part of the prime minister’s Lok Sabha constituency. The crowd chanted "Jai Shri Ram" and "Har Har Mahadev", and showered rose petals at several places as Modi waved to them or folded his palms in a ‘namaste’. The PM wore a saffron cap and a "gamcha" (towel) around the neck. Crowds followed Modi all through the roadshow and many people stood on balconies and rooftops, waving at him.

Alleging that militant outfits are intimidating voters and influencing the ongoing assembly polls in Manipur, the Congress on Friday urged the Election Commission to maintain a level-playing field and ensure free and fair polling exercise.

A Congress delegation met the commission ahead of the second phase of polling on Saturday and also raised the issue of the BJP-led state government releasing funds to militant groups under the suspension of operation agreement, despite the model code of conduct being in force.

The party said that these issues have "far-reaching consequences" for the conduct of free and fair elections. The delegation of All India Congress Committee (AICC) senior observer for Manipur Jairam Ramesh and party leader Salman Khurshid met the chief election commissioner and two election commissioners.