Assembly Election 2022 LIVE Updates: TMC announces third list of six candidates for Goa Assembly polls

Congress MLA Irfan Ansari on Tuesday lashed out at former Union Minister RPN Singh, who earlier in the day quit the grand-old party and joined BJP ahead of the UP elections 2022, saying he was an intruder who looted Jharkhand as long as he was here. He was on a mission by BJP to destroy Congress in the state... He took money for party tickets... He misguided the high command.

AAP on Tuesday released the fourth list of 40 candidates for the Uttar Pradesh elections. Polls will be held in 7 phases from February 10, counting of votes on March 10.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's office on Tuesday tweeted a warning for rioters. Take a look.

Congress' Kushinagar district president resigned. Rajkumar Singh, in his resignation letter, stated that he was stepping down from the post with 'immediate effect'. READ STORY

The nomination of Yogesh Raj, who was briefly arrested for his alleged role in the 2018 mob violence in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr, has been rejected for the state Assembly elections, officials said Tuesday. He had put forth his candidature as an independent candidate from the Syana Assembly seat in Bulandshahr district, according to local election officials. The nomination papers had been filed under the name Yogesh Kumar but rejected during the scrutiny process on Monday over incomplete information, the officials said.

The Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) on Tuesday announced its third list of six candidates for the Goa Assembly elections scheduled to be held on February 14. With this, the Mamata Banerjee-led party has declared a total of 24 candidates for the upcoming polls. As per the list, the Goa Congress' former spokesman Rakhi Naik Prabhudesai will be contesting from Sanguem, while former Congressman Saifulla Khan will contest from the Vasco Assembly seat. Tarak Arolkar, who had recently quit the Congress to join the TMC, has been given a ticket from Mapusa Assembly constituency, it was stated. Former Congressman Bholanath Ghadi Sakhalkar will fight from Saligao and folk artist Kanta Kashinath Gaude will contest from Quepem. The TMC is fighting the polls for the 40-member Assembly in alliance with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP). 

Following RPN Singh's resignation, Congress appoints Avinash Pandey as General Secretary In-charge of Jharkhand

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will begin Assembly election campaigning from Baghpat and Ghaziabad on January 27

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday accused the Samajwadi Party of promoting gun culture and sought to corner its president Akhilesh Yadav over the Pakistan remark. "Those who do not think Pakistan is an enemy and consider Jinnah a friend, what can be said about their education and vision. They call themselves socialists but the truth is that 'tamanchawad' (gun culture) is running in their veins," Yogi Adityanath said in a tweet in Hindi without taking any name.

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday claimed that the ruling Congress will be routed in next month's Punjab Assembly polls while his party’s alliance will sweep the polls, winning over 80 seats. The Aam Aadmi Party will win less than 10 seats, he claimed. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is contesting the polls in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). According to the seat-sharing arrangement between the two parties, the BSP is contesting 20 of the 117 Assembly seats in Punjab, while the rest will be contested by the SAD.

Elections must be fought on development issues; Congress in UP has refused to engage in negative discourse. BJP govt's hostile approach towards protesting farmers will be key factor in determining poll outcome in UP's western belt. Women should vote as separate political entity; it's time they assert their rights, demand fair space in political arena. Polarisation suits both BJP, SP as it consolidates their vote bases. To stop BJP from being biggest beneficiary of polarisation, people need to be given choice of another kind of politics: Priyanka Gandhi

Kairana will see Iqra Chaudhary pitted against her controversial brother and sitting Samajwadi Party MLA Nahid Hasan for the assembly election in one of the most keenly-watched constituencies in Uttar Pradesh. The 27-year-old Iqra had filed her nomination as an independent candidate on January 21 and her candidature has been approved, according to the Election Commission. She had also filed a nomination as a Samajwadi Party candidate but that has been rejected, the EC website showed. The candidature of Samajwadi Party's Nahid Hasan, who had filed nomination on January 14, has also been approved, it showed. Besides the siblings BJP's Mriganka Singh, who was the runner up in 2017 polls, nine other candidates, including four independent nominees, are in the fray from Kairana.

Paediatrician Dr Kafeel Khan, whose name surfaced in the 2017 BRD Medical college tragedy in which several children died allegedly for lack of oxygen, said on Tuesday that he may contest against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur if any party supports him. Dr Khan was terminated from the service on November 9 last year and he has challenged it in the High Court. "I can contest the assembly election against Yogi Adityanath in Gorakhpur. If any party gives me a ticket I am ready," Khan said while talking to PTI. When asked if he is in touch with any party or approached by anyone, "He said yes, talks are on. If all goes well I will be contesting the polls."  Gorakhpur is going to poll in the sixth phase on March 3.

Nameplate of RPN Singh, who quit Congress and joined BJP today, removed from the Congress party headquarters

Speaking to reporters at BJP headquarters in Delhi, RPN Singh said that 'Congress is no more the one where I had worked, it is not the same ideology '. "I had clearly said in my press conference that the party (Congress) is no more the one where I had worked, it is not the same ideology anymore. I would not like to add anything further to it," Singh said after joining BJP. 

Janata Dal (United) has released the first list of 20 candidates for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Elections 2022.

Akhilesh Yadav and his alliance will not be able to stop BJP from winning. The candidates list released by the Samajwadi Party has given a message that it's not a political party but a gang of goons, criminals and mafias: UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya

Congress has promised it to mislead people. They were not able to give it in their ruled states. We will form govt in the state with full majority: Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on Congress' capping LPG cylinder price below Rs 500 if govt forms in Uttarakhand

In a setback to the Congress, senior party leader and former Union minister RPN Singh on Tuesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Singh, a former MP from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, was upset with the party leadership over his close associates being denied party tickets in the state. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

The battle which Congress party is fighting can be fought only with bravery... It requires courage, strength and Priyanka Gandhi Ji has said that coward people can't fight it: Congress Spokesperson Supriya Shrinate on RPN Singh's resignation from the party CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to visit Punjab on 27th January, says Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Apna Dal (Soneylal) releases a list of star campaigners for the first and second phases of Uttar Pradesh Elections.

Senior Congress leader RPN Singh will join the BJP shortly in Delhi. 

Congress leader and former MP Anand Prakash Gautam has resigned from the party alleging neglect of workers. Announcing his decision at a press conference here on Monday night,  Gautam alleged that due to money and muscle power of prominent leaders in the district, grassroot and hardworking workers were being neglected. Gautam was a member of the Rajya Sabha for two terms.

BSP chief Mayawati will address a rally on February 2 in Agra. BSP's general secretary, Satish Chandra Misra said, "Time and place of public meeting and information about upcoming public meetings will be made available to the media soon."

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Tuesday condemned the alleged sacrilege bid at the historic Kali Devi temple in Patiala district as deplorable, and said politics of hate was intruding Punjab. Divisive forces can never tear into the socio-economic fabric of 'Punjabiyat', he asserted. "Politics of fear, polarisation and hate is intruding Punjab. The incident of sacrilege at Mata Kaali Devi temple is deplorable, divisive forces can never tear into the socio-economic fabric of Punjabiyat...Our armour is universal brotherhood and respect for all religions," said Sidhu in a tweet.

A software engineer, a teacher-turned-politician and some candidates with degrees from prestigious universities-- the first-timers contesting on Congress party tickets in Punjab -- are well-educated and making their presence felt in the poll season. Some of the first-timers also hail from political families. Sandeep Jakhar (45), nephew of former Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar, will now be taking the family legacy forward from Abohar segment. An alumnus of Mayo college, Ajmer and Florida International University, Sandeep, a former youth Congress leader, is taking the electoral plunge from  Jakhar family's home turf. Malvika Sood Sachar (38), a software engineer and sister of actor and philanthropist Sonu Sood, has entered the fray from Moga, after the Congress denied ticket to party's sitting MLA Harjot Kamal and brought the newcomer. From Budhladha (SC) segment, Ranveer Kaur Mian (30), who worked as a lecturer in a private college and holds a PhD in English, has entered the fray. Punjab Minister Brahm Mohindra's son Mohit Mohindra (32) has entered the fray from the Patiala Rural segment. Mohit, a youth Congress leader, is a law graduate and a sports enthusiast. Kamil Amar Singh (34), who has entered the fray from Raikot (SC) segment, has an MBA degree from the University of Cambridge, UK, and is a spokesperson of state Congress. Kamil's father Dr Amar Singh is party MP from Fatehgarh Sahib. From former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's stronghold Lambi, a second-generation politician Jagpal Singh Abul Khurana  has entered the fray. Jagpal's father Gurnam Singh Abul Khurana was a minister in early 1990s. Rajinder Kaur, a teacher-turned-politician, has entered the fray from Balluana (SC) segment. Among other first-timers which the Congress has fielded include Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala (28) from Mansa, who enjoys a huge fan following among the youth. Amarpreet Singh Lally (39), a Youth Congress leader, has been fielded from Garhshankar.

As election fever grips the temple town, Muslims in this renamed district are focusing on development and employment matters and feel the Ram temple issue is "dead" and political parties should move on and concentrate on people-centric issues. In Ayodhya, Hindus and Muslims live together. The district should have better roads, parking facilities and factories also, Iqbal Ansari, who was an independent litigant and son of one of the oldest litigants in the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri mosque dispute case Mohammad Hashim Ansari, told PTI. "There are thousands of temples here, one more (Ram temple) is being constructed," he said and added, "Now, our youth need employment. There should be development as now Ayodhya is a district". "The temple-mosque issue is no more here. Muslims did not say anything about the court's judgment and accepted it. Now is the time to talk about employment and development," he said. Praising Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Ansari said, "He has broken years of record by making the state riot-free. There was no riot in the last five years". Haji Mehboob, 76, who resides near the Ram Janmabhoomi Police Station and was another prominent litigant in the Ayodhya title suit case, said whatever the government says this time there will be a "change". "Sarkar jo bhi gana gaye, is bar sarkar paltegi," (The government will change this time), he said. About the political atmosphere in Ayodhya, he said this time the Samajwadi Party has a good chance and its leader has raised all issues related to the common people, who want better living conditions and jobs for their wards. 

Senior Congress leader RPN Singh has resigned from the party. He will join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi today.

Over 44,000 people have been challened and 1038 criminals were booked under gangster act in the district so far to ensure peaceful and fare polls, a senior official said. According to District Magistrate Chander Bhushan Singh, the action has also been taken under Gunda Act against 416 people of which 83 were expelled from the district for six months as a precautionary measure. Meanwhile, SSP Abhishek Yadav said that to ensure peaceful polls, 16 arms manufacturing factories were busted in the district recently and large number of illegal arms and ammunition seized. In the first phase of polls in Uttar Pradesh on February 10, voters will exercise their franchise in the six assembly constituencies in the district namely, Muzaffarnagar, Budhana, Miranpur, Khatoli, Purkazi and Charthawal. 862 polling centres and 2,261 polling booths were established and the district has been divided into 25 zones and 156 sectors and zonal magistrates have been deputed for fare and peaceful elections, a senior official said.

Central Election Committee (CEC) of Congress to meet via video conferencing today for the selection of candidates for Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will do a virtual rally in Punjab on 27th January. Polling in Punjab will be held in a single phase on Feb 20 and counting will take place on March 10.

Senior Congress leader RPN Singh may join BJP today. The party may field him from Padrauna against Swami Prasad Maurya. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

BSP president Mayawati on Tuesday attacked her rivals, saying they have pushed Uttar Pradesh into "jungle raj" by criminalising politics, politicising crime and protecting the mafia. In a tweet in Hindi, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief said that governments of all parties except that of the BSP are guilty of troubling the public. Mayawati also accused her political rivals of keeping the state backward, but continuing with their 'jumlas' (tall claims). "Governments of all parties, except BSP, are guilty of troubling the public by criminalising politics and politicising crime, playing with the law and protecting their party's goons and mafia, and pushing Uttar Pradesh into jungle raj by keeping it poor and backward. But their jumlas continue," she said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday slammed Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav for his comments that Pakistan is a "political enemy" which is targeted by the BJP for "vote politics". Without taking the name of the former CM, Adityanath said that this shows Akhilesh's mindset. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi should be given one more chance, actor Sonu Sood said on Monday, ahead of the assembly elections in Punjab. Speaking while campaigning in Moga, Sonu Sood said Channi is an amazing human being and should be given more chances. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Apna Dal chief Anupriya Patel has questioned SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's 'vision' for Uttar Pradesh. She said that the NDA will return to power in the state with a comfortable majority. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers from across the country via NaMo app on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. The interaction comes in the run-up to the assembly polls in five States, including UttarPradesh, with the Election Commission not allowing physical rallies by political parties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Please do join. Hon Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji will interact with BJP Karyakartas from all over the country on Namo App (audio) at 11 AM tomorrow," the office of BJP president J.P. Nadda tweeted on Monday.

Punjab's Chief Electoral Officer S Karuna Raju on Monday said only two persons can accompany the candidate while filing nomination papers at the office of the returning officer. The filling of nominations for the next month's assembly polls will start on January 25 and will continue till February 1. Voting for Punjab's 117 assembly seats will be held on February 20 and the counting of votes will take place on March 10. Raju said that according to the instructions issued earlier by the Election Commission of India, the number of persons accompanying a candidate at the time for submission of nomination papers has been reduced from five to two, while the number of vehicles reduced to two from three earlier.

Aam Aadmi Party national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday launched a campaign for poll-bound states, asking Delhiites to upload videos of the Delhi government's good work on social media platforms. Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur are scheduled to be held from February 10 to March 7 and the counting of votes will be taken up on March 10. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Demanding the arrest of former Punjab DGP Mohammad Mustafa for his alleged communal remarks, the BJP on Tuesday urged the Election Commission to order registration of an FIR against him under appropriate provisions of law. A BJP delegation, including Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Hardeep Singh Puri, met the EC and sought action against Mustafa, who is also principal strategic advisor to Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. Citing remarks of Mustafa made during a controversial speech, Shekhawat said he projected himself as a "soldier of community" and warned the local administration against allowing Hindus to hold any political meeting nearby. If this is allowed, then he will bring about consequences which are unimaginable, the minister said, quoting him. Mustafa has denied the charge and said he never used the word "Hindu".

A SAD delegation would meet President Ram Nath Kovind to seek ôimmediate and effective personal interventionö to secure the release of 1993 Delhi bomb last convict Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar. Bhullar was convicted in connection with the killing of nine people and injuring of 31 in the blast. Among those who survived the attack are former Youth Congress chief M S Bitta. Harcharan Singh Bains, principal advisor to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal, on Monday said the party has sought time from the president to request his "immediate and effective intervention" to secure the release of Bhullar, he was quoted as saying in a party statement.

The Congress on Monday released its second list of 11 candidates for Uttarakhand assembly elections and fielded former chief minister Harish Rawat from the Ramnagar constituency. Harish Rawat, who is the party's campaign head in the state, had unsuccessfully contested from the Haridwar-Rural and Kichcha assembly seats in the 2017 polls. The Congress also fielded Anukriti Gusain Rawat from the Lansdowne assembly seat. She is the daughter-in-law of Harak Singh Rawat, who returned to the Congress fold from the BJP on Friday. The party has so far not decided on the candidature of Harak Singh Rawat and is yet to announce candidates for six more seats.

Nominations of 22 candidates from five assembly constituencies in Mathura were cancelled on Monday during scrutiny of the papers, election officials said. The details provided in the nomination papers of 58 candidates from these assembly seats were found correct, District Returning Officer Navneet Singh Chahal said. Giving a break-up, the official said details in the nomination papers of 15 candidates from Mathura, 13 from Chhatta, seven candidates from Baldeo, 10 candidates from Mant and 13 candidates from Goverdhan have been found correct. Exact figure of contestants from each assembly constituency would be known on January 27, the last date for withdrawal of the candidature, officials stated. While nomination papers of 12 candidates were cancelled from Mathura assembly constituency, two from Chhatta, three from Baldeo and five from Mant assembly constituency were also rejected, they said. 

The Samajwadi Party has released its first list of candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. Party chief Akhilesh Yadav will contest the election from Karhal seat in family bastion Mainpuri. CLICK HERE FOR FULL LIST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with BJP workers from across the country via NaMo app on Tuesday.

The interaction comes in the run-up to the assembly polls in five states, including Uttar Pradesh, with the Election Commission not allowing physical rallies by political parties due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections come near, more and more leaders are switching parties in search of tickets. The latest in the list are two sitting legislators of Samajwadi Party (SP) who have quit the party after being denied tickets.

Subhash Rai, SP legislator from Jalalpur in Ambedkar Nagar district, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party after the ticket from his seat was given to Rakesh Pandey, a former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator.

Rakesh Pandey had joined the SP two weeks ago and has now been rewarded with Assembly ticket.

Hazi Rizwan, another SP legislator from Kundarki in Bijnor district, has also left the party after he was denied a ticket.

He has joined the BSP which has given him the ticket from his Assembly seat.

The Congress on Monday released its second list of 11 candidates for Uttarakhand assembly elections and fielded former chief minister Harish Rawat from the Ramnagar constituency. Harish Rawat, who is the party's campaign head in the state, had unsuccessfully contested from the Haridwar-Rural and Kichcha assembly seats in the 2017 polls.

The Congress also fielded Anukriti Gusain Rawat from the Lansdowne assembly seat. She is the daughter-in-law of Harak Singh Rawat, who returned to the Congress fold from the BJP on Friday.

The party has so far not decided on the candidature of Harak Singh Rawat and is yet to announce candidates for six more seats.

Nominations of 22 candidates from five assembly constituencies in Mathura were cancelled on Monday during scrutiny of the papers, election officials said. The details provided in the nomination papers of 58 candidates from these assembly seats were found correct, District Returning Officer Navneet Singh Chahal said.

Giving a break-up, the official said details in the nomination papers of 15 candidates from Mathura, 13 from Chhatta, seven candidates from Baldeo, 10 candidates from Mant and 13 candidates from Goverdhan have been found correct.

An FIR was registered against wrestler Babita Phogat for campaigning for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh in the Baraut Assembly constituency of state's Baghpat and flouting Election Commission's guidelines and COVID-19 norms on Monday.

Phogat was campaigning for BJP candidate Krishnapal S Malik who is a candidate of the party from the Baraut Assembly constituency of Baghpat.

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Ahead of the assembly polls in the five states scheduled next month, Congress has decided to present a separate vision document "Student Manifesto" in the poll-bound states. NSUI, its student wing will launch one such manifesto today for the Goa Assembly polls dated to be held on February 14.

The manifesto is said to declare the nine most important issues of the students which need to be addressed at the earliest.

The national president of the wing, Neeraj Kundan will himself address the press conference at NSUI Goa headquarters in Panaji and will appeal to all the students as well as their families to vote for the congress party.

With less than a month to go for the commencement of Assembly polls in five states in February, Bharatiya Janata Party has authorised party's national president JP Nadda to decide the names of the candidates on the remaining seats of Goa, Uttarakhand and Punjab, said the sources in the party.

The party has announced 165 candidates out of the 403 so far in Uttar Pradesh and 34 out of 65 candidates in Punjab. Whereas the party has declared their candidates on 59 seats out of the 70 seats in Uttarakhand. BJP has announced 34 candidates out of 40 seats in Goa.

BJP's Central Election Committee meeting is scheduled to take place tomorrow at the party's headquarters.

According to the sources, the meeting of the CEC of BJP will be held to discuss the Uttar Pradesh and Manipur elections. Besides, the meeting for the Punjab elections will also be held on Tuesday.

Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda on Monday while announcing the seat-sharing arrangement among National Democratic Alliance partners in Punjab said that the aim of this alliance is not just to seize power but also to secure the future of coming generations and the security of the state.

"Our alliance is not only a means for change of power, nor is its purpose just to form a government in the state. This election is an election to secure the future of coming generations and give stability to Punjab. This alliance aims to do the same. If Punjab is stable then the country will be safe," said Nadda.