Assembly Election 2022: PM Modi's second virtual rally in UP on Feb 4; Cong releases 7th list of candidates

Congress releases its seventh list of 27 candidates for the upcoming assembly election 2022. 

BSP chief Mayawati on Wednesday hit out at BJP, SP and Congress for not doing enough for Dalits and asserted that her party has a track record of working for all sections of society as she launched her party's campaign for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. Terming the rival parties "anti-Dalit", she said though they make various promises in their manifestos ahead of polls, they forget about them after coming to power.

Mayawati, who has been conspicuous by her absence from the high-octane campaigning in the state, also said she has been living in Lucknow for a year and working to rebuild the BSP.

She said some "casteist media groups" are trying to demoralise BSP supporters by saying that their party leaders are missing on the ground.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday mounted his attack on Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and RJD leader Jayant Chaudhary over their pre-poll alliance. Addressing a rally, he referred to 'two boys' (Akhilesh-Jayant) to say "a similar jodi had come up in 2017" -- a reference to Akhilesh and Rahul Gandhi when the SP and Congress had contested UP Assembly polls together. READ MORE

Attempts were being made to poach our candidate from Maant seat. Yogesh (Nauhwar) had said from the stage that he was offered MP post. So I said it sarcastically that they are going to make him Hema Malini, says RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary on his 'Hema Malini' remark.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday launched a scathing attack at the Samajwadi Party (SP) ahead of the forthcoming elections saying mafias in Uttar Pradesh can only be found in jails or in the candidate list of the SP. Speaking at a poll rally in Atrauli, Home Minister Amit Shah said that if you search for the mafia in Uttar Pradesh then it is visible in only three places which are jails, outside UP, and in the list of candidates of Samajwadi Party. READ FULL STORY 

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra released the Congress' manifesto for Uttarakhand on Wednesday promising to reserve 40 per cent jobs for women in the police department, jobs to four lakh people, and creation of a 'tourism police' force. The manifesto called æUttarakhand Swabhiman Pratigya Patra' also promised to give priority to women in 40 per cent government jobs and capping of LPG prices at Rs 500. Gandhi released the manifesto at a virtual rally here, streamed live in all 70 assembly constituencies in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the second virtual rally in Uttar Pradesh on February 4. The rally will cover five districts -- Meerut, Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Hapur and Noida.

Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav on Wednesday refuted Home Minister Amit Shah's statements on the SP's stand on the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya, saying the temple will be built faster and better if Akhilesh Yadav becomes the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. During a discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in Rajya Sabha, the SP leader said his party is not opposed to the construction of the grand temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram. He was referring to Shah's recent statement made during the election campaign in Uttar Pradesh that Akhilesh Yadav will not be able to stop the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya. "Who is stopping the construction of the temple?" Yadav asked while alleging siphoning of funds that are being currently collected for the construction of the Ram temple. "If the Akhilesh government comes, a better temple will be built at a faster pace," Ram Gopal Yadav said. Policies are not being talked about, he said adding that unparliamentary language is being used for Akhilesh Yadav. "If you use abusive language for Akhilesh, call him a goon...will you get the votes," he said during the debate.

The Congress is banking on former minister Surendra Vikram Singh to redeem its pride in Harchandpur assembly segment, hoping to teach a lesson to its own MLA, Rakesh Singh, for switching sides. Rakesh Singh, who won the seat in 2017 as a Congress nominee, is fighting the assembly election on a BJP ticket this time. Veteran Surendra Vikram Singh joined the Congress only recently and was thrown into the fray to rein in the traitor. Harchandpur assembly segment is part of the Rae Bareli parliamentary constituency, regarded as a Gandhi family bastion. "After I was given the ticket, Priyanka ji told me and all others to go all-out to trounce the local MLA who is indulging in 'goondagardi' (criminal acts)," Surendra Vikram Singh told PTI while campaigning in Paidepur village. "There is a lot of anger among the people for the present MLA for betraying the Congress, which had given him and his family all posts," Singh, who is addressed by the local people as ''vidhayak ji' (MLA), said.

A Samajwadi Party candidate drove a tractor to the collectorate office to file his nomination to apparently express his solidarity with the farmers. Four time MLA from Samajwadi Party Mahendra Kumar Singh filed his nomination for Sevta constituency on Tuesday reaching the office with a sugarcane in his hand. When asked about the reason, Singh said it was to show his concern for demands of farmers who are facing a lot of problems in the present BJP regime. "I promise farmers that if voted to power, my party will do all they need. In my area, which is flood-prone, a lot of work has to be done. Stray cattle are also a menace. Sugarcane farmers' dues are pending. I will work to ensure they are cleared," he said. Singh alias Jheen Babu became MLA from Samajwadi Party for the first time in 1996 and was elected in 2002, 2007, and 2012 also. In 2017, SP denied him ticket and as a result he did not contest the election. This time he is pitted against Gyan Tiwari of BJP who is also a sitting MLA. Sitapur will go to poll in the fourth phase on Feb 23. Asked about his previous ticket snub, Singh said he always abides by the party's decisions and is a firm believer in its values.

Those talking of the Kairana exodus will have to migrate out of Uttar Pradesh after the assembly polls, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Wednesday as he accused the BJP of indulging in politics of negativity. Addressing a press conference with alliance partner Rashtriya Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary in Shamli's Kairana, Yadav hit out at the BJP-led governments both in the state as well as at the Centre. "The BJP is indulging in politics of negativity. The SP-RLD tie-up stands for brotherhood. Those talking of the Kairana exodus, will have to migrate out of UP after the polls," Yadav said. He also ridiculed the centre's terming of the annual financial statement amrit kaal, asking whether the previous budgets were poison. Diamonds, slippers and shoes have been made cheaper in the budget. How will cheaper diamonds help the poor? The slippers and shoes of the poor and youths have got worn out but the BJP is unable to resolve their problems.  The BJP's time is coming to end in UP, Yadav said.

Amid intense campaigning for the upcoming assembly elections, the Congress seems to be looking for a balm for its headache of deciding on a CM face for Punjab polls. While state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu has made it apparent on several occasions that he wants the party to declare him as the official CM candidate, incumbent Charanjit Singh Channi is keeping cards close to his heart.  READ FULL STORY 

The Samajwadi Party on Wednesday announced another list of three candidates, including Union Minister Anupriya Patel's sister Pallavi Patel, for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. Patel has been fielded from Sirathu seat of Kaushambi Besides Patel, who will be challenging Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, the party has given ticket to BJP minister Swami Prasad Maurya, who recently joined the Samajwadi Party from Fazilnagar seat of Kushinagar. The party has given ticket to Abhishek Mishra, who contested the 2017 election from Lucknow North from Sarojini Nagar seat against BJP's Rajeshwar Singh.

Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi in an exclusive interaction with India TV said that there was no infighting within the Congress over CM face even as both -- Channi and Sidhu have been pitching their candidature.

UP became a mafia-center under 'bua-bhateeja' rule of SP, BSP. Now mafias are present at 3 locations only, either out of UP, in Budaun jail, or as an SP candidate...Has anyone seen Mulayam Yadav's sidekicks Azam Khan... Mukhtar Ansari in last 3yrs?: HM Amit Shah, in Sahaswan, UP

Akhilesh Yadav (SP chief) will play a game of red light-green light. He'll show a red light to development & green light to mafias: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in Sahaswan Assembly constituency, Uttar Pradesh

Due to their wrong policies,Congress out of power not only at Centre but also in UP.They're against Dalit,tribal&backward classes.When they were in power,Congress govt didn't award Bharat Ratna to Dr BR Ambedkar even when he deserved it: Mayawati

SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya says I am three-time MLA from Padrauna and served people. I will always have a place for them in my heart. As far as me being being named the candidate from Fazilnagar is concerned,I thank Akhilesh Yadav for giving me opportunity to serve people here.

In an apparent tongue-in-cheek expression RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary has once again brought up Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and yesteryear actress Hema Malini into election campaigning. Addressing an election gathering in Mathura on Tuesday, Jayant said,".I don't want to be Hema Malini, what will you get by pleasing me?" READ FULL STORY 

You saw Budget.What did it have for middle class, for poor? Nothing. Somebody told me this morning that the price of diamonds has gone down & that of medicines has gone up. I'd like to ask you-when will you open your eyes?: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Dehradun

Balance due for sugarcane across the nation is Rs 14,000 cr. PM purchased 2 choppers for himself for Rs 16,000 cr. The due balance could've been cleared at the cost of choppers. But what did he choose? Two choppers: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at virtual rally in Dehradun 

Contesting from 2 seats means that he (Punjab CM Charanjit S Channi) is scared of losing. I'd like to assure him that if he's scared of losing 1 seat, he can add the other one as well. He'll lose from both, Bhadaur & Chamkaur Sahib: AAP's CM face Bhagwant Mann

Budget is nothing; they have reduced Rs 20,000cr from MGNREGA, there are already no work opportunities in rural areas. It's as if PM Modi is taking revenge on farmers for protesting, by reducing subsidy on fertilizers: Bhagwant Mann, AAP's CM face & candidate from Dhuri

All 40 candidates of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the upcoming Goa Assembly polls on Wednesday (February 2) signed affidavits promising that they will not indulge in corruption or defect. “The biggest problem with Goa's politics is the frequent defections. We want to weed it out even before people vote for our candidates,” AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said addressing a press conference where all the 40 party nominees were present with their affidavits. Elections to all 40 Assembly seats in Goa are scheduled on February 14 and results will be declared on March 10.

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made a mockery of himself after he shared a fake video on his Twitter page. Without taking the name of the BJP, he retweeted a video and wrote, "The politics of Hindutva means hooliganism.” READ FULL STORY 

When Congress governed for 10yrs, Pakistan invaded our country & beheaded our jawans. Then PM Manmohan Singh didn't do anything. But after Uri & Pulwama attacks, PM Modi eliminated terrorists in Pakistan with a surgical strike in 10 days: Home Minister Amit Shah, in Atrauli,UP

By taking the vaccine jab, people have given a tight slap to those who questioned the vaccines, called them 'Modi Vaccine', 'BJP vaccine'. Likewise, even in polls you need to give such people a 'sharp dose' by voting for Lotus, BJP: UP CM Yogi Adityanath in Bulandshahr

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (February 1) announced a list of 17 candidates for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh polls and did not include minister Swati Singh in it. Swati Singh is a Minister of State (Independent Charge) for women welfare in Uttar Pradesh. On not being given ticket in this Assembly election, Swati Singh said, "I am in BJP since I was 17 years old and will remain in the saffron party." READ FULL STORY 

Infighting within the Congress party continues as the former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sunil Jakhar has claimed that 42 MLAs had supported him for the CM post while only two MLAs had supported Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. Sunil Jakhar said that after the removal of Captain Amarinder Singh in September 2021, the Congress party had gone for voting to decide the Chief Minister of Punjab. READ FULL STORY 

The SP has queered the pitch for the BJP is Sarojini Nagar where it has named former minister Abhishek Mishra as the candidate. The BJP has fielded former ED joint director Rajeshwar Singh on this seat and the party is facing a silent protest after the ticket was denied to minister Swati Singh.

The SP has fielded Pallavi Patel from Sirathu, where deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya is a candidate. Pallavi Patel is the daughter of Apna Dal (K) president Krishna Patel. Her presence in the fray will make Maurya pay more time to his constituency which has a large number of OBC votes.

Former Uttar Pradesh minister and Azad Samaj Party candidate Uma Kiran and at least 100 supporters were booked for violation of the model code of conduct and COVID-19 norms as she allegedly took out a rally, police said on Wednesday. The action against Kiran and her supporters was taken after a viral video showed them taking out a procession in Tejalheda village under Purkazi police station limits on Tuesday without permission, they said. Kiran was expelled from the Samajwadi Party last month for ôanti-partyö activities after she shared dais with Azad Samaj Party chief Chandra Shekhar Azad. Purkazi Assembly constituency will go to the polls in the first phase of voting on February 10.

Don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari has been granted bail in a 14-year-old Gangster Act case. The Ghazipur Session Court granted bail to Ansari on a personal bond of Rs one lakh on Tuesday. He is currently lodged at Banda jail in Uttar Pradesh. Since there are several other cases that are lodged against Ansari in Mau and other parts of Uttar Pradesh, his release from the jail is unlikely in near future. A sitting MLA from Mau assembly seat, Mukhtar Ansari has been lodged in jail since 2005 for the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai.

Congress has fielded a relative of slain gangster Vikas Dubey in the Kalyanpur constituency in Kanpur. The said constituency will go to the polls in the fourth phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. On Tuesday, Congress candidate Neha Tiwari had filed a nomination from Kalyanpur. She has replaced her mother Gayatri Tiwari, whose name was announced earlier by the party. READ FULL STORY 

The Samajwadi Party has fielded former BJP leader Swami Prasad Maurya from Fazilnagar seat in Kushinagar, not Padrauna. BJP's Rajnikant Mani Tripathi had won from here in 2017. READ FULL STORY 

Congress has fielded a relative of slain gangster Vikas Dubey in Kalyanpur constituency in Kanpur which will go to polls in the fourth phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Congress candidate Neha Tiwari on Tuesday filed a nomination from Kalyanpur. She has replaced her mother Gayatri Tiwari, whose name was announced earlier by the party.

Neha Tiwari is the sister of Khushi Dubey who is the wife of Amar Dubey, brother of gangster Vikas Dubey, who was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Police.

SP is likely to field BJP's Allahabad MP Rita Bahuguna Joshi's son Mayank Joshi from Lucknow Cantonment seat for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election after the Bharatiya Janata Party denied ticket to the latter, said sources on Wednesday.

Though the Samajwadi Party has declared its candidates for all the seats in Lucknow, one of them is likely to make way for Joshi.

Union Defence Minister and star campaigner of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajnath Singh in Uttar Pradesh, will campaign door-to-door in Lakhimpur Kheri and Pilibhit on Wednesday, ahead of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

Singh tweeted that he will be visiting constituencies in Lakhimpur Kheri and Pilibhit and will interact with prominent voters.

The BJP on Tuesday announced a list of 17 candidates for the Uttar Pradesh polls. The party has fielded Brijesh Pathak from Lucknow Cantt. 

BSP supremo Mayawati will address a public meeting Agra today. This would be her first rally for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Mayawati had addressed a public meeting was in Lucknow in October and before it in September to mark the culmination of the party's 'Prabuddha Varg Sammelans'. 

Senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is likely to release the party's manifesto for Uttarakhand today. 

Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav will campaign in Shamli, Baghpat and Ghaziabad today for the upcoming assembly elections. He is contesting polls for the first time from Karhal, falling within the Lok Sabha constituency Mainpuri held by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav.

To give a boost to Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) campaign in Uttar Pradesh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will today visit Aligarh and Badaun. He will take part in meetings, dialogues and contact programs.

Punjab Congress leader Mohinder Singh Kaypee on Tuesday alleged his party "played fraud" with him by not giving him a poll ticket despite the assurance of changing the candidate from Adampur constituency in Jalandhar. The Congress had on January 15 announced Sukhwinder Kotli as its candidate for the Adampur (SC) seat. Kaypee was miffed over the denial of the ticket to him.

Kaypee, a former Punjab Congress chief, claimed that he was assured by the party's Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Chaudhary that he would be fielded from the Adampur seat.

He claimed that he was also assured the Congress' authorisation letter would be handed over to him on Tuesday to enable him to file his nomination.

The Congress on Tuesday released its second list of 10 candidates for the upcoming Manipur assembly election. Former minister Ningthoujam Biren Singh and legislator Pukhrem Sharatchandra Singh are among the nominees featured in the second list.

The party had on January 22 released the first list of 40 candidates with former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh contesting from Thoubal assembly seat.

Referring to the IT raids at official and business premises of various perfume manufacturers, including SP MLC Pushpraj Jain Pammi's, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday attacked BJP’s key rival party, saying the SP’s “itra wale mitra’ had gobbled up all the money for state's development.

The Samajwadi Party’s perfume manufacturing friends had devoured all the money during the party's regime in Uttar Pradesh and the Goddess Laxmi, mured in concrete walls, had to be freed by the BJP, Adityanath said, referring to bundles of notes found stacked between walls during IT raids at business premises of Pammi and other cologne producers.

Punjab BSP chief Jasvir Singh Garhi on Tuesday claimed Barjinder Singh Hussainpur has filed his nomination from Nawanshahr on a "fake" party ticket despite its official candidate already submitting his papers. BSP nominee Nachhattar Pal had filed his nomination a couple of days ago.

Hussainpur, however, in a video message later, said he was misled by some people and would withdraw his nomination on Wednesday.

An official release on behalf of Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer Vishesh Sarangal here said that Hussainpur had filed his papers as a BSP nominee.

A total of 10 candidates filed nominations for the Nawanshahr seat, including Barjinder Singh from the BSP, said the release.

As many as 931 candidates, including Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, on Tuesday filed their nomination papers for the upcoming Punjab Assembly polls, officials said. Tuesday was the last day for filing nominations.

A total of 2,279 candidates have filed their nomination papers, said Punjab's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S Karuna Raju.

Channi filed his nomination papers from Chamkaur Sahib seat.

Rebel Congress leader Daaman Bajwa, who was denied a ticket by the party, filed her nomination papers from Sunam seat as an Independent. The Congress has fielded Jaswinder Dhiman, the nephew of Aamargarh MLA Surjit Dhiman, from Sunam.

The Varanasi district administration has issued notices to Congress leaders Hardik Patel and former MLA Ajay Rai for violation of the model code of conduct, seeking their response within 48 hours.

The deputy collector and returning officer has issued the notice and warned Patel and Rai of legal action if they do not respond within the stipulated time.

Both the leaders are accused of violating the Covid protocol and the model code of conduct, in force because of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, by gathering a crowd of 200-250 people at an event on January 30 without permission. 

Ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, police here on Tuesday arrested a man with over Rs 39 lakh cash, officials said. The man was identified as Anil Kumar, a resident of Meera Enclave in Agra, they said.

Following a tip-off, Rs 39,19,900 was recovered from Kumar, who was travelling to Delhi in a private bus, Superintendent of Police (City) Martand Prakash Singh said.

He claimed that he was taking the money to Delhi to buy articles that he would sell in Agra, the SP said.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday announced the names of 17 more candidates for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls and has fielded former ED joint director Rajeshwar Singh from Sarojini Nagar and denied ticket to Assembly Speaker Hriday Narayan Dixit. 

The party has denied ticket to Women Welfare Minister Swati Singh from Sarojini Nagar.  

The BJP has fielded state Law Minister Brajesh Pathak from Lucknow Cantt while Ashutosh Shukla has been given ticket from the Bhagwantnagar Assembly constituency.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami slammed Congress on Tuesday by questioning the work carried out in the states ruled by them and said that opposition leaders and their agendas will vanish after the elections.

"Those who are standing in our opposition are not going to be seen after the elections, nor will their agenda be visible. Today they have governments in Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan. Have they been able to make gas cylinders cheaper there? Has everyone been given employment there?" said Dhami.

Congress on Tuesday released the list of star campaigners for the second phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections to be held on February 14.
The list of 30 leaders of Congress campaigners includes the names of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and Sachin Pilot.

There were 6 applications from Congress Party for Jaswant Nagar seat but the party high command decided not to field any candidate from this constituency. All workers stand by the decision of high command: Congress District President Malkhan Singh, Etawah