Assembly election: Exit polls predict AAP's landslide victory in Punjab, BJP to retain power in UP

Repolling will take place on March 8 in six booths in two districts of Manipur, where assembly elections were recently held, officials said on Monday. Voting in polling stations in Ukhrul and Senapati were declared “to be void” following violence on March 5 during the second and final phase of the assembly polls in the state, they said. Read more 

Over 55 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the seventh and last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections for 54 seats on Monday. Voting started at 7 am. It ended at 4 pm in the Chakia (Chandauli), Robertsganj and the Duddhi (Sonbhadra) seats, while in the rest of the segments, it continued till 6 pm. The districts that voted in this phase are Azamgarh, Mau, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Bhadohi and Sonbhadra. The voting percentage was recorded at 55.13 per cent, according to the Election Commission's 'Voter Turnout' application.

Ahead of the results of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections to come out on March 10, former Punjab CM and Punjab Lok Congress chief Amarinder Singh on Monday met Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. He expressed confidence that the BJP led alliance will do well in the state Assembly elections. Read more 

With voting for the last phase of the Assembly polls currently underway in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav claimed that SP leader Akhilesh Yadav is going to form the government in the state.

Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry and Apna Dal (Sonelal) National President Anupriya Patel on Monday said that the NDA candidates will win all five seats in Mirzapur. Speaking to media persons after casting her vote at a booth in Mirzapur, Patel said, "I am assured that all five seats in the constituency will be won our NDA candidates." Apna Dal is contesting Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in alliance with the BJP. Apna Dal is a constituent of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). In the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, Apna Dal had contested 11 seats and managed to win nine. This time the party is contesting on 18 seats.

Amid voting for the last phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party chief OP Rajbhar on Monday exuded confidence of winning over 45 seats in the Purvanchal region of the state. A former BJP ally, the SBSP has sealed an alliance with Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party for these Assembly elections.

Congress leader Ajay Rai on Monday charged that the low voter turnout in the last leg of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections was due to the lack of proper arrangements by the local administration. He also said that Congress will gain a majority in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. After casting his vote in Varanasi, the Congress leader told ANI: "Not many people can be seen ... unlike earlier elections when long queues used to be seen outside the polling booths. They haven't made proper arrangements, and people are forced to stand in the open. People don't seem to be excited. Yet, we will get the majority." He further said that the important issues of the elections are unemployment and inflation. The Congress leader claimed that after the polling ends today, the prices of fuel will increase.

Ahead of the assembly poll results, BJP leaders and strategists in Uttarakhand have begun internal confabulations over the possible post-poll scenarios that may emerge in the state. Party strategist Kailash Vijayvargiya arrived here on Sunday and was huddled with former Union minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank at the latter's residence to discuss how the party was likely to fare in the polls.   

Over 46 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 3 pm in the seventh and last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections for 54 seats on Monday. Voting started at 7 am. It ended at 4 pm in the Chakia (Chandauli), Robertsganj and the Duddhi (Sonbhadra) seats, while in the rest of the segments, it will continue till 6 pm.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday tasked party workers and election candidates with responsibilities for the March 10 counting of votes in the state. Incumbent Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami sounded confident about the victory of the party in the polls. He said, "All aspects are being discussed (with party leaders). Everyone will be in their designated areas on the day of the counting of votes. We are confident that the BJP will form the government again in the state," he added.Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, former chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat and former Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal "Nishank" were among the party leaders who attended a meeting to prepare for the counting day. The polling in Uttarakhand was held on February 14 for the 70 Assembly seats. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.

"Results not here yet. I had a general discussion with HM, there will be a detailed discussion once the results come in. It was a general discussion on Punjab, not on elections, says Captain Amarinder Singh on his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. 

"Everyone has done good work, we are having a meeting before the counting of votes. All aspects are being discussed. Everyone will be in their designated areas that day and ensure smooth counting. We are confident that we are forming the government again": Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

"Don't know which international recognition they boast about. They (BJP-led Centre) failed to evacuate Indians, named evacuation op 'Operation Ganga' because polls in Varanasi too. Had they rescued our people from Ukraine directly I would have appreciated it": Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party. 

"Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will not win a single seat in Ghazipur, Mau, Azamgarh, Ambedkar Nagar and Ballia. We are winning on 5 of 8 seats in Varanasi, 3 of 4 seats in Chandauli, 7 of 9 seats in Jaunpur. We will win 45-47 seats in Purvanchal region": OP Rajbhar, President, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party.

The Ballia police have ordered a probe against a station house officer (SHO) after a video surfaced on social media in which he is purportedly heard suggesting that BJP state vice-president Daya Shankar Singh will be a cabinet minister in the next government. Singh is contesting the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections from the Ballia Sadar seat. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Ballia, Vijay Tripathi said Deputy Superintendent of Police Bhushan Verma has been ordered to probe the video of Dubhar SHO Raj Kumar Singh, and submit a report at the earliest. "Necessary action will be taken on the basis of the findings of the inquiry," Tripathi said. In the widely shared video, the SHO can be heard saying, "Sir, I am your SHO." He also extended his "best wishes", suggesting that the BJP leader would be a cabinet minister. The police officer then said he was escorting him for the "first time". Later, the SHO said he was only trying to diffuse the situation as Daya Shankar Singh and his supporters had reached the police station and the SP workers were arriving too.

The Election Commission (EC) is going to organise an International Election Visitors Programme (IEVP), 2022, for foreign election management bodies and organisations in virtual mode on Monday (March 7) during the last phase of ongoing Assembly elections of Uttar Pradesh. The IEVP 2022 provides an opportunity for the EC to share best practices and experience of the conduct of the polling process along with the steps taken to ensure compliance of Covid-19 protocols, the EC said in a statement on Sunday (March 6). "More than 135 delegates from more than 26 countries across the world, including Australia, Bahamas, Bhutan, Croatia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Georgia, Guinea, Guyana, Kenya, Liberia, Maldives, Mauritius, Moldova, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Romania, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Suriname, Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Zambia and four international organisations, including International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, International Foundation of Electoral Systems, Association of World Election Bodies and Community of Democracies are going to participate in the event." Ambassadors, High Commissioners and other members of the Diplomatic Corps based in India from 20 countries have also been invited to participate in the virtual IEVP 2022. The participants will be showcased a recorded broadcast from select polling stations in each of the five states of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh where polls have taken place as well as live streaming from polling stations in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, on March 7 to familiarise the participants with the electoral process, polling station arrangements, use of technology, interaction with various stakeholders followed by a Question and Answer session. After the virtual tour, the participants will be addressed by Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra. In the past, EC hosted similar such programmes also.

Jaunpur, a well-known district in eastern Uttar Pradesh is not just famous for 'imarti' and perfume, but also famous for producing maximum civil servants.Gaddipur (Madhopatti) village in Jaunpur district, which consists of 75 households, also has an astounding 51 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) or Provincial Civil Service (PCS) cadre officers. Along with civil servants, this village has also produced professionals who are working in the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Judiciary and various other prestigious government posts. Interestingly, along with men, many women of this village are also IAS officers.Education has always played a crucial role in this district, however, it all started with someone who never believed in gender inequality and asked his wife to come forward and teach the students. Sumitra Singh (80), who was a librarian with Indian Embassy during her professional career, said, "My husband's family was very educated since the beginning. Back in 1917, my father-in-law, Thakur Bhagwati Din Singh was an LLB and a freedom fighter. He used to emphasise on women's education. My mother-in-law Shyamrati Singh started teaching girls and then the boys also joined her. For 22 years without taking any fees she taught the village children."Shyamrati Singh was popularly known as "Guruji". Till date, this family has given six IAS officers.

BJP national president Nadda chaired a meeting with the party's national secretaries to take stock of the BJP's situation in five states- Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa and Manipur- that went to the polls, sources said.Discussions were held on feedback from workers from these states and also on the seventh and last phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh.Sources said that during the meeting, the leaders discussed in which states the party would be retaining power. Nadda said that some leaders will be assigned the task of talking to Independent MLAs and request them to join hands with the BJP after the results are announced, they added. In the meeting, National General Secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh, BJP's Joint National General Secretary Shiv Prakash, National Secretaries - CT Ravi, Dushyant Gautam, Arun Singh, D Purandeswari, Tarun Chugh, and Vinod Tawde- were present. Eight Assembly seats in Varanasi will be in the focus in the last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, with multiple seats witnessing close contests. Out of eight Assembly seats, five are within the Parliamentary constituency of Varanasi, represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha. A total of 613 candidates are in the electoral fray for the last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections for 54 constituencies slated for Monday in nine districts of Mau, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Varanasi, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Sonbhadra, and Bhadohi (Sant Ravidas Nagar).