Assembly Election 2022 Updates: Record seizure of cash, drugs from Uttar Pradesh

 Campaigning for the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said if Akhilesh Yadav's alliance wins the state elections, then the Narendra Modi government can also be toppled in 2024.

The Trinamool Congress supremo, who described herself as a "fighter", also alleged she was attacked by BJP workers on Wednesday after she arrived for campaigning in Varanasi, PM Modi's parliamentary constituency, in support of the SP.

A record Rs 328 crore worth of inducements to voters such as cash, liquor and narcotics have been seized in Uttar Pradesh since the announcement of the assembly poll schedule on January 8, Election Commission sources said on Thursday. The cumulative seizure of such illegal inducements in the five poll-going states -- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa and Punjab -- stood at Rs 1,039.50 crore, the sources said, adding that it included drugs worth Rs 571.34 crore.

The seizure figure in Uttar Pradesh up to Thursday was Rs 328.33 crore, 1.70 times more than the total combined seizure of Rs 193.29 crore in the entire assembly polls held in 2017 in the state. Like last time, this time too assembly polls in the state are being held in seven phases.

While voting is over in Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur still have one phase each to go.

53.31% voters turnout recorded till 5 pm during ongoing polling across 10 districts in the sixth phase in Uttar Pradesh. 

Around 46.70 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 3 pm during ongoing polling across 10 districts in the sixth phase in Uttar Pradesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a rally in Chandauli ahead of seventh phase of Uttar Pradesh Election 2022.

36.33% voters turnout recorded till 1 pm during ongoing polling across 10 districts in the sixth phase

The Congress on Thursday accused the BJP government in Manipur of violating the model code of conduct to influence elections there after around Rs 17 crore was released to banned militant groups which are under suspension of operation agreement. Assembly elections are underway in Manipur and the second phase is slated on March 5. The first phase of polling was held on February 28. "In a shocking violation of the Model of Conduct the Union Home Ministry and BJP State Government in Manipur released Rs 15.7 crores on 1.2.22 and further Rs 92.7 lakhs on 1.3.22 to banned militant groups under Suspension of Operation (SoO). This has made a mockery of elections in 4 districts!" Ramesh said on Twitter.

The Election Commission has ordered repoll in 12 polling stations of five assembly constituencies in Manipur where polling was held on February 28.  A statement issued by Manipur Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Agarwal said the repoll will be held on March 5. The polling stations where repoll will be held are in Khundrakpam, Saitu , Thanlon, Henglep and Churachandpur assembly constituencies.  Repoll in these polling stations was recommended based on the facts information received and reported by respective Returning Officers, the statement said. The main reason for consideration of repolling was due to damage of EVMs by miscreants during and after the poll, the statement said. The polling stations going for repoll include Sarouthel, New Keithelmanbi, Songsang, Maite, Tinsuong, Majuron Kuki, N Chingphei, Khoirentak, Molsang, Leinom, Teikot and Maukot. The first phase of assembly elections to 38 assembly seats was held on February 28 while the second phase covering 22 constituencies is scheduled on March 5.

 Describing herself as a "fighter", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday alleged that she was attacked by BJP workers after she arrived for campaigning in Uttar Pradesh in support of the Samajwadi Party. "I was coming from the airport yesterday and going to the (Dashashwamedh) ghat. Midway, some BJP workers, who have nothing in their brain except violence, stopped my vehicle. They hit my car, pushed me, and told me to go back," Banerjee claimed. "It was then that I thought, they are going out (of power). They are completely gone, their defeat is imminent," the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief said.

Banerjee said she was in Uttar Pradesh for a political meeting and wondered why the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was so bothered about it.
"I am not a coward, I am a fighter. I have fought for a long time. The CPM attacked me in the past, I was attacked with sticks and shots were fired at me several times in the past. But I never bowed down," she added.

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary on Thursday claimed that the BJP-led Centre is trying to politicise the evacuation of Indians stranded in war-hit Ukraine in view of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

Noting that the rescue mission of Indians from Kuwait three decades ago did not have any name, Chaudhary said here that the current operation in Ukraine has been named 'Ganga' by the government with ôan eye on Varanasi and Uttar Pradesh polls.

We provided free ration to poor people during COVID-19, administered vaccine free of cost. Our govt is working for poor people of the country: PM Modi in Jaunpur

Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party chief Shivpal Yadav on Thursday said he has united with the Samajwadi Party president and his nephew Akhilesh Yadav to ensure the ouster of the BJP government in the Uttar Pradesh assembly election.

“When I had started touring the state, there was only one demand from you all (people) that 'chacha-bhatija' should unite and only then BJP government in UP can be removed. Friends, I agreed to your call. Akhilesh and I are united and now you (people) have to make the decision by removing the BJP from the state on March 10 through your vote,” Yadav said.

Former VHP chief Pravin Togadia on Wednesday said the BJP may find it tough to the win the Assembly polls underway in Uttar Pradesh as farmers there are distressed and angry. Speaking to reporters, he said farmers are waiting for compensation as well as a law guaranteeing Minimum Support Price, both of which the BJP-led government at the Centre had not acted upon.

Speaking on students stranded amid the Ukraine-Russia war, Togadia said they should have been brought back by the Centre by February 15 when it was clear hostilities would break out between the two nations. The delay has caused the death of one student (from Karnataka) in shelling, which was unfortunate, he said. 

He said there are just 45,000 government medical seats in the country and courses were costly, due to which students were pursuing studies in the sector abroad.

The BJP's Ballia Sadar candidate Dayashankar Singh has been allegedly attacked in Akhar village after which a case was lodged against Samajwadi Party nominee Narad Rai and his supporters, police said on Thursday. Narad Rai's nephew Ashish Rai has been arrested, they said. SHO of Dubhar police station said that on the complaint of Dayashankar Singh, a case was registered on Wednesday night against Rai and his supporters on charges of threatening to kill and damaging a vehicle. In the complaint, Dayashankar Singh claimed that he was returning home around 11.30 pm when supporters of Samajwadi Party candidate and former minister Narad Rai attacked him. He alleged that it was a big conspiracy to kill him. Singh also told the police officials who reached the spot after the incident that Rai's supporters had fled leaving a vehicle that belongs to the Mukhtar Ansari gang. It was also alleged that the vehicle of Tunji Pathak, a former BSP MP who recently joined the BJP, was damaged in the incident but no one was injured. Police said a probe into the incident was underway.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, pointing out the "difference" between the previous governments in Uttar Pradesh and the current BJP rule in the state, said that the illegal weapons were used to scare the people earlier, however, currently, missiles are being made to protect the country."Earlier, illegal weapons were made in Uttar Pradesh, which was used to scare or kill people. Today, shells and missiles are being made here, which are used to protect India. This change has come during the BJP government," Shah said while addressing a rally here. Lauding the work done by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in coordination with the Centre in his five-year tenure, the Union Home Minister said that the BJP government has groomed the future of the people of the state. "The BJP's double engine government has done the work of grooming the future of the poor people of the state by laying a network of expressways, medical colleges and metro all around," he said.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, was shown black flags, allegedly by the activists of Hindu Yuva Vahini amid chants of 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Modi-Modi' when she arrived in Varanasi on Wednesday night. Mamata went to take part in the Ganga Aarti at the Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi and to express her annoyance over the incident, she sat on the ghat steps instead of a chair and watched the Ganga Aarti. The West Bengal chief minister's convoy was passing through Chetganj area when a group of Hindu Yuva Vahini workers started raising slogans like 'wapas jao' (go back) and waved black flags. They were restrained by the police present on the spot. At this point, she stopped the vehicle and came out on the road. She kept on watching them for some time before moving to the ghat. According to a leader of Samajwadi Party (SP) Manoj Rai Dhoopchandi, who was with Mamata at that time, she said that "it was the fear of defeat that made them act like this". She also raised slogans "Jai UP, Jai Hind" and "Har-Har Mahadev", he said. No action was taken by the police. The Chetganj police said that action would be taken after the identification of the people involved in this incident. Mamata Banerjee is in Varanasi to take part in an election rally of the Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday.

Amit Shah will address rallies in Azamgarh and Mau today.

BJP national president JP Nadda on Wednesday promised to start metro services in some districts of Uttar Pradesh including Agra, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Meerut in the next five years if Bharatiya Janata Party retains power in Uttar Pradesh. The senior BJP leader also claimed that Uttar Pradesh has marked the lowest unemployment rate under the Yogi Adityanath-led government."In the next five years, we'll start metro services in Agra, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Meerut. UP has marked the lowest unemployment rate under the Yogi government. Through MSMEs, more than three lakh jobs have been created in the state," Nadda said while addressing a public rally Varanasi. Further, Nadda mentioned the other development works done by BJP in UP and said that the state stands at second position in the Ease of Doing Business ranking. He said, "Today UP stands at number 2 in Ease of Doing Business ranking. Per capita income has doubled, the state is becoming a leading destination for investments under the Yogi government. If you vote for BJP, we promise to take UP to the first position."Uttar Pradesh will go to the sixth phase of the polling tomorrow in the ongoing state Assembly elections, determining the fate of 676 candidates, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in 57 Assembly seats spread across 10 districts of the state. Of the total 57 seats, the BJP had swept the last elections in 2017, winning 46 constituencies, while Apna Dal had won one seat. The Samajwadi Party (SP) had won only two seats, while Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had won five seats. Congress and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) had won one seat each respectively.The 10 districts going to the polls in the sixth phase are Gorakhpur, Ambedkarnagar, Ballia, Balrampur, Basti, Deoria, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Sant Kabir Nagar and Siddharthnagar. The 2022 Assembly elections to elect 403 members of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly are being held in seven phases. The votes will be counted and the results will be declared on March 10, 2022.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Manipur Pradesh on Wednesday in a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Manipur have demanded re-polling at 23 polling stations over allegations of booth capturing, bogus voting and violence during the first phase of Assembly elections.On February 28, the first phase of the Manipur assembly polls for 38 seats in five electoral districts of Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Kangpokpi, and Churachandpur were held.The voter turnout of 78.09 per cent was recorded in the first phase as per the Election Commission of India.In a letter to the CEO, BJP alleged that the polling for the first phase of the 12th Manipur Legislative assembly was conducted on February 28. There have been issues of booth capturing, destruction of EVM, bogus voting and violence at some polling stations in Assembly Constituencies of Saikul and Saitu. The names of a total of 23 polling stations were handed over to the CEO for repolling.BJP had alleged that the Indian National Congress candidate along with his associates armed with weapons forcefully entered the polling area and destroyed the EVM in the Saitu assembly constituency. They created a riot like situation. They threatened the polling personnel. The situation was so grave that the security personnel were forced to open fire in the air to control the situation. The commission has already directed repolling at the polling station.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address rallies in Jaunpur and Chandauli today. 

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will hold public meetings and door-to-door campaign on Thursday in Varanasi ahead of the seventh and final phase of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.Varanasi is slated to vote on March 7 in the last phase of the polls in the state.Priyanka Gandhi will hold a public meeting at Football ground, Renukoot, Sonbhadra followed by another rally at Sakaldiha, Chandauli. She will also address a public meeting in Ramnagar in Varanasi Cantonment.Later in the day, the Congress leader will hold a door-to-door campaign from Akhri Chauraha to Chitaipur Chauraha, Rohaniya. Varanasi is the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The counting of the votes will take place on March 10.