Assembly Election 2022 Updates: After quitting BJP, ex-CM Laxmikant Parsekar to contest as independent

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday questioned the timing of the recent Enforcement Directorate raids and called them as “political vendetta” but asserted that he was not giving an clean chit to anyone. Sidhu further said his party will win at least 70 seats of the 117-assembly seats in the coming state assembly elections if a “clear agenda” for the state is incorporated in the poll manifesto. Replying to a question on the Enforcement Directorate raids at many places including at the premises of Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's nephew, Sidhu slammed the BJP-led Centre over the raids and said the ED took action after nearly four years of the registration of the case.

Punjab minister Rana Gurjeet Singh on Sunday wrote to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi seeking expulsion of Sukhpal Singh Khaira from the party, raking up the issue of Enforcement Directorate's action against him last year in connection with a money laundering case. With less than a month to go for the state assembly polls, the bitter rivalry between some Congress leaders from Kapurthala region has come to light. The ED had last year arrested Khaira, who is the Congress's nominee from Bholath, under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), alleging that he was an "associate" of convicts in the case and of fake passport racketeers.

Punjab's Chief Electoral Officer S Karuna Raju on Sunday said 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 the scrutiny of the nominations would be done on February 2 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature would be February 4, according to an official release. The nominations for the upcoming elections would be filed in the office of respective returning officers from 11 am to 3 pm from January 25 to February 1, said Raju.

The BJP is necessary for the country's development and with its farsightedness, it has brought positive changes, said Aparna Yadav, the younger daughter-in-law of SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, who recently joined the saffron party.

She also said that for the safety of women, it is necessary that a BJP government is formed in Uttar Pradesh. Yadav's joining the saffron party comes ahead of next month's polls to the 403-member state assembly. In a statement issued on Sunday by the BJP headquarters here, Yadav said, "I joined the BJP because of nationalism. In the BJP government, women have got respect.

Ahead of the first-phase polling in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP MLA from Agra's Fatehabad constituency, Jitendra Verma, resigned from the party and said that he has joined the Samajwadi Party. Verma's name did not figure in the list of candidates released by the BJP for the first phase of elections. He was replaced by Chhotelal Verma. In his two-line resignation letter sent to Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh, Verma wrote, "I am resigning from the primary membership of the BJP. Kindly accept it."

Speaking to PTI, he said, "There are many reasons why I left the BJP. Even 15 days after I was denied ticket, the party leadership did not talk to me. I have joined the Samajwadi Party and I will not contest this election." He claimed that BJP workers and MLAs have no say in the party. "If you are not able to provide fertiliser to a farmer, what are you an MLA for? Not only me, a number of MLAs will be leaving the BJP," he said. Earlier, Uttar Pradesh ministers Swami Prasad Maurya, Dara Singh Chauhan and Dharam Singh Saini had tendered their resignations and joined the Samajwadi Party.

A number of other legislators have also quit the party recently. They are Brijesh Prajapati (Tindwari in Banda), Roshanlal Verma (Tilhar in Shahjahanpur), Bhagwati Prasad Sagar (Bilhaur in Kanpur Nagar), Vinay Shakya (Bidhuna in Auraiya), Digvijay Narayan alias Jai Chaube (Khalilabad) Madhuri Verma (Nanpara in Bahraich) and Rakesh Rathore (Sitapur).

In the first of the seven phases, polling will be held in 58 assembly constituencies spread over 11 districts on February 10. The districts which are going to poll in the first phase are Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Mathura and Agra. The final-phase polling will be on March 7 and the results will be declared on March 10. 

BJP's ally in UP Apna Dal (Sonelal) on Sunday declared Haidar Ali Khan as its candidate from the Suar assembly constituency in the Rampur district. Khan was declared earlier on January 13 as the Congress candidate from the Suar assembly constituency. Khan’s father Nawab Kazim Ali Khan is still in the Congress and is to fight the assembly elections from the neighbouring Rampur seat. Khan is the second Congress candidate to leave the party after being declared its candidate, the first one being the candidate from Bareilly Cantonment, Supriya Aron who joined the Samajwadi Party on Saturday. National spokesperson Rajesh Patel of Apna Dal (Sonelal) on Sunday told PTI, "The party has decided to field Haidar Ali Khan as its candidate from the Suar assembly seat.

Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Sunday said the "Modi-Yogi (MY)" factor has demolished the "culture of crime" in Uttar Pradesh and is the guarantee for security in the state. During a 'Chaupal Par Charcha' event in Rampur's Daniyapur and Shankarpur villages ahead of the assembly polls in the state, he interacted with BJP 'panna pramukhs', 'booth pramukhs', farmers, villagers and other people. 
The “MY (Modi-Yogi) factor” in Uttar Pradesh is the guarantee for security and prosperity of the people, and good governance in the state, the BJP leader said. This “MY (Modi-Yogi) factor” has demolished the “culture of corruption and crime", the minority affairs minister said in a play on the 'Muslim-Yadav (MY) factor' known in political circles to be the vote base of the Samajwadi Party.

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Sunday said desertion of OBC ministers and MLAs from the BJP will have no impact on the party's poll prospects in Uttar Pradesh as all sections of society trust Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They have left to fulfil their "self-interest" and not for "any ideology", the BJP leader said. Recently, Swami Prasad Maurya, Dara Singh Chauhan and Dharam Singh Saini quit the state cabinet and the BJP to join the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) along with some legislators.

Punjab minister Rana Gurjeet Singh launched an aggressive campaign for his son Rana Inder Partap Singh who is contesting the state assembly elections as an Independent candidate against ruling Congress's nominee Navtej Singh Cheema. The Cabinet minister started campaigning for Inder Partap from Bussowal, the native village of Cheema, on January 21, claiming that his son would be elected by the voters of Sultanpur Lodhi seat. Rana Gurjeet campaigned for Inder Pratap in villages falling under the constituency on Sunday.
 

Former Goa chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar, who has resigned from the BJP after being denied ticket for the next month's state Assembly polls, on Sunday said he will contest the election from Mandrem constituency as an independent.

At 8 feet and 1 inch, Dharmendra Pratap Singh from Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh has always stood out, dwarfing most others around him and leaving them awestruck. Now, the former event manager, who claims to be the tallest man in India, is making his political debut with the Samajwadi Party and hopes to help it come out on the top in the upcoming state assembly polls.

Eyeing to expand its base in Punjab, the BJP will nominate Sikh candidates on more than half of the total seats it will contest in next month's assembly polls, its general secretary Tarun Chugh said on Saturday. Speaking on the BJP-led alliance, which comprises the Punjab Lok Congress and the SAD (Sanyukt), he said it is expected that most of its candidates for the February 20 polls to the 117-member assembly will be from the Sikh community, especially farmers and OBCs. The BJP may also explore the option of announcing a chief ministerial face for the alliance, Chugh said. Sources said that the BJP is likely to contest on 65 out of the total 117 assembly seats in Punjab, while its allies the Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress is expected to contest 38 seats and SAD (Sanyukt) 14.

Former chief minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday announced the first list of his party Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) candidates from 22 constituencies for the February 20 state assembly elections, with ex-captain of Indian hockey team Ajit Pal Singh entering the fray from Nakodar.  The PLC has been allotted 37 to contest out of the 117 seats in the state as part of its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and SAD (Sanyukt), with discussions still in progress on possibly another five seats for the party, he said. 

All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi has accused the Samajwadi Party for fielding Mukhiya Gurjar, a candidate with RSS background from the Hasanpur constituency in Amroha. He described the SP as a 'washing machine where RSS men become secular'. He also attacked his rivals for terming him and his party as the "B team of BJP".

As part of this door to door campaign, I appeal to people to vote for BJP. Mothers, sisters all feel safe in BJP govt and I want to appeal to people 'Ek bar Phirse BJP Sarkar Baniye, 2022 Mein Kesariya Lehraiye': BJP leader Aparna Yadav in Lucknow

The Election Commission's ban on physical rallies in five poll-bound states since January 8 due to the ongoing COVID-19 wave has hit the business of charter flight operators. Just 10-15 per cent of the 350-400 flight hours per month are election-related travel at this stage, the operators said.

Reacting strongly to the "baseless and frivolous" allegations levelled against him by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Majithia, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi dared him to present even a single proof that indicates his involvement in sand mining across the state. "I have never denied my relationship with my nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey and being a relative he might be present at some of my functions. It is not a crime, if I get clicked with my relatives at my son's marriage or some other functions," Channi said in a statement, while categorically denying his any link in Honey's money laundering case investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Top Punjabi singers have descended into the electoral scene in Punjab, courtesy political parties seeking to cash in on their popularity to woo voters. 
With Punjabi pop culture witnessing a heady rise, political parties believe that fielding popular singers will pull in crowds and connect them with the people. While the Congress has fielded Popular Punjabi singer Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, better known as Sidhu Moosewala and considered close to party state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, from Mansa, singers Anmol Gagan Mann and Balkar Sidhu will be the AAP candidates for Kharar and Rampura Phul constituencies, respectively.

Ahead of the next month's Goa Assembly elections, the Congress, which was hit hardest by defections in the BJP-ruled state in the last five years, made its candidates swear before God that they will not switch the party if they get elected. The Congress on Saturday took all its 34 candidates in a special bus to a temple, a church as well as a dargah in the state and made them take the 'anti-defection' pledge.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday said Congress' is so miserable it “changed” its Chief Minister face for Uttar Pradesh polls within hours of announcement. "The condition of the Congress party is so miserable in the UP Assembly elections that their CM candidate changed her stand within a few hours. It would be better, if people do not waste their vote by giving it to the Congress. And vote one-sided for the BSP," Mayawati tweeted. She termed the Congress as a party which divides the opposition votes against the BJP, and urged voters to ignore it.

The Shiromani Akali Dal on Sunday announced that it will field former MLA Baljit Singh Jalalusma from Baba Bakala seat in Amritsar district for next month's Punjab Assembly polls. Voting for Punjab's 117 assembly seats will be held on February 20 and the counting of votes will take place on March 10.
 

The Samajwadi Party on Sunday released a list of 30 star campaigners for the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election.
Senior party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, his son and party president Akhilesh Yadav, daughter-in-law Dimple Yadav, Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan, party secretary general Ram Gopal Yadav, and MLA Swami Prasad Maurya are among the star campaigners.

After joining BJP in New Delhi, Aparna Yadav to start door-to-door campaign today for UP polls along with Aditi Singh and Priyanka Maurya

Launching a scathing attack on Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that those who talk of providing "free electricity" had kept Uttar Pradesh in "dark".

Pragativadi Samajwadi Party (Lohia) chief Shivpal Singh Yadav will contest the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections from Jaswant Nagar Assembly constituency as a candidate of the Samajwadi Party- PSP(Lohia) alliance.

In a major development the Election Commission of India (ECI) has transferred District Magistrates (DMs) of Firozabad, Bareilly and Kanpur Nagar and Superintendents of Police (SPs) in Firozabad and Kaushambi districts.

According to an official release, Suryapal Gangwar, the Managing Director of Madhyanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (MVVNL), will replace Chandra Vijay Singh as Firozabad DM.

Singh was posted in Firozabad since 2019. During his tenure, eight men were killed in anti-CAA and NRC protests in December 2019. While in 2021, 68 people, including 51 children, died of 'dengue-like viral fever' outbreak which occurred in September 2021 in the district.

Putting into the spotlight the issue of alleged exodus of Hindus from Kairana before 2017, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday visited the affected families who have since returned here as he began his door-to-door election campaign in western Uttar Pradesh.

Asserting that the people of Kairana were no longer living in fear, Shah said a satisfactory law and order situation is the primary condition for development and the Yogi Adityanath government has ensured this in Uttar Pradesh.

Accompanied by party workers and leaders, wearing saffron caps and stoles, Shah walked in the rain-drenched lanes in the winter chill and distributed pamphlets on the achievements of the BJP government, amid slogans of 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'.

BJP president J P Nadda held a meeting with party leaders and candidates in Bijnor on Saturday in the run-up to the assembly election in Uttar Pradesh. BJP leaders said Nadda reached Bijnor on Saturday afternoon by helicopter.

He then held a meeting with the party's candidates and leaders from 15 assembly seats in Bijnor and Muzaffarnagar districts.

Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases between February 10 and March 7 and the results will be announced on March 10. 

Reacting strongly to the baseless and frivolous allegations levelled against him by SAD leader Bikram Majithia, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Saturday dared him to present even a single proof that indicates his involvement in sand mining across Punjab, said a press release.

"I have never denied my relationship with my nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey and being a relative he might be present at some of my functions. It is not a crime, if I get clicked with my relatives at my son's marriage or some other functions," CM said while categorically denying his any link in Honey's money laundering case investigated by Enforcement Directorate.

Congress releases a list of 53 candidates for Uttarakhand Assembly elections

Congress on Saturday released a list of 40 candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Manipur. Former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh to contest from Thoubal. 

The elections are due to be held this year in the state. Manipur has 60 assembly seats and BJP is in power in the state.