Litmus test for Jayant crossover to NDA in Jat politics heartland

BAGHPAT: Along the narrow lanes of Baghpats Chhaprauli Dehat village, the smiling photographs of former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh and his grandson Jayant Chaudhary don the walls of many houses. It is not an uncommon sight in the land of Jat politics and home to Charan Singhs family. The peasant leader, who was recently conferred with Bharat Ratna, represented Baghpat in the Lok Sabha thrice. While his son Ajit Singh won the Baghpat seat seven times, his grandson Jayant Chaudhary lost the seat to BJPs Satyapal Singh in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Political equations have, however, changed with Jayant Chowdhurys RLD joining the NDA camp. As Baghpat goes to polls on April 26, it will be an acid test for Jayant who stitched an alliance with the BJP ahead of polls. In the three-cornered contest, RLDs Raj Kumar Sagwan, SPs Amarpal Sharma, and BSPs Praveen Bansal are in the fray. Interestingly, it is the first time since 1977 that RLD fielded a candidate from outside the Chaudhary clan in Baghpat. Jayants cross over to the BJP camp amid seat-sharing talks with INDIA ally SP dealt a rude shock for the opposition bloc. The jury is still out on Jayants move, says Lokesh Tyagi, a Jat farmer in Pali village. Jaikishan Singh, an ardent supporter of the RLD, differs. Chowdhury Charan saab brought glory to our village. I dont think the Modi government gave him the award to get RLD on their side. My family has been voting for the Chaudhary family for generations. Jayant will carry forward his grandfathers legacy, he says. It is a common refrain echoed by most of the Jat community in the sugar belt. The alliance will reap benefits for NDA, says BJP supporter Kishen Lal Saini, pointing out that the Jats were divided between the BJP and the RLD earlier. Most Jats were unhappy with the RlDs alliance with the SP. The BJP is the natural ally of RLD. Akhileshs party is only for Muslims, says Saini. For the same reason, Jayant lost to BJPs candidate in Baghpat in 2019 when he had tied up with the SP and BSP, he says. The caste fault-lines that emerged after the 2013 riots in the neighbouring Muzaffarnagar continue to cast a shadow on the relationship between the communities. Though the region has seen a revival of bonhomie between Muslims and Jats after the farmers stir in 2019, Jayants migration to the BJP is a blow to the unity efforts initiated by many, including farmer leader Rakesh Tikait. Though the dominant Jat population will hold sway, Baghpat has a significant Muslim population, too.

Acid test for RLD-BJP alliance in heartland of Jat politics

BHAGPAT: Along the narrow lanes of Baghpats Chhaprauli Dehat village, the smiling pictures of former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh and his grandson Jayant Chaudhary don the walls of many houses. It is not an uncommon sight in Baghpat, the land of Jat politics and home to Charan Singhs family. The peasant leader, who was posthumously conferred with Bharat Ratna, represented Baghpat in Lok Sabha for three terms beginning from 1977. While his son Ajit Singh won Baghpat seven times, his grandson Jayant Chaudhary, lost the seat to BJPs Satyapal Singh in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. However, political equations have changed drastically with Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chowdhury joining forces with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) camp. As Baghpat goes to polls on April 26, it will be an acid test for Jayant who stitched up an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. In the three-cornered contest, RLDs Raj Kumar Sagwan, SPs Amarpal Sharma, and BSPs Praveen Bansal are in the fray. Interestingly, it is the first time since 1977 that the RLD fielded a candidate from outside the Chaudhary clan in Baghpat. Uttar Pradesh: RLD Chief Jayant in, yet Jats play hardball to BJP Jayants cross over to the saffron camp amid seat-sharing talks with his INDIA ally Samajwadi Party (SP) dealt a rude shock for the opposition bloc. The jury is still out on Jayants move, says Lokesh Tyagi, a Jat farmer in Pali village. However, Jaikishan Singh, an ardent supporter of RLD, differs. Chowdhury Charan saab brought glory to our village. I dont think the Modi government gave him the award to get RLD on their side. My family has been voting for the Chaudhary family for generations. Jayant will carry forward his grandfather's legacy and we continue to support him, says Singh. It is a common refrain echoed by most of the Jat community in the sugar belt. The alliance will reap benefits for the NDA as it will help consolidate Jat votes, says BJP supporter Kishen Lal Saini, pointing out that the loyalties of the Jats were divided between the BJP and the RLD earlier. Most of the Jats were unhappy with the RLD's alliance with the SP. BJP is the natural ally of RLD. Akhileshs party is only for Muslims, says Saini. Cracking the Jat code: BJP's strategic courting of RLD and what it means in western Uttar Pradesh For the same reason, Jayant Chaudhary lost to BJPs candidate in the Baghpat seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls when it had tied up the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), he says. The caste fault lines that emerged after the 2013 riots in the neighbouring Muzaffarnagar continue to cast a shadow on the relationship between the communities. Though the region has seen a revival of healthy relations between Muslims and Jats after the farmers agitation in 2019, Jayants migration to the BJP is a blow to the unity efforts initiated by many including farmer leader Rakesh Tikait. Though the dominant Jat population will hold sway in the outcome of the election, Baghpat also has a significant Muslim population. Rajputs up ante against BJP, call for boycott of Muzaffarnagar nominee It is not easy to bury the hatchet with the BJP, says Anwar Rashid, another RLD supporter who runs a hardware shop in Chhaprauli. We always called the BJP anti-farmer and anti-Jat. However, we will stand by Jayant, says Rashid. Livelihood issues will be dominant in this election rather than caste equations, says elderly Jat leader Virendra Chaudhary. He says that the resentment over sugarcane dues, inflation, and rising unemployment will cost dearly to the ruling BJP. Bumpy roads ahead of BJPs Mission 80

Low Voter Turnout In Western UP Worries BJP

The BJP is concerned about low voter turnout in Western UPs Phase 1 Lok Sabha polls. Pankaj Singh, son of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, was deployed to Rajput-dominated areas like Muzaffarnagar, Nagina, and Saharanpur to address voter disquiet. The post Low Voter Turnout In Western UP Worries BJP appeared first on HW News English .

Congress is history, new opposition of clean people will emerge says UP Dy CM Maurya

Congress is history, new opposition of clean people will emerge says UP Dy CM Maurya Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Sunday slammed opposition and said that the challenge named Congress used to be there in history, not at present and in their place, a new opposition consisting of clean people will emerge. The challenge of the name Congress used to be there in history, but not at present. In their place will come a new opposition consisting of clean people. Akhilesh Yadav has scored the boundary of defeats. He lost in 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2022. Now he will also hit six of defeats when he loses in 2024 and 2027. Even after losing so many times, he is still fighting, I admire his courage. People are now busy eliminating the Samajwadi Party and Congress has no importance left in Uttar Pradesh, he said. Further, speaking on the INDIA bloc's 'Ulgulan Rally', Maurya said all the opposition parties do not have anything to show in comparison with the works of the BJP. INDIA alliance started from Karnataka and by the time it reached Mumbai it remained half. Now whatever rally they hold, the BJP government has done such a good job that the opposition is not able to get space. Once upon a time, everyone would have come together against Congress and today the entire opposition has come together against BJP but still cannot stop our victory. The big targets set for 2024-2029 are our strength. Youth power, women power, and farmers are our strength, UP Deputy CM said. Exuding confidence in winning the Lok Sabha elections, Keshav Prasad Maurya said, BJP and our allies will win eight seats in the first phase with a huge margin. Preparations for the second and third phases are going on in full swing and we are confident that BJP will win 80 seats in 2024. Eight seats in western Uttar Pradesh, including Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur, and Saharanpur, went to polls in the first phase of the general elections on Friday. The most populous state, which sends the most members to the Lower House of Parliament, at 80, will poll across all seven phases. In the 2019 elections, turning the arithmetic of the SP-BSP 'Mahagatbandhan' in Uttar Pradesh upside down, the BJP and its ally Apna Dal (S) won 64 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats. The partners in the alliance, Akhilesh Yadav's SP and Mayawati's BSP, could only muster 15 seats. (ANI)

Cong against development, stalled canal project, says Shah

JAIPUR/MATHURA: At a rally in Rajasthans Kota, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday sharply criticized the Congress, branding it as anti-development. Shah was in the town to garner support for Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Had the electorate voted for Congress in 2019, Kota would have been a stronghold for the Popular Front of India (PFI), a banned Islamic outfit. However, due to our support for Prime Minister Modi, the PFI influence has been eradicated, said Shah. He accused the former Ashok Gehlot-led government of hindering the states development. The Gehlot government halted the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) for five years. In contrast, the Bhajan Lal administration advanced the ERCP work within just three months. PM Modi is committed to ensuring water in every village through the ERCP, said the minister. He expressed confidence in the BJP sweeping all seats. All 12 seats contested in the state will be won by Narendra Modi, Shah said. Om Birla has won from Kota twice with a margin of over two lakh votes. He faces Congress Pahlad Gunjal, who recently switched from BJP to Congress. Every vote cast for Om Birla in Kota-Bundi directly supports Modi ji, he added. Earlier, Shah attended a Vijay Sankalp Mahasabha in Bhilwara to support BJPs Damodar Agarwal. Sonia Gandhi aims to make her son Rahul Gandhi the PM, while Modi strives to elevate the nation. Congress politicized Ram Lalla for vote banks, neglecting the true sentiment of the people, he said. Addressing another rally in Mathura in support for party candidate Hema Malini for a third term, Shah said the Congress-SP combined was wiped out in the first phase. The voting in Saharanpur, Bijnor, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit seats took place on Friday. Cong failed to protect national security: Yogi UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath conducted a roadshow supporting BJPs CP Joshi from Chittorgarh Lok Sabha constituency. Yogi criticized Congress, saying, During their tenure, terrorists were pampered with biryani. They even questioned Lord Rams existence. Those disrespecting faith and failing to bolster national security shouldnt govern. He also expressed confidence in BJPs victory.

Congress-SP combine wiped out in first phase: Amit Shah in Mathura

Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that the Congress-SP combine was defeated in the first phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh. Polling was held for eight seats, including Saharanpur, Bijnor, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Nagina (reserved), Moradabad, Rampur, and Pilibhit. Speaking at an election rally in support of BJP candidate Hema Malini in Vrindavan, Shah asserted that Congress and SP were wiped out in the first phase. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav claimed a change in the state's atmosphere, stating that people had rejected the BJP after the initial polling.

First day, First show and the polling begins

The first round of 7-phase parliamentary polls was held across 21 states, with sporadic incidents of violence being reported from Manipur and West Bengal. In the biggest round of the elections, all 39 seats of Tamil Nadu, 12 of Rajasthan and 8 of Uttar Pradesh went to polls. With PM Modi eyeing a third term in office, the BJP hopes to win 22 of the 25 seats in Northeast, hold on to its 2019 tally in the Hindi heartland and Maharashtra and better its show in West Bengal as well as in the South. The Opposition INDIA bloc insists that it will do well across the country, especially in the saffron bastion of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar this time. The counting of votes will take place on June 4 Rajasthan: Total seats - 25 1st phase - 12 It was subdued enthusiasm among voters in 12 seats. Voting was largely peaceful in most constituencies, though some witnessed sporadic clashes. In Kuchera, Nagaur, one of the hot seats, supporters of BJP candidate Jyoti Mirdha and INDIA Alliance candidate Hanuman Beniwal of RLP clashed with each others, injuring Tejpal Mirdha, the chairman of Kuchera municipality. Nagour is a Jat-dominated seat. In another hot seat of Jhunjhunu in the Shekhawati region, BJP candidate Shubhakaran Chaudhary fought with security personnel and in Churu, an MLA was involved in altercation with a policeman Uttar pradesh: Total seats - 80 1st phase - 8 The overall turnout seemed to be lower than the 2019 elections. The eight constituencies which went to the polls included Saharanpur (63.29%),Pilibhit (60.2%), Kairana (58.68%), Nagina (SC) (58.05%), Moradabad (57.65%), Muzaffarnagar (54.91), Bijnor (54.68%), Rampur (52.42%). No major incident was reported during the polling. Last time, a turnout of 66.47% was recorded in the eight constituencies. Overall turnout in Uttar Pradesh during 2019 was 59.21%. In the Neuria area of the district, villagers said they would not vote as they are peeved at man-animal conflict Bihar: Total seats - 40 4 A low turnout of 48.23% was recorded in four constituencies where 38 candidates were in the fray. In 2019, 53.47% voters had exercised their franchise. Gaya has the highest 14 candidates in the fray. There is a decrease of around 5.24% of turnout in 2024. According to chief electoral officer H R Srinivasa, Gaya (SC) recorded the highest 52% turnout, Jamui (SC) and Aurangabad 50% each. In Nawada, only 41.50% voters exercised their franchise. In 2019, Aurangabad had recorded 53.63% turnout, Gaya 56.16 %, Nawada 49.33% and Jamui 55.21%. Voters called for poll boycott in six stations, there was no report of clashes or violence though, according to Srinivasa. WEST BENGAL: Total seats - 42 1st phase - 3 Sporadic incidents of violence marred the first phase, with TMC and BJP workers clashing in Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri. Three reserved seatsJalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Beharin North Bengal went to polls. The TMC and the BJP lodged 80 and 39 complaints, respectively, related to violence, voter intimidation, and assaults on poll agents in Cooch Behar and Alipurduar. Union MoS Nisith Pramanik is contesting from Cooch Behar. TMC leader Udayan Guha said that the BJP, along with central forces, unleashed a reign of terror to rig the elections. The BJP, however, denied the allegations. chhattisgarh: Total seats - 11 1st phase - 1 The voters defied the Maoist threat, as the encouraging turnout eclipsed the terror that haunted Bastar zone ahead of the polling. A CRPF personnel, Devendra kumar, was killed in an IED blast at Usoor in an edgy district of Bijapur during an area domination operation. He died of his injuries while on the way to Raipur in a chopper. In the same district, an assistant commandant of CRPF was injured during a poll-related duty at Bhairamgarh. Barring the two incidents, the polling across Bastar remained peaceful. For the first time, 102 new polling stations were set up for the convenience of voters. Madhya Pradesh: Total seats - 29 1st phase - 6 Six constituencies recorded around 67% turnout till 6.30 pm and the figure is likely to go up. The six seats had registered 75.23% polling in. The high-profile Chhindwara seat (where ex-CM Kamal Naths MP son Nakul Nath took on BJPs Vivek Sahu) stood on top in terms of poll percentage with 78.67% as shared by chief electoral officer Anupam Rajan. Another key constituency Mandla-ST (where sixth-time BJP MP and Union minister Faggan Singh Kulaste was pitted against ex-minister and fourth-time Congress MLA Omkar Markam) reported 72.92% polling. The Maoist-hit Balaghat seat reported 72.60% polling Jammu & Kashmir: Total seats - 5 1st phase - 1 For the first-time in over three decades, residents at the International Border in Hira Nagar sector of Kathua district exercised their right to vote for the Udhampur seat without any fear or threat of cross-border firing. It was the first major electoral exercise in J&K since the abrogration of Article 370 and bifurcation of erstwhile J&K state into two Union Territories. People men, women, including young and old thronged at the polling station in Kadyala village close to International Border. India and Pakistan on February 24, 2021, announced to strictly uphold the November 2003 border ceasefire pact between the troops of two countries. Residents said due to the ceasefire, more people have come to vote in this election UTTARAKHAND 5 5 Despite clear weather and relatively low temperature, the turnout was below expectation. Villagers of Jalal in Nainital and Tehri parliamentary constituency boycotted the election for lack of infrastructure, posing risks to their travel and safety. Newlywed couples, dressed in their wedding attire, arrived at several polling stations to cast their votes. However, around 350 were not able to vote on polling day due to wedding ceremonies. Bhagwan Singh, father of the groom from village Chhedi in Srinagar, expressed regret for not being able to vote on polling day due to clash over marriage date Maharashtra: Total seats - 48 1st phase - 5 Voting for the five seats took place without untoward events in Maharashtra. The voting began on a slow pace due to the scorching heat in the Vidarbha region. The tribal and Naxalite district of Gadchiroli witnessed the highest turnout at 64.95%, while Nagpur reported lowest at 47.91% till 5pm. In Ramtek-SC seat, 53.38% turnout was reported, 56.87% in BhandaraGondia and 55.11% in Chandrapur seat. To avoid technical snags cropping up in EVMs in the remote polling booths in Gadchiroli, three spare EVMs were dispatched by a helicopter to the Sironcha area of the district, said an official. Manipur: Total seats - 2 1st phase - 2 Sporadic incidents of gunfire and intimidation of voters as well as Congress workers by armed miscreants marred Lok Sabha elections in ethnic violence-hit Manipur on Friday. The turnout was 72.32% in the Inner Manipur seat and 61.98% in Outer Manipur. The violence occurred in places falling under the Inner Manipur seat which straddles the Meitei-majority Imphal Valley. The armed men fired several rounds outside a polling station at Thamnapokpi in Bishnupur district. Three persons were reportedly injured.The voters and the Congress polling agents were intimidated by the armed miscreants Tamil Nadu: Total seats - 39 1st phase - 39 The polling began at 7am amid tight security in most of the 39 constituencies. Argument broke out between voters and officials in some polling stations as authorities did not allow people to carry their smartphones/mobiles inside the booths. People belonging to Parandhur village with over 1,000 voters near Sriperumbudur did not turn up to vote till 9.30 am. Around 1,000 voters of Ennore who had called for boycott of the election over the ammonia gas leak incident at Ennore Creek withdrew their decision and decided to vote Puducherry: Total seats - 1 1st phase - 1 The Union Territory gets to elect their lone representative to the Lok Sabha. A visit to some of the polling stations in rural areas brought to the fore a mixed picture. Pink booths were the centre of attraction. The green environment at a booth housed on the premises of the more-than-century-old VOC Government Boys school in the town added to the lustre of the arrangements. Gruel, nutritious cereals, millets and buttermilk were given to the voters Lakshadweep: Total seats - 1 1st phase - 1 Nearly 60% voter turnout was recorded until 5pm in the Lakshadweep constituency spanning across 10 inhabited islands of the Lakshadweep Archipelago, with an electorate of 57,784, as per data shared by the Election Commission. Out of this total, 28,506 are women. The polling began at 7.30am across the 10 inhabited islands and concluded at 6.30 pm. An official said that the figures provided are preliminary, as voters who were in line by this deadline were given the opportunity to cast their votes Andaman & Nicobar islands: Total seats - 1 1st phase - 1 Around 3,15,148 voters in Andaman and Nicobar Islands have exercised their franchise till 3pm for the lone Lok Sabha seat in the Union Territory. Seven members of the Shompen tribe, a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTGs) of the Great Nicobar Islands, on Friday exercised their voting rights for the first time, an election official said. Other two primitive tribes, too, exercised their voting rights like in 2019, the CEO said Arunachal Pradesh: Total seats - 2 1st phase - 2 The unique Malogam polling station in Anjaw district of the state recorded cent per cent polling with the lone female voter, exercising her constitutional right on Friday, officials said. Supporters of two candidates clashed at the Bameng Assembly constituency in East Kameng. Irate mobs damaged EVMs in polling stations elsewhere in the state. Miscreants tried to snatch EVMs in three polling stations in the Nacho constituency in Upper Subansiri and in one in Kurung Kumey district, where polling was also suspended Assam: Total seats - 14 1st phase - 5 Long queues were seen outside booths since morning as polling was underway for five constituencies. Poling began at 7 am in Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur and Kaziranga seats, and 86.5 lakh voters are eligible to vote. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal of BJP and Congresss deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi were among those who cast their votes in the first hour Meghalaya: Total seats - 2 1st phase - 2 Voters at numerous polling stations were seen queuing up as early as 6 am, underscoring their enthusiasm to participate in the electoral process. The first five voters were rewarded with mementoes and first-time voters were also felicitated. Voters in a model polling station planted trees after casting their votes. Polling was being held at 3,512 polling stations in which 10 candidates are in the fray Mizoram: Total seats - 1 1st phase - 1 At least 6,500 polling personnel, over 3,500 policemen and 12 companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) have been deployed for the polls in the state. All international borders and inter-state borders have been sealed to ensure peaceful elections, a senior police officer said. Although there are six contenders, it is believed that the fight will be mainly among ZPM, MNF and Congress Nagaland: Total seats - 1 1st phase - 1 Polling personnel in six eastern districts of Nagaland waited for nine hours in booths, but not one of the four lakh voters of the region turned up following a shutdown call given by an organisation to press for its demand for Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT). Of the 13.25 lakh voters in Nagaland, 50.41 per cent have exercised their franchise, the officials said. Nagaland Governor La. Ganesan exercised his franchise at Model Polling Station Sikkim: Total seats - 1 1st phase - 1 Over 50% of the 4.64 lakh voters in Sikkim exercised their franchise in the 32 Assembly seats and in the lone Lok Sabha constituency till 3 pm on Friday, an official said. Thirteen companies of CAPF have been deployed in Sikkim, of which five companies are from ITBP and eight from SSB, he added. Former Indian Football captain and SDF vice president Bhaichung Bhutia who is contesting from Barfung (BL) assembly seat voted Tripura: Total seats - 2 1st phase - 1 The opposition Congress and CPM alleged that largescale rigging in several places across the constituency, with the Election Commission saying that it received some complaints and was looking into those. In the bypolls to the Ramnagar assembly seat, which was being held simultaneously, a turnout of 56.68% was recorded. Altogether 14.61 lakh people are eligible to vote in this phase of Lok Sabha polls in Tripura

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Muzaffarnagar baaki hai

Ten years after riots hit this part of UP, creating a huge political impact, mid-day visits the western UP constituency to gauge the mood of the people

Rae Bareli: BJP may field Varun against Priyanka

New Delhi: With the possibility of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi contesting from the Gandhi bastion, Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, saffron corridors are abuzz with speculations that the BJP could field Varun Gandhi from this high-profile seat. The BJP had replaced Varun Gandhi with Jitin Prasada from the Pilibhit Lok Sabha constituency. After his replacement, talks of parleys between Varun Gandhi and Congress emerged, with some claiming that Congress was considering fielding him from Rae Bareli. However, sources close to Varun Gandhi revealed that the top BJP leadership was now contemplating making it a Gandhi vs Gandhi battle in Rae Bareli. When asked, BJP officials remained tight-lipped on the issue. It may be recalled that recently, the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee and Rae Bareli Congress passed resolutions stating that the party should field Priyanka or any other member of the Gandhi family from Rae Bareli. Reports from UP indicated that some top Congress leaders, including Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, rooted for Varun Gandhi. We will be happy if Varun Gandhi joins Congress. He is a tall leader and a well-educated politician. His image exudes transparency, and he has relations with the Gandhi family. We want Varun Gandhi to join the Congress now, Chowdhury told the media. Meanwhile, as the BJP replaced Varun Gandhi, the party fielded his mother, Maneka Gandhi, from Sultanpur. While polling in Bareli is slated for May 20, Sultanpur will vote on May 25. Polling in the Pilibhit Lok Sabha constituency was held today. It was learned that the party began sidelining Varun Gandhi following his alleged anti-party stand on various issues. In 2021, going against the party line, Varun Gandhi demanded the arrest of the perpetrators in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, where farmers agitating against the contentious farm laws were mowed down by a vehicle driven by BJP leader and Union minister Ajay Mishra's son. He also clashed with the Yogi government in UP following the suspension of the licence of Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Amethi. There had also been an influential section in the BJP targeting Gandhi, sources revealed. This particular section mounted pressure on the BJP high command to drop Gandhi and replace him with any other candidate. Jitin Prasada, who was seeking to contest from Kheri, was brought in by the party to contest from Pilibhit. Earlier, breaking her silence on her son being dropped by the party, Maneka Gandhi had said, He (Varun Gandhi) was a very good MP, even issue-wise and for his constituency. But I am sure whatever he does will be good for the country. As polling for the first phase kicked off this morning, a section of BJP leaders indicated that this particular phase could be tricky for the BJP in UP. It may be recalled that of the eight seats that went to polls on Friday, the BJP had won only three during the last general elections, namely Pilibhit, Kairana, and Muzaffarnagar. Samajwadi Party had won Moradabad and Rampur.

Lok Sabha elections: Data shows over 55 pc voting at all 8 seats in Uttar Pradesh

Lok Sabha elections: Data shows over 55 pc voting at all 8 seats in Uttar Pradesh A total of 57.90 per cent voter turnout was recorded in all eight parliamentary constituencies of western Uttar Pradesh, where voting was held on Friday in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election, according to the Election Commission of India. A total of 80 candidates--73 men and seven women--are contesting in the first phase in the state. According to the ECI, Saharanpur recorded 63.29 per cent of voter turnout while Rampur recorded 52.42 per cent, Muzaffarnagar recorded 54.91 per cent and Pilibhit recorded 60.23 per cent. Today, the first phase of elections was held peacefully in eight Lok Sabha constituencies. At most places, voting began at 7 am and concluded by 6 pm but at some places, voting is still going on. According to information received till 5 pm, the average voting percentage in Uttar Pradesh is 67.54 per cent, Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa said. He also said that the state poll body office also received complaints from various political parties and candidates of malfunctioning of EVMs through emails. Complaints of malfunctioning EVMs were received from various political parties and candidates through various mediums, mainly through emails. All the complaints were promptly sent to the districts. There was no incident of violence anywhere, there was a minor scuffle between two parties outside a booth, but prompt action was taken by the police there, he added. The voter turnout in Bijnor was recorded at 54.68 per cent, Kairana at 60.39 per cent, Moradabad at 58.25 per cent, Nagina at 59.17 per cent. Voting for phases two will be held on April 19 and April 26. Next, the state will once again poll in phases three and four on May 7 and May 13. (ANI)

Hindu-Muslim divisions sway voting in Indian district scarred by deadly riots

Hindu-Muslim divisions sway voting in Indian district scarred by deadly riots Hindu-Muslim enmity made way for peace in an Indian district that saw deadly riots a decade ago but religious divisions still influence residents who voted on Friday in general elections in which Hindu nationalism is a key theme. Villages are largely self-segregated by religion in and around Muzaffarnagar district, in the most populous northern state of Uttar Pradesh, but people say there is no longer tension between the majority Hindu and minority Muslim communities. Violent clashes broke out here in 2013 after two Hindus stabbed a Muslim youth to death, accusing him of sexually harassing their sister. They were later beaten to death by a Muslim mob, which sparked riots that killed about 65 people, mostly Muslims, and displaced thousands. Violence has not returned to the district known as the country's sugarcane-belt, but political divisions remain as Hindus typically vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Muslims for the opposition. Modi's government has controlled Muslims, said Ramesh Chand, a Hindu biscuit baker in Kairana city near Muzaffarnagar. Critics accuse the nationalist BJP of targeting India's 200 million minority Muslims to please their hardline Hindu base - charges they deny. Modi is widely expected to win a third term on the back of strong growth, welfare and his personal popularity despite some concern about unemployment, price rises and rural distress. Chand said Modi had improved security in the region. We can live in peace, whether or not we have jobs ... We can sleep with our doors open. There were opposing views too. In Jaula village, sugarcane farmer Mohammed Irfan, 50, said Modi's high-handedness against Muslims as well as unemployment and inflation were major reasons for him voting for the opposition Samajwadi Party. Uttar Pradesh elects 80 lawmakers to the 543-member lower house of parliament, the most among all states, and a strong showing here is critical to the nationwide outcome. Support for Modi was visible in Kutba Kutbi village, the epicentre of the 2013 riots. Although there is rotherhood between the two communities now, nearly all Muslim families left the village after the riots, said Vinay Kumar Baliyan, 43, a farmer who said he supports Modi for promoting economic growth and raising India's stature globally. But Irfan said Muslims are expected to vote in larger numbers this time as Eid celebrations this month brought many migrant workers and students home.

Who Is Isha Arora? Saharanpur Polling Agent Goes Viral; Know All About Her

A total of 21 states are voting today in the first phase of the Lok Sabha Elections. Let us inform you that, of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, voting is being conducted on 8 of those seats in the first round - Saharanpur, Pilibhit, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, and Rampur. Ahead of the voting, a polling official has gone viral for her looks and opinion for the elections.

Portion of two-storeyed building in Mumbai collapses, 2 injured

Portion of two-storeyed building in Mumbai collapses, 2 injured Two people sustained injuries after a portion of the Wadia building in the Fort area near the High Court in Mumbai collapsed on Friday, Fire Brigade officials said. The fire brigade personnel who arrived at the site of the incident said that the parapet of the terrace of the ground and the upper two-story structure had collapsed, causing injury to two people. Both 58-year-old Munir Khan and another unknown male person who sustained injuries in the mishap have been admitted to the hospital, Mumbai Fire Brigade officials said. According to the information, demolition work was going on in the building when it collapsed. After the incident, the area of the building was cordoned off. Further details on the incident are awaited. A few days ago, two labourers were killed, and 17 others were injured after the roof of an under-construction building collapsed in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar. (ANI)

List of Uttar Pradesh MPs representing Lok Sabha phase 1 seats

Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs to the Lok Sabha, is witnessing polling on eight seats in the first phase of the general elections, which is being held on Friday. These constituencies include Pilibhit, Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, and Rampur. List of MPs of Uttar Pradesh Phase 1 Lok Sabha Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

Live: Gadkari, Rijiju, Kanimozhi among star candidates whose fate will be decided in Phase-I

The world's biggest election -- with a whopping 970 million eligible voters -- kicks off in a few hours and will take a long and winding path across 44 days before culminating in the seventh phase on June 1. The first phase of the Lok Sabha polls will see 102 constituencies across 21 states and Union territories go to the polls on Friday. The biggest chunk of seats in the first phase is from Tamil Nadu where all 39 seats go to the polls. The other states which will see all of their seats going to the polls in Phase-I are Uttarakhand (all five seats), Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya (two seats each) and the sole seat in Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim. Apart from these, 12 out of 25 seats in Rajasthan, eight out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, six out of 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh, five out of 48 seats in Maharashtra, five out of 14 seats in Assam, four out of 40 seats in Bihar, three out of 42 seats in West Bengal, one out of 11 seats in Chhattisgarh and one out of two seats in Tripura will vote on Friday. In the Union territories, one out of five seats in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as the sole seats in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry will be up for grabs. Separately, voting will also be held for 92 assembly seats in the state elections in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim on Friday. Among the prominent leaders trying their luck in phase one are Union ministers Nitin Gadkari from Nagpur, Kiren Rijiju from Arunachal Pradesh (West), Arjun Ram Meghwal from Bikaner, Sarbanada Sonowal from Dibrugarh in Assam, Sanjeev Baliyan from Muzaffarnagar in western UP, Jitendra Singh from Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir and Bhupendra Yadav from Alwar in Rajasthan. Top leaders from Tamil Nadu whose fortunes will be decided on Friday include the DMK's Kanimozhi (Thoothukudi), Dayanidhi Maran (Chennai Central), TR Baalu (Sriperumbudur) and A Raja (Nilgiris) and the BJP's K Annamalai (Coimbatore) and Tamilisai Soundararajan (Chennai South). Rs 700 per vote: Inside India's record-breaking election! India's 969 million-odd voters have assumed a near-royalty status for a brief period. Political parties have been devoting significant energies and expense to make them feel special, even if it involves wheelbarrows full of cash worth some Rs 1 lakh crore, as per preliminary estimates. The projected expenditure far outstrips the 2019 poll spending, which itself topped out at Rs 55,000-60,000 crore, according to the Centre for Media Studies (CMS), which tracks election expenses. It almost equals the spending on the 2020 US elections that stood at $14.4 billion , or Rs 1.2 lakh crore, according to OpenSecrets.org, which too tracks election spending. In other words, the world's biggest elections happening in India will also be the most expensive ever. What it also confirms is that, power often costs too much.( Read more )

102 LS Seats in 21 States Vote Today

NEW DELHI: In another few hours, the curtain will finally lift from the Lok Sabha battleground for 2024. One hundred and two Lok Sabha seats across 21 states and Union territories will go to the polls in the first phase Friday. During the last general election, the Opposition had won 45 of these 102 Lok Sabha seats, while the BJP-led NDA had won 41. With 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry, the largest number of seats which will vote in the first phase is from South India. In 2019, the DMK-led alliance won 39 of the 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Armed with the potent arsenal of Lord Ram, Sanatan Dharma, the Citizenship Amendment Act and the unyielding promise of Modis guarantees, the BJP aims to unsettle its main rival, the I.N.D.I.A. bloc. With rising unemployment, inflation, communal tension, caste census and the farmers agitation emerging as the frontline battlegrounds, the I.N.D.I.A. bloc is all set to engage its adversaries head-on. There are a few wrinkles on the saffron forehead as the 2024 CSDS-Lokniti pre-poll survey indicated that unemployment and price rise remained the main concern of the electorate. As the BJP sought to emphasise issues like the inauguration of the Ram temple and went into a high decibel campaign on Sanatan Dharma, these issues failed to click with voters in comparison to livelihood concerns. Regardless, the survey indicated that the BJP and its allies have a comfortable 12 per cent lead over the I.N.D.I.A. bloc. Meanwhile, all eyes are on Tamil Nadu where the BJP is desperate to open its account. Besides the charisma and popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP is also banking heavily on its newfound Tamil star and state unit chief, former IPS officer K. Annamalai, his constituency Coimbatore will be going to the polls on Friday. His seven-month long En Mann, En Makkal (My land, my people) padayatra culminated in a rally attended by the Prime Minister. In Coimbatore, Annamalai is locked in a triangular fight with the DMK and AIADMK. In Tamil Nadu, the BJP led by Modi had been repeatedly hitting out at the DMK leaders for insulting Sanatan Dharma. Under Annamalai in Tamil Nadu, the BJP is contesting 23 seats on its own, a departure from its approach to contest as an ally. Speaking to this newspaper, a senior BJP leader sounded somewhat cynical. He argued: The BJP has no traditional vote bank in Tamil Nadu. We only gained when the party aligned with the Dravidian players. It was further argued that Tamil Nadu might not positively respond to the BJPs call for one language, one nation, one poll. Tamil Nadus electoral dynamics are crucial for the BJP's broader electoral objectives, whether it aims to retain its current seats or make significant gains towards achieving a landmark majority in the Lok Sabha. Of its 80 Lok Sabha seats, the first phase of polling will be held in eight seats in Uttar Pradesh. The state which has often been electorally viewed as the gateway to Delhi, will be involved in all seven phases of the general election. It may be recalled that of the eight seats voting on Friday, the BJP had managed to win only three in the last general election. These were Pilibhit, Kairana and Muzaffarnagar. The Samajwadi Party had won Moradabad and Rampur. The Bahujan Samaj Party won Saharanpur, Bijor and Nagina. Of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan, polling in the first phase will be held in 12 seats. Securing 24 of 25 seats, it was a clean sweep for the BJP in the desert state during the last general election. Even as the BJP is banking on religion and the CAA to woo the voters, the Opposition is stoking the fire of farmers protests, which it believes is simmering in the desert state. Of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, polling will be held in five seats on Friday. In the fray will be Union minister Nitin Gadkari' on his home turf Nagpur. Given the context of the intense political manipulation in the state, the situation may become tricky for the BJP. During the last general election, it had won 23 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats. Its ally, the Shiv Sena (before the split), secured 18 seats. Sources revealed that in the case of the Uddhav Thackery-led Shiv Sena, the fallout with the BJP and subsequent political maneuvering to oust it, could potentially elicit sympathy from certain sections of voters. Unemployment has also emerged as a major electoral issue in the state, a Congress leader claimed. Other states and union territories going to polls in the first phase include: Madhya Pradesh (6) Bihar (4), Assam (5),Uttarakhand (5), West Bengal (3), Chhattisgarh (1), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Manipur (2), Meghalaya (2), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Sikkim (1), Tripura (1), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Jammu and Kashmir (1), Lakshadweep (1) and Puducherry (1).

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 First Phase: 5 Talking Points

Hyderabad: Voting for the seven-phased 18th Lok Sabha election begins on Friday. Campaigning ended on Wednesday (April 17) evening for the 102 LS seats in the first phase. Nominations for this phase were completed on March 27. Vote counting will be done on June 4 after voting in all phases are over. Here are the top five talking points on the first phase of voting: 1. VITAL STATISTICS The first phase is the largest of the seven phases of voting. Over 1,600 candidates are in the fray in this phase, which will cover 102 parliamentary constituencies across 21 states and Union territories. This phase will cover 16.63 crore voters, including 8.23 crore women, 8.4 crore men, and 11,371 from the third gender. There are 35.67 lakh first time voters, besides 3.51 crore voters in the age group of 20 to 29 years. 2. BIG NAMES The first phase will see eight Union ministers, two former chief ministers and an ex-governor test their electoral fortunes. The Union ministers include Nitin Gadkari (Nagpur, Maharashtra), Kiren Rijiju (Arunachal Pradesh-West), Arjun Ram Meghwal (Bikaner, Rajasthan), Sarbanada Sonowal (Dibrugarh, Assam), Sanjeev Baliyan (Muzaffarnagar, western UP), Jitendra Singh (Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir) and Bhupendra Yadav (Alwar, Rajasthan). Former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb will slug it out against state Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha in the West Tripura seat. Tamilisai Soundararajan, the former Governor of Telangana and Lt Governor of Puducherry is contesting from the Chennai South constituency. Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath's son, Nakul is seeking reelection from the Chhindwara seat (Madhya Pradesh). Another key figure in the first phase is Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai, vying for the Coimbatore seat in Tamil Nadu. 3. ARRANGEMENTS Over 18 lakh polling personnel have been deployed across 1.87 lakh polling booths. They were sent to their respective polling stations via 41 helicopters, 84 special trains and nearly one lakh vehicles. 4. FAIRNESS Arrangements have been made for webcasting (live video broadcasting over the internet) in over 50 per cent of the polling stations. On top of that micro observers have been deployed in all polling stations. As many as 361 observers (127 generals, 67 police officials and 167 expenditure observers) had already reached their constituencies several days before the polls. 5. POLLING TIME Voting will start at 7 am and end at 6 pm. However, the closure of poll timing differs in some seats. Following is the list of states voting in the first phase: Tamil Nadu (All 39 seats) Rajasthan (12 of 25 seats) Uttar Pradesh (8 out of 80 seats) Madhya Pradesh (6 out of 29 seats) Maharashtra (5 out of 48 seats) Uttarakhand (All 5 seats) Assam (5 of 14 seats) Bihar (4 of 40 seats) West Bengal (3 of 42 seats) Arunachal Pradesh (Both of the 2 seats in the state) Manipur (Both of the 2 seats in the state) Meghalaya (Both of the 2 seats in the state) Chhattisgarh (1 out of 11 seats) Mizoram (sole seat) Nagaland (sole seat) Sikkim (sole seat) Tripura (1 out of 2 seats) Jammu and Kashmir (1 out of 5 seats) Andaman and Nicobar Islands (sole seat) Lakshadweep (sole seat) Puducherry (sole seat) On the day, voting will also be carried out for the 92 Assembly seats in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

Elections 2024: 21 states, UTs set for polling in phase one; 102 LS seats in fray

The first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will see 102 constituencies across 21 states and union territories go to polls on Friday. The first phase of polling will take place across all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu, all five seats in Uttarakhand, both seats in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Meghalaya, and the sole seat in Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim, respectively. Polling will also take place for 12 out of 25 seats in Rajasthan, eight out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, six out of 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh, five out of 48 seats in Maharashtra, five out of 14 seats in Assam, and four out of 40 seats in Bihar. Additionally, three out of 42 seats in West Bengal, one out of 11 seats in Chhattisgarh, and one out of two seats in Tripura will be contested. In the union territories, one out of five seats in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as the sole seats in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry, will be up for grabs. Voting for the 543 Lok Sabha seats will take place across seven phases from April 19 to June 1, with the counting of votes slated for June 4. Separately, voting will also be held for 92 assembly seats in the state elections in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim on Friday. Of the 102 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP had won 39 in 2019, with the ruling alliance NDA bagging 12, five and three of them in Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, respectively. The BJP's existing allies hold seven of them. And in Tamil Nadu, the DMK-led alliance had swept 38 of the 39 seats in 2019 general elections. Amongst the prominent leaders trying their electoral luck in phase one are Union ministers Nitin Gadkari from Nagpur, Kiren Rijiju from Arunachal Pradesh (West), Arjun Ram Meghwal from Bikaner, Sarbanada Sonowal from Dibrugarh in Assam, Sanjeev Baliyan from Muzaffarnagar in western UP, Jitendra Singh from Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir and Bhupendra Yadav from Alwar in Rajasthan. Tamilisai Soundararajan, who recently resigned as governor of Telangana and Lt Governor of Puducherry to return to active politics, is contesting from Chennai South Lok Sabha constituency. Nakul Nath, son of Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath, is seeking reelection from Chhindwara. Will the BJP's lotus bloom in Tamil Nadu? Tamil Nadu is gearing up for polls a mid fierce campaigning and an intense three-way political battle between the alliances led by state heavyweightsthe DMK and the AIADMKand the BJP, respectively. With elections for 39 Lok Sabha seats looming, approximately 6.23 crore voters are poised to cast their ballots across nearly 68,000 polling stations. The BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has made unprecedented efforts to gain ground in the Dravidian stronghold. Modi's exhaustive campaign across Tamil Nadu, including rallies in Chennai, Coimbatore, Vellore, and Tirunelveli, underscores the BJP's determination to break its electoral jinx in the state. From raking up alleged corruption and 'parivarvad' politics of the DMK-Congress alliance to the Katchatheevu issue, Modi left no stone unturned in his nine visit to the state Coimbatore, the hub of western Tamil Nadu, is the most keenly watched constituency in the state and the BJP's K Annamalai is slogging to emerge victorious, battling against Dravidian giants the DMK and AIADMK. Meanwhile, the DMK, led by Chief Minister Stalin, has campaigned on platforms of social justice and welfare measures, portraying the elections as a battle against the BJP's divisive politics. Throughout the campaign, Stalin has repeatedly emphasised the importance of these elections, likening them to a second independence movement aimed at freeing the nation from the BJP's influence. In contrast, the AIADMK, under the leadership of Edappadi K Palaniswami, has staunchly defended its record in governance and taken a strong stance against the DMK's campaign. Palaniswami has vigorously addressed various issues, including law and order, and has accused the BJP of discrimination based on caste and religion. Despite facing challenges from both the DMK and BJP, the AIADMK remains confident in its ability to weather the storm, with Palaniswami asserting that the party will emerge victorious with the support of the electorate. UP: Eight seats up for grabs in India's largest state The first phase of the seven-phase parliamentary election in western Uttar Pradesh sees voters in eight Lok Sabha constituencies exercising their constitutional right. These constituencies, falling in the Jat and sugarcane belt, include Saharanpur, Bijnor, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur, and Pilibhit, spread across nine districts. The contest is three-cornered, primarily between the ruling BJP-led NDA, the Samajwadi Party (SP), and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The BJP has allied with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), while the SP has partnered with INDIA bloc ally Congress. The BSP, however, decided to go solo. Key issues for voters include employment, education, and development. A total of 80 candidates, including seven women, are in the fray. The eligible voter count stands at 1.43 crore, with a significant Muslim voter presence ranging from 35 to 50 percent. Notable candidates include Jitin Prasada from Pilibhit, who got the ticket over sitting BJP MP Varun Gandhi , Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan from Muzaffarnagar, and Azad Samaj Party chief Chandra Shekhar Azad from Nagina. In the previous 2019 polls, the BJP secured victories in Muzaffarnagar, Kairana, and Pilibhit, the BSP won in Saharanpur, Nagina and Bijnor, while the SP won in Moradabad and Rampur, the stronghold of its jailed leader Azam Khan. However, the party later lost Rampur to BJP in a bypoll. Cracking the Jat code: BJP's strategic courting of RLD and what it means in western Uttar Pradesh Maharashtra: Polls in 5 LS seats; Gadkari among 97 nominees in fray More than 95 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise on Friday in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra , covering five of the 48 constituencies, where 97 candidates, including Union Minister Nitin Gadkari of the BJP, are in fray. Polling will be held in the constituencies of Nagpur, Ramtek (SC), Bhandara-Gondia, Chandrapur and Naxal-hit Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST), all located in the easternmost parts of the state. There are 95,54,667 voters in the five Lok Sabha constituencies in the Vidarbha region where voting will take place on Friday. Of these, 48,28,142 are male, 47,26,178 are female and 347 are transgender voters, according to a statement from the state electoral office. In Nagpur, which houses the RSS headquarters, a direct fight is on cards between Gadkari, who is seeking a third term, and Congress candidate Vikas Thakre. First phase of LS polls in Maharashtra: It's Congress party's 'caste calculations' vs BJP's 'Modi charisma' In Chandrapur, BJP candidate and Maharashtra minister Sudhir Mungantiwar is facing Congress nominee Pratibha Dhanorkar, wife of late parliamentarian Suresh Dhanorkar, who was the lone MP from the grand old party to be elected from Maharashtra in 2019 from the seat. In Bhandara-Gondia, the BJP has fielded sitting MP Sunil Mendhe, who is pitted against Congress candidate Dr Prashant Patole. Two-time Lok Sabha MP of BJP, Ashok Nete, is contesting against Congress nominee Dr Namdev Kirsan in Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST), where some areas are affected Naxal insurgency. In the 2019 elections, Nete had defeated Congress candidate Dr Namdev Usendi. In Ramtek (SC), the fight is between Shyamkumar Barwe of the Congress and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's candidate Raju Parwe. Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh, will vote in five phases between April 19 and May 20. Rajasthan: 12 seats in fray; will BJP's dominance continue? In the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan, 12 out of 25 seats will be contested. Polling will be held in Churu, Nagaurm, Ganganagar, Jhunjhunu, Bikaner, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur and Dausa. According to chief electoral officer Praveen Gupta, a total of 2.54 crore voters are set to vote in the first phase on Friday. Notably, a Union minister is among the 114 candidates in the fray. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is contesting from Bikaner against Congress candidate Govind Ram Meghwal. The Bharatiya Janata Party won all 25 seats in Rajasthan on its own in 2014, and in 2019, the NDA won 25 seats, the saffron party won 24 seats and the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) won one seat. Key constituencies include Nagaur, witnessing a contest between the RLP, now in alliance with Congress, and the BJP, and Churu, with former BJP MP Rahul Kaswan contesting as a Congress candidate. In Sikar, the CPI(M) is challenging the BJP's incumbent MP. The ruling BJP focused its campaign on PM Modi's popularity and its infrastructure work, while the Congress raised issues of central agency misuse and unemployment. Notable campaigners include PM Modi, Amit Shah, and Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi. The second phase of the elections in Rajasthan will be held on April 26. In the second phase, polls will be held in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies: Tonk, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar. MP: Six LS seats in action, including Kamal Nath's bastion Six constituents will be in action during the first phase of the four phases for the Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh. The constituencies include Shahdol, Mandla, Jabalpur, Balaghat, Chhindwara, and Sidhi, covering 13 districts and 27 assembly segments. A total of 88 candidates are in the fray, with Jabalpur having the highest number at 19 and Shahdol the lowest at 10. The total number of registered voters across the six constituencies is 1,13,09,636, with arrangements made for shelter, water, and medical assistance at polling booths due to the hot weather. In the 2019 elections, the BJP secured 28 out of 29 Lok Sabha seats, while the Congress won only one seat in Chhindwara, held by Nakul Nath, the son of former Chief Minister Kamal Nath. The second, third and fourth phases of the elections will take place on April 26, May 7 and May 13. Kamal Nath fighting lone battle to help son win Chhindwara and protect home turf Over 75 lakh voters to decide four seats in Bihar In Bihar, the stage is set for the first phase more than 75 lakh voters will decide the fate of 38 candidates standing in four constituencies: Nawada, Aurangabad, Gaya and Jamui. Tight security arrangements are in place at Nawada and Aurangabad, besides reserved seats in Gaya and Jamui, where a majority of nearly 5,000 polling booths have been marked as sensitive, given these districts' long history of naxal violence. Nawada, with 20.06 lakh voters, sees a tough battle primarily between the BJP's Vivek Thakur and the RJD's Shravan Kushwaha, with Independent candidate Binod Yadav adding complexity. Gaya, with 18.18 lakh voters, witnesses 14 candidates, including former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, an NDA ally, and RJD's Kumar Sarvajeet. Jamui, with 19.07 lakh voters, features a showdown between Arun Bharti from Chirag Paswan's LJP (Ram Vilas) and RJD's Archana Ravidas. The party's president Chirag Paswan, whose sister is married to Bharti, has shifted base to Hajipur after having represented the seat for two consecutive terms. Aurangabad, with over 18 lakh voters, sees BJP's Sushil Kumar Singh facing RJD's Abhay Kushwaha. 76.01 lakh voters, including 36.38 lakh females and 255 belonging to the third gender, are expected to cast their votes. Uttarakhand: Can BJP 'three-peat' clean sweep? Uttarakhand's all five Lok Sabha seats go into polling in phase one, with the BJP aiming to retain the seats for the third time and the Congress looking to regain lost ground in the state. The five seats going to polls on Friday are Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar and the lone reserved seat of Almora. The BJP won all five seats in Uttarakhand in the 2014 and 2019 general elections. More than 83 lakh voters will decide the fate of 55 candidates in the fray. Sitting BJP MPs Ajay Bhatt, Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah and Ajay Tamta have been fielded by the party from Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar, Tehri Garhwal and Almora, respectively. The BJP has replaced its candidates in Haridwar and Pauri Garhwal. Former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat is contesting in place of Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank from Haridwar and Anil Baluni in place of Tirath Singh Rawat from Pauri Garhwal. The Congress has fielded former PCC president Ganesh Godiyal from Pauri Garhwal, former chief minister Harish Rawat's son Virendra Rawat from Haridwar, Jot Singh Gunsola from Tehri Garhwal, Prakash Joshi from Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar and Pradeep Tamta from Almora. Candidates from the Bahujan Samaj Party, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and relatively smaller outfits and independents are also in the fray, but straight contests are likely between traditional rivalsthe BJP and Congressin all the seats. Experts say that Haridwar's demography, which has substantial minority and Dalit votes, may also not be a cakewalk for the BJP's Trivendra Rawat, despite his advantage over his rival in terms of experience, as Congress veteran Harish Rawat, who had won the seat in 2009, is leaving no stone unturned to ensure his son's victory from the seat. If the Modi factor works again as it did in 2014 and 2019, overriding all other factors, the BJP will obviously reap the benefits but if unemployment, inflation, continued migration from the hills and performance of BJP MPs over the past 10 years outweigh the national issues, the Congress will gain, political analyst Jaisingh Rawat said. Bengal: Triangular tussle between TMC, BJP and Cong-Left In the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, all attention is on Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduars constituencies in north Bengal. A total of 56,26,108 voters are eligible to vote in 5,814 booths in this phase. Coochbehar, where Union Minister Nisith Pramanik faces TMC's Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, remains significant due to past violence and political rivalries. The deployment of central forces is higher in Coochbehar compared to the other two constituencies. Both BJP and TMC have intensified their campaigns, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee addressing rallies. Key issues include corruption allegations against ruling party leaders, denial of central funds, and the 2021 Sitalkuchi firing incident. The BJP won all three constituencies in the 2019 general elections and maintained its grip in Coochbehar and Alipurduars in the 2021 assembly polls. But, the TMC had the upper hand in Jalpaiguri in the 2021 assembly polls, winning five and the saffron party managed to win two. The Left Front and Congress are contesting together, having secured only single-digit vote shares in 2019. The BJP has renominated Jayanta Roy in Jalpaiguri and Pramanik in Cooch Behar, but replaced last time's winner John Barla with the party's Madarihat MLA Manoj Tigga in Alipurduars. The TMC has, however, changed candidates in all three seats, fielding Prakash Chik Baraik in Alipurduars, Nirmal Chandra Roy in Jalpaiguri and Sitai MLA Basunia in Coochbehar. Direct, triangular contests in Assam's five LS seats Assam gears up for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in five constituencies, with 35 candidates vying for victory, including Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal . The electorate of 86,47,869, comprising 43,64,859 women and 42,82,887 male voters, will cast their votes in 10,001 polling booths under tight security with 60 companies of security forces deployed. The BJP is contesting in all five seats, the Congress in four and supporting the Assam Jatiya Parishad contestant in one, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in two and the All India Trinamool Congress and CPI(M) in one seat each. A direct contest is on the cards between the BJP and Congress in Jorhat, Kaziranga and Lakhimpur, while in Dibrugarh and Sonitpur, there is likely to be a triangular fight among the ruling party, Congress, AJP and AAP. The prestigious Dibrugarh constituency has three candidates in fray: BJP's Sonowal, a Rajya Sabha MP, pitted against the United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA) candidate Lurinjyoti Gogoi of the AJP and AAP's Manoj Dhanowar. In Jorhat, four candidates are in contention, with Lok Sabha's Deputy Leader of the Opposition Gaurav Gogoi locked in a direct contest with sitting BJP MP Topon Gogoi. Gogoi had to shift his constituency to Jorhat from Kaliabor, which has been renamed Kaziranga following a delimitation exercise in the state last year. In Kaziranga, BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa is locked in a direct contest with former Congress MLA Roselina Tirkey, with both candidates belonging to the tea workers' community. Kaziranga has the highest number of 11 candidates in the fray. In Sonitpur, also renamed from the earlier Tezpur after delimitation, there are eight nominees, with a triangular contest likely between BJP MLA Ranjit Dutta, Congress candidate Prem Lal Ganju and AAP's Rishiraj Kaundinya. Lakhimpur has nine contestants, prominent among them being sitting BJP MP Pradan Baruah and Uday Shankar Hazarika of the Congress. Two LS seats in strife-torn Manipur go to polls Manipur gears up for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections amid tight security measures, particularly in the wake of recent ethnic violence. The Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat, which comprises 32 of the 60 assembly segments in the state, and 15 assembly segments of the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha seat will go to polls in the first phase on Friday. Six candidates, including state Education Minister Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh of the BJP and Angomcha Bimol Akoijam of the Congress, are in the fray for the Inner Manipur seat. Outer Manipur, which is reserved for Scheduled Tribes, will witness a four-cornered contest between Naga People's Front's K Timothy Zimik, Congress' Alfred Kanngam Arthur and independent candidates Kho John and Alyson Abonmai, with all the candidates being Nagas. A total of 9.91 lakh voters are eligible in Inner Manipur and over 10.22 lakh voters in Outer Manipur. Special arrangements have been made for people displaced due to ethnic strife, with special polling stations set up. The campaigning has been subdued due to the prevailing tensions, and security has been heightened with the deployment of central armed police forces, especially in vulnerable and critical polling stations. Polling personnel have been dispatched to their respective stations, with special provisions for internally displaced people. The election authorities have ensured gender diversity in the management of polling stations, with some stations being exclusively manned by women. Despite the challenges posed by the recent unrest, efforts are underway to conduct the elections in a free, fair, and peaceful manner. Tripura and Nagaland In Tripura, the first phase of Lok Sabha polls will see voting for the Tripura West Parliamentary constituency and a by-poll in the Ramnagar Assembly. The main contest in Tripura West is between the BJP's Biplab Kumar Deb and state Congress president Asish Kumar Saha. With 14.61 lakh eligible voters, including 7.33 lakh males and 7.28 lakh females, the constituency has 1682 polling booths. Central paramilitary forces will secure all booths, with webcasting from each. In the Ramnagar Assembly by-election, BJP's Agartala Mayor Dipak Majumer faces former CPI(M) MLA Ratan Das, with 54,669 electors deciding their fate. In Nagaland, over 13.25 lakh voters will decide the fate of three candidates. Congress nominee S Supongmeren Jamir, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and People's Democratic Alliance (PDA) candidate Chumben Murry and Independent Hayithung Tungoe Lotha are contesting the elections. BJP President J P Nadda, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, and Deputy Chief Ministers T R Zeliang and Y Patton addressed several rallies in support of their candidate. Polling will run from 7 am to 4 pm, with 13,25,383 eligible voters, including 19,999 first-time voters and 6,707 people with disabilities. Female voters slightly outnumber male voters. In 2019, NDPP's Tokheho Yepthomi won against Congress's K L Chishi. J-K: Udhampur LC seat in action amid ceasefire The Udhampur seat in Jammu and Kashmir will go to polls on Friday in the first phase of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections. In view of the ongoing ceasefire between India and Pakistan and the heavy deployment of paramilitary forces, the voting process is expected to be peaceful in 2,637 polling stations in the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency, a senior election official said. Union Minister Jitendra Singh is eyeing a third consecutive term in the constituency after winning the seat for BJP in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, facing a major challenge from Congress candidate Choudhary Lal Singh, who had also won the seat twice in 2004 and 2009. Democratic Progressive Azad Party's (DPAP) candidate G M Saroori, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Amit Kumar and six independents will also be contesting the elections from the Udhampur constituency. According to officials, there are 16,23,195 eligible voters. Among them, 845,283 are men, 777,899 are women and 13 are third-gender voters. There are a total of 84,468 potential first-time voters, aged 1819, of whom 45,825 are men, 38,641 are women and two are third genders, the officials said. Lone Puducherry segment all set for three-way fight The fate of the 26 candidates in fray for the Lok Sabha polls will be sealed on Friday when voters spread across four regions will pick the lone MP from this union territory, where the fight is largely confined between the ruling BJP and Congress. BJP leader and Home Minister A Namassivayam, fielded on behalf of the AINRC-BJP combine, will face off Congress MP and PCC president V Vaithilingam, while AIADMK's G Tamizhvendhan is also testing his luck as a debutant. The Union Territory has a total of 10,23,699 voters spread over Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam regions. Andaman's lone seat in action The lone seat in Andaman and Nicobar Islands will see 3.15 lakh voters get an opportunity to exercise their franchise. A total of 12 candidates, including two women and five independents, are in the fray for the polls. Of the 3.15 lakh voters, 1.64 lakh are men and 1.51 lakh are women, while there are four third-gender voters. The electorate also includes 39 voters from the Great Nicobarese tribe of the Strait Islands, 68 members of the Onge tribe at Hut Bay and 98 members of the Shompen tribe of Great Nicobar Island. Special polling stations have been established for them. This time, the saffron party has nominated Bishnu Pada Ray as its candidate, while the Congress has fielded its sitting MP, Kuldeep Rai Sharma. Ray was first elected to Lok Sabha in 1999, when he defeated Congress candidate Sharma by 2,990 votes. He was re-elected in 2009 and again in 2014. In the 2019 elections, however, Sharma secured a victory against BJP's Vishal Jolly (Ray was denied a ticket) by a narrow margin of 1,407 votes.

Lok Sabha election: Stage set for close contest in western Uttar Pradesh

All three main parties face challenges in this region owing to the sizable presence of Muslims, Scheduled Castes (SCs) and other backward classes (OBCs) across the eight Lok Sabha seats Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit which will go to the polls in the first phase on April 19.

Lok Sabha election: Stage set for close contest in western Uttar Pradesh

All three main parties face challenges in this region owing to the sizable presence of Muslims, Scheduled Castes (SCs) and other backward classes (OBCs) across the eight Lok Sabha seats Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit which will go to the polls in the first phase on April 19.

Lok Sabha elections: Keen contest on the cards as eight seats in western UP vote in Phase-I

LUCKNOW: The battle lines have been formally drawn in Uttar Pradesh for the high stakes Lok Sabha election with eight seats in the western region of the state set to vote in Phase-I on Friday. A total of 80 candidates are in the fray and 1.44 crore voters are set to decide their fate. Of the eight seats, the BJP had lost five Saharanpur, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad and Rampur in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when the SP, BSP and RLD were contesting in a grand alliance. The saffron outfit had to be satisfied with Kairana, Muzaffarnagar and Pilibhit. While Saharanpur, Bijnor and Nagina (SC) were won by the BSP, the SP had emerged victorious in Moradabad and Rampur. This time, while the BJP has accomplished a big strategic victory by winning over the Jayant Chaudhury-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), which has a strong influence on the Jat vote, the Congress and SP have joined hands in the INDIA bloc and the Mayawati-led BSP is going it alone. As per the Congress-SP seat-sharing arrangement, the Congress will contest only one seat -- Saharanpur -- of the eight in the first phase, with the SP contesting the remaining seven. While the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is relying on the popularity of PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath in UP and beyond, improved law and order, beneficiaries of welfare schemes besides the consecration of Ram Lalla in his abode in Ayodhya, the SP has been harping on caste census while pitching for the Pichhda (OBC) Dalit (SC) Alpsankhyak (Muslim) narrative. Yogis new slogan: 80 banega aadhaar, NDA 400 paar... On the other hand, the Congress is looking for a revival in the state where it has been reduced to a non-entity. Across all eight seats set to vote on Friday, Muslims, Dalits and OBC (primarily Jats, Gurjar and Sainis) hold a sizable presence. However, some of the most watched-out contests would be in Pilibhit where the Gandhis Varun and mother Maneka are not in the scene for the first time since 1989 and the saffron party has pinned its hopes on Jitin Prasada against the SPs Bhagwat Saran Gangwar, a five-time MLA from Nawabganj assembly seat in Bareilly. The BSP, on the other hand, has fielded Anees Ahmad Khan, aka Phool Babu, a three-time MLA from Bisalpur. The BJP is finding it tough to sail through in Muzaffarnagar, the sugar bowl of UP, where its sitting MP and union minister Sanjiv Baliyan, is seeking a straight third term. With the RLD becoming part of the BJP-led NDA, all eyes will be on the challenge thrown by the SPs Harendra Malik, a Jat. The BSP has fielded Dara Singh Prajapati, an OBC, who could potentially consolidate both the OBC and Dalit vote. In Kairana, the BJPs sitting MP Pradeep Chaudhary, a Gurjar, is facing a stiff challenge from SPs Ikra Hasan, sister of SP MLA Nahid Hasan. The BSP has fielded Sripal Singh -- a Thakur -- in what is being perceived as a move to nudge the BJP in the west UP region. In 2019, Chaudhary had defeated Ikras mother Tabassum Begum. Polarisation seems to be the high point in Kairana. On what basis is BJP claiming 400 seats: Priyanka Gandhi smells a rat in NDA slogan In Rampur, another interesting contest is in the offing. Touted to be a pocket borough of senior SP leader and 10-time lawmaker Azam Khan, Rampur was wrested by the BJP in the 2022 by-polls necessitated after Azam vacated the seat following his election to the UP assembly. BJP candidate Ghanshyam Lodhi, the sitting MP, is now pitched against the SPs Mualana Mohibullah Nadvi and BSPs Zeeshan Khan who is reported to be invoking Azam and his legacy while campaigning. In Saharanpur, the contest is expected to be intense, with BJPs Raghav Lakhan Pal Sharma, Congresss Imran Masood and BSPs Majid Ali in the fray. This time, the BSP has replaced Fazlur Rehman, its sitting MP, with Majid Ali. Moradabad, the brass city, is also set for an interesting contest as the SP has replaced sitting MP ST Hasan with Ruchi Veera against the BJPs Kunwar Sarvesh Singh. The BSP has fielded Irfan Saifi, who could potentially eat into the Muslim vote bank of the SP. In Bijnor, the RLDs Chandan Chauhan, a Gurjar, is pitched against the SPs Deepak Saini. In 2019, the seat was won by the BSPs Malook Nagar who is now in the RLD. The BSP has fielded Chaudhary Vijendra Singh, a Jat. In Nagina reserved seat, the BJP has fielded its sitting MLA Om Kumar, who will be up against the SPs Manoj Kumar, a former district judge. The seat was won by the BSPs Girish Chandra in 2019. This time, the BSP has fielded Surendra Pal Singh. Moreover, Azad Samaj Party chief Chandra Shekhar Azad too is contesting from here.

Court accepts police report giving clean chit to Nawazuddin Siddiqui in molestation case

Muzaffarnagar: A special POCSO court here on Thursday accepted a police closure report giving clean chit to all five accused, including actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, in a molestation case filed by his estranged wife Aliya. Special judge Ritesh Sachdeva accepted the closure report after Aliya did not appear in court for her reply despite being given Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

UP Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase-1 Pilibhit, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar Bijnor seats on April 19: Check party-wise candidates, other details

UP Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Phase 1: Uttar Pradesh prepares for its first phase of Lok Sabha elections on April 19, covering eight key constituencies out of the total 80 constituencies. These include Pilibhit, Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, and Rampur, with intense competition among candidates from various alliances.

Rajputs up ante against BJP, call for boycott of Muzaffarnagar nominee

MUZAFFARNAGAR: In Muzaffarnagars Sardhana village, outside the modest brick house of Thakur Dalip Singh, a small group of men are discussing the Thakur communitys concerns and the maha panchayats held in nearby Khera and other parts of Western Uttar Pradesh to boycott Union minister Sanjeev Balyan, who is an MP and a BJP candidate. With less than 48 hours to go for the first phase, the BJP faces a tough challenge in the crucial Lok Sabha seat of Muzaffarnagar with simmering rebellion from its leaders and communities, which traditionally supported the BJP. While the Rajputs are unhappy with the smaller number of tickets for the community, they also get support from Sangeet Som, a prominent BJP leader and former MLA from Sardhana assembly seat. Uttar Pradesh: BJP faces Rajput ire in 3-corner battle The verbal spat between Balyan and Som, a Thakur leader has already dented the partys prospects in the polls, say BJP workers. Thakur Puran Singh, one of the leaders of the Rajput community, said the fight is to protect the dignity of the community. There is a sizable chunk of Rajputs in Western UP. Still, we havent been given our share of seats, says Singh. In the maha panchayat, the community has decided to boycott the BJP candidates in Muzaffarnagar, Kairana, and Saharanpur constituencies over the same reason. While the top leaders are going all-out to diffuse the tension among the upper caste communities, it is also facing trouble from the influential Jat and OBC voters. The constituency accounts for over 18 lakh voters, which includes five lakh Muslims and as many OBCs. It also has a significant population of Dalits, Jats, Thakurs, and Brahmins. The most strident voice is that of 30-year-old Ajay Saini, who thinks that the BJP will not have a smooth sail this time. Uttar Pradesh: Peeved Rajputs threaten to up ante against BJP Saini says that unemployment is the biggest issue among the youth. Though he has been a loyal BJP voter, Saini says that he may choose to vote for SP candidate Harendra Malik. However, the BJP believes it will ride over the discontent with the newfound alliance with the Jayant Chowdhury-led Rashtriya Lok Dal. Sudhir Chowdhury, a farmer, says that the Jats are divided over Jayant joining the BJP-led NDA alliance. I have voted for the BJP in 2014 and 2019. I will not vote for the party for the sake of Jayant. The BJP has deceived the farmers, says Chowdhury. Politics makes strange bedfellows, says Narendra another farmer. In 2019, Balyan defeated Jayant Chowdhurys father and RLD chief Ajit Singh by 6,500 votes.

Watch | Caste faultlines re-emerge in U.P.s Muzaffarnagar

In this episode, we discuss how crucial is caste in U.Ps Muzaffarnagar in this election season

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Campaigning ends for first phase in 102 seats

NEW DELHI: Campaigning for 102 parliamentary constituencies distributed across 21 states and Union territories, where voting will be held in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19, concluded on Wednesday. In the first phase, polling will be held in Arunachal Pradesh (2 seats), Assam (5), Bihar (4), Chhattisgarh (1), Madhya Pradesh (6), Maharashtra (5), Manipur (2), Meghalaya (2), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Rajasthan (12), Sikkim (1), Tamil Nadu (39), Tripura (1), Uttar Pradesh (8), Uttarakhand (5), West Bengal (3), Andaman and Nicobar (1), Jammu and Kashmir (1), Lakshadweep (1) and Puducherry (1). Campaigning for the first phase of polling on April 19 in Uttar Pradesh concluded Wednesday evening, with candidates closing up their campaigns for eight parliamentary seats. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, both members of the opposition's INDIA bloc, held rallies in Saharanpur and Moradabad on the final day of the campaign. On what basis is BJP claiming 400 seats: Priyanka Gandhi smells a rat in NDA slogan The seats going to the polls in the first phase on Friday are Saharanpur, Bijnor, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur, and Pilibhit. Likewise, campaigning drew to a close in Uttarakhand at 5 pm this evening, Chief Electoral Officer B VRC Purushottam said. Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in a roadshow in Haldwani on the last day of the election campaign, earlier on Wednesday. After winning all five seats in Uttarakhand in the 2014 and 2019 general elections, the BJP is attempting to retain them for a third term. Six personnel for four voters -- a unique polling booth in Uttarakhand Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the BJP's campaign, built around the development plank, in Madhya Pradesh for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections that ended on Wednesday. With the first phase scheduled for April 19, the fate of 88 candidates contesting six seats in the MP will be sealed by voters. As TN gears up to vote, poll boycott decisions in the Vengaivayals of the state fail to draw attention In Maharashtra, campaigning for Lok Sabha elections came to an end in five constituencies of the Vidarbha region on Wednesday evening. Polling will be held in the constituencies of Nagpur, Ramtek, Bhandara-Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli in the first phase on April 19. The campaigning in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur parliamentary constituency ended on Wednesday evening. It is witnessing its first major electoral battle since the abrogation of Article 370. The polling is slated for the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat in the first phase on April 19 and will decide the fate of 12 contestants. Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Commissioner Saloni Rai said, On April 17 at 6 pm, we suspended all election-related campaigning, and political parties have been directed to not hold campaigning, roadshows, or canvassing other than door-to-door campaigning. Section 144 is also imposed. Flying squad and static surveillance teams have been deployed. Our main objective is a free and fair and inducement-free election, said Rai. Asaduddin Owaisi's Uttar Pradesh gambit and why it has left the BJP chuckling in delight Meanwhile, campaigning for three Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal - Cooch Behar (SC), Jalpaiguri (SC) and Alipurduars (ST) -- going to polls in the first phase on April 19 came to an end at 6 PM on Wednesday. Altogether 14 candidates, including sitting MP and Union minister Nisith Pramanik, are contesting the parliamentary elections from Cooch Behar. Verbal exchanges between main rivals Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress over issues such as corruption, poverty, and pre-poll promises dominated the campaigning for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Chhattisgarh, which concluded on Wednesday evening. Naxal-affected Bastar is the only seat among the 11 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state that will vote in the first phase on April 19, an exercise that will take place in the shadow of the major counter-insurgency operation in Kanker district on April 16. In Mizoram, the campaigning for the lone Lok Sabha seat ended on Wednesday with political parties making last ditch efforts to sweep the voters. Campaigning for the April 19 simultaneous polls in Arunachal Pradesh came to an end on Wednesday evening, setting the stage to elect two Lok Sabha MPs and 50 lawmakers for the state assembly. The BJP has already opened its account by securing 10 seats in the assembly in Arunachal. Campaigning for five Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam, which are due to go for polling on April 19, including the high-profile constituency of Dibrugarh, ended on Wednesday. Congress gave problems to Northeast, BJP made it a source of possibilities: PM Modi in Assam The Lok Sabha poll campaigning for 2024, for the first phase of elections, ended at 5 pm on the five Lok Sabha seats in Assam, including the high-profile seat of Dibrugarh, where Union Minister and former Chief Minister of Assam are contesting. The voting for the Lok Sabha election in the first phase is to be held across 21 states in 102 seats, including five seats in Upper Assam. The campaign for the Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency and the Ramnagar Assembly constituency by-poll also ended at 5 pm on Wednesday. Modi says Congress 'loot' policy would have led to Rs 5,000 mobile bills in northeast All preparations, including security arrangements, have been made for the polling to be held on April 19, an election department official said. Rallies, public meetings and roadshows marked the two-week-long high-decibel campaign. In the meantime, speaking on the preparations for Lok Sabha elections in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, South Andaman SP Niharika Bhatt says, The election campaign will be banned from 6 PM today and no political gathering or street processions will be allowed, that's called the 'Silent' period. Only door-to-door campaigning will be allowed and that too without speakers. DC has also given orders regarding Section 144 to maintain law and order. Voting will start at 7 in the morning on April 19 and go until 6 p.m. A few pink polling booths have been established where all the officials will be women, said the official. The 2024 general elections will be held in India in seven phases, from April 19 to June 1, to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha. The results will be announced on June 4. From backroom boys to consultants: Poll strategists turn campaign makers in India's political war rooms

Numax Realcom to invest Rs 1,000 crore in developing a township in Muzaffarnagar

Numax Realcom Consortium, led by Sunil Goel, has delivered world-class townships in cities like Bhiwadi, Indore, Jaipur, and Vrindavan over the past two decades.

Muzaffarnagar: Inflation, communal harmony, law & order key issues

Muzaffarnagar: Ahead of Lok Sabha polls in Muzaffarnagar, inflation is a cause of concern for some, while others are for communal harmony, even as traders rue GST harassment but keep law and order as the overriding factor for the elections. Bibi, mother of two kids, said there are a lot of problems in Muzaffarnagar which Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

Rajput community to boycott BJP candidates in Uttar Pradeshs Muzaffarnagar, Kairana, Saharanpur

The boycott is being done as a sign of protest for insulting the Rajput Community by neglecting it in ticket distribution which has been done by the Bharatiya Janata Party

Rajputs to boycott BJP candidates in 3 UP seats

The Rajputs here held a 'mahapanchayat' and decided to boycott the Bharatiya Janata Party candidates in Muzaffarnagar, Kairana and Saharanpur Lok Sabha constituencies for allegedly neglecting the community while distributing party tickets, a leader said on Wednesday.

Troubles For BJP's Sanjeev Balyan In Muzaffarnagar: Rajput Ire And Divided Jat, OBC Voters

Eight union ministers, two former CMs, one ex-governor in fray in first phase of LS polls

NEW DELHI: Eight Union ministers, two former chief ministers and one ex-governor are among those who are set to test their electoral fate in the first phase of elections on April 19 when 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories will go to polls. Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari is seeking a hat-trick of win from the Nagpur seat. In 2014, he had defeated seven-time MP Vilas Muttemwar by a margin of 2.84 lakh votes and retained the seat in 2019 by defeating current Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole by 2.16 lakh votes. Union minister Kiren Rijiju is contesting from the Arunachal West seat. The 52-year-old has represented the constituency thrice since 2004. Rijiju's main rival is former chief minister and present president of Arunachal Pradesh Congress Nabam Tuki. Piyush Goyal, Anurag Thakur, Nitin Gadkari in BJP's second list of 72 candidates for Lok Sabha polls Sarbanada Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, is seeking a return to Lok Sabha from Dibrugarh in Assam. Sonowal, a Rajya Sabha member, was fielded from Dibrugarh after Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Rameswar Teli, was not given a ticket. Muzaffarnagar, known for its intricate caste dynamics, is witnessing a three-cornered electoral battle, with Union minister Sanjeev Baliyan locked in competition against Samajwadi Party's Harindra Malik and BSP candidate Dara Singh Prajapati. INTERVIEW| CAA won't impact Assam's indigenous people; IMDT was discriminatory: Union Minister Sonowal Jitendra Singh, a two-time parliamentarian and a junior minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet, is aiming for a hat-trick in Udhampur. Bhupendra Yadav, Union minister and Rajya Sabha member who replaced sitting MP Balak Nath, is in a contest with sitting Congress MLA Lalit Yadav, who belongs to Matsya region of Alwar district in Rajasthan and enjoys the support of the Yadav community. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is pitted against former Congress minister Govind Ram Meghwl from Bikaner parliamentary seat in Rajasthan. The Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu is witnessing one of the keenly watched battles between A Raja, the incumbent DMK MP, and former telecom minister, and L Murugan of the BJP, who is the Union Minister of State for Fisheries. This will be the first time that Murugan, who was elected to Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh, is contesting from here. Fight in Nilgiris between Modiji and 2G, says BJPs Murugan, targets Raja Sivaganga MP Karti Chidmabaram is aiming for a re-election from a seat his father won seven times, competing against BJP's T Devanathan Yadav and AIADMK's Xavier Dass. Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai is set to take the ballot test in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore where she is pitted against DMK leader Ganapathy P Rajkumar and AIADMK's Singai Ramachandran. Tamilisai Soundararajan, who recently resigned as governor of Telangana and Lt Governor of Puducherry to return to active politics, is contesting from Chennai South Lok Sabha constituency. Daughter of veteran Congress leader Kumari Anantha, Soundararajan had contested 2019 Lok Sabha elections against DMK's Kanimozhi, but lost by a huge margin in Thoothukudi. This time, Kanimozhi is seeking a re-election from the seat. Firebrand Annamalais duel in Coimbatore is TN head-turner NDA ally Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) has fielded SDR Vijayaseelan and AIADMK has fielded R Sivasami Velumani from the constituency. Nakul Nath, son of Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath, is seeking a re-election Chhindwara. The seat has remained firmly with Kamal Nath, who has won the seat nine times since 1980. In the 2019 polls, the BJP bagged 28 seats out of the state's 29, but missed out on picking Chhindwara, where Nakul beat the BJP's candidate by 37,536 votes to emerge as the lone Congress MP in the state. Of the two Lok Sabha constituencies in Tripura, the seat of West Tripura that votes in the first phase on April 19 will see a high-voltage clash between former chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb and state Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha. Having won Lok Sabha elections twice since 2014 from Kaliabor constituency in Assam, Gaurav Gogoi, Congress' deputy leader in Lok Sabha and son of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, finds himself as the new candidate in neighbouring Jorhat, where BJP's Topon Kumar Gogoi won in 2019. Gaurav Gogoi's shift to Jorhat came after the impact of delimitation exercise in his 2019 constituency, Kaliabor. Manipur Law and Education Minister Basanta Kumar Singh is BJP's nominee for the Inner Manipur constituency and is pitted against JNU professor and Congress candidate Bimal Akoijam. Singh, who belongs to the Meiti community, is the son of Thounaojam Chaoba Singh who served as the Union Minister of State for sports, youth affairs, culture and food processing in the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The BJP stronghold of Churu, in northern Rajasthan, is readying for an interesting match between BJP candidate Devendra Jhajharia, a two-time Paralympic gold medallist javelin thrower, and Rahul Kaswan from the Congress. Kaswan is a turncoat who has made the fight for Churu interesting. The two-time left the BJP only in March after he was denied a ticket by the party. Polling for the 543 seats for electing the 18th Lok Sabha will be held in seven phases.The votes will be counted on June 4.

First phase of LS polls sees prominent figures vying for seats

First phase of LS polls sees prominent figures vying for seats Eight Union ministers, two former chief ministers and one ex-governor are among those who are set to test their electoral fate in the first phase of elections on April 19 when 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories will go to polls. Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari is seeking a hat-trick of win from the Nagpur seat. In 2014, he had defeated seven-time MP Vilas Muttemwar by a margin of 2.84 lakh votes and retained the seat in 2019 by defeating current Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole by 2.16 lakh votes. Union minister Kiren Rijiju is contesting from the Arunachal West seat. The 52-year-old has represented the constituency thrice since 2004. Rijiju's main rival is former chief minister and present president of Arunachal Pradesh Congress Nabam Tuki. Sarbanada Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, is seeking a return to Lok Sabha from Dibrugarh in Assam. Sonowal, a Rajya Sabha member, was fielded from Dibrugarh after Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Rameswar Teli, was not given a ticket. Muzaffarnagar, known for its intricate caste dynamics, is witnessing a three-cornered electoral battle, with Union minister Sanjeev Baliyan locked in competition against Samajwadi Party's Harindra Malik and BSP candidate Dara Singh Prajapati. Jitendra Singh, a two-time parliamentarian and a junior minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet, is aiming for a hat-trick in Udhampur. Bhupendra Yadav, Union minister and Rajya Sabha member who replaced sitting MP Balak Nath, is in a contest with sitting Congress MLA Lalit Yadav, who belongs to Matsya region of Alwar district in Rajasthan and enjoys the support of the Yadav community. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is pitted against former Congress minister Govind Ram Meghwl from Bikaner parliamentary seat in Rajasthan. The Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu is witnessing one of the keenly watched battles between A Raja, the incumbent DMK MP, and former telecom minister, and L Murugan of the BJP, who is the Union Minister of State for Fisheries. This will be the first time that Murugan, who was elected to Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh, is contesting from here. Sivaganga MP Karti Chidmabaram is aiming for a re-election from a seat his father won seven times, competing against BJP's T Devanathan Yadav and AIADMK's Xavier Dass. Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai is set to take the ballot test in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore where she is pitted against DMK leader Ganapathy P Rajkumar and AIADMK's Singai Ramachandran. Tamilisai Soundararajan, who recently resigned as governor of Telangana and Lt Governor of Puducherry to return to active politics, is contesting from Chennai South Lok Sabha constituency. Daughter of veteran Congress leader Kumari Anantha, Soundararajan had contested 2019 Lok Sabha elections against DMK's Kanimozhi, but lost by a huge margin in Thoothukudi. This time, Kanimozhi is seeking a re-election from the seat. NDA ally Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) has fielded SDR Vijayaseelan and AIADMK has fielded R Sivasami Velumani from the constituency. Nakul Nath, son of Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath, is seeking a re-election Chhindwara. The seat has remained firmly with Kamal Nath, who has won the seat nine times since 1980. In the 2019 polls, the BJP bagged 28 seats out of the state's 29, but missed out on picking Chhindwara, where Nakul beat the BJP's candidate by 37,536 votes to emerge as the lone Congress MP in the state. Of the two Lok Sabha constituencies in Tripura, the seat of West Tripura that votes in the first phase on April 19 will see a high-voltage clash between former chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb and state Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha. Having won Lok Sabha elections twice since 2014 from Kaliabor constituency in Assam, Gaurav Gogoi, Congress' deputy leader in Lok Sabha and son of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, finds himself as the new candidate in neighbouring Jorhat, where BJP's Topon Kumar Gogoi won in 2019. Gaurav Gogoi's shift to Jorhat came after the impact of delimitation exercise in his 2019 constituency, Kaliabor. Manipur Law and Education Minister Basanta Kumar Singh is BJP's nominee for the Inner Manipur constituency and is pitted against JNU professor and Congress candidate Bimal Akoijam. Singh, who belongs to the Meiti community, is the son of Thounaojam Chaoba Singh who served as the Union Minister of State for sports, youth affairs, culture and food processing in the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The BJP stronghold of Churu, in northern Rajasthan, is readying for an interesting match between BJP candidate Devendra Jhajharia, a two-time Paralympic gold medallist javelin thrower, and Rahul Kaswan from the Congress. Kaswan is a turncoat who has made the fight for Churu interesting. The two-time left the BJP only in March after he was denied a ticket by the party. Polling for the 543 seats for electing the 18th Lok Sabha will be held in seven phases. The votes will be counted on June 4.

Uttar Pradesh: BJP faces Rajput ire in 3-corner battle

SAHARANPUR: On Tuesday, all roads leading to Saharanpur city are lined up with lotus flags and huge cutouts of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and PM Modi. As Yogi Adityanath along with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Raghav Lakhanpal took out a massive roadshow in an open, flower-decked vehicle in the evening, the waiting crowd on both sides of the pavement cheered with Jai Shri Ram chants. Significantly, this is the third visit of the Chief Minister to Saharanpur in an apparent effort to contain the ire of the Rajput community, which has openly issued boycott calls against the BJP in Western Uttar Pradesh. Saharanpur goes to poll on Friday (April 19), in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections. Though the Rajputs, who traditionally vote for the BJP, organized maha panchayats in Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, and Meerut last week extending support for BJPs rivals, the BJP leaders say that the effective intervention of Yogi Adityanath, Union minister Rajnath Singh and Haryana Chief Minister has helped to quell the dissent. Sanjay Chauhan, a BJP worker from Behat, admits that there was discontent over only one Lok Sabha ticket for the community. The issues have been settled now. We held a meeting yesterday and declared our support for the BJP after the top leaders assured us that our concerns will be addressed next time, says Chauhan, who runs a hardware shop. This election is between Hindus and Muslims. Only the BJP government at the Centre and state can rein in the majority Muslim community in this area, says another BJP loyalist Mohit Goel. Behat, one of the assembly seats in Saharanpur boasts of a large Muslim population. Saharanpur comprises the five assembly seats Saharanpur, Saharanpur Rural, Deoband, Rampur, Maniharan, and Behat. Though the fault lines are wide open, the Muslim community brushes off any confrontation between Hindus and Muslims in the locality. In this election, livelihood issues are more important. The wave is in favor of the Congress-SP candidate, says Mohammed Aslam, another shopkeeper from the locality. With a triangular contest between the BJP, the Samajwadi Party (SP) Congress alliance, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Saharanpur, a Muslim-dominated constituency, has become one of the most keenly watched elections in western Uttar Pradesh. The BJP has fielded Raghav Lakhanpal, for the third consecutive term, hoping to repeat its stunning 2014 performance. While Congress fielded Imran Masood, the BSP candidate Majid Ali is in the fray. Congress candidate Imran Masood, who hit headlines during the 2014 elections, with his controversial statement that will chop off Modi into pieces, is trying his luck for the third time. Though Masood switched parties after the 2019 election, the Congress workers are confident that he will get a comfortable majority this time with the support of the SP alliance. Muslims account for 40% of the electorate Saharanpur has Muslims making over 40 per cent of the electorate. After winning the seat in 2014 under sweeping Modi wave by drubbling Imran Masood of Congress by 65,000 votes, BJP candidate Raghav Lakhanpal Sharma had lost the seat to BSPs Fazlur Rehman in 2019 when SP, BSP and RLD were contesting in alliance. Saharanpur, the seat of Asias biggest Islamic seminary Darul Uloom in Deoband, comprises five assembly seats: Saharanpur, Saharanpur Rural, Deoband, Rampur Maniharan, and Behat. Kairana, a communal raga Earlier known for Kirana Gharana of Hindustani classical music, Kairana is now known for its communal raga. In a three-cornered fight, BJP has reposed faith in MP Pradeep Chaudhury, SP has fielded Munawwars daughter Ikra Hasan.Mayawatis BSP has fielded a retired BSF jawan Sripal Singh Rana. Rampur Rampur with over 51 % Muslim population, is set to witness an intriguing battle between BJP MP Ghanshyam Lodhi and SPs Maulana Mohibullah Nadvi, a Delhi-based cleric. However, BSP has made SPs job difficult by fielding Zeeshan Khan, who would dent SP core vote base. Bijnor Bijnor is in the kitty of NDA partner RLD, which has fielded Chandan Chauhan, its MLA from Meerapur. From Bijnor, Mayawati had contested her first election. However, this time it is being seen as a contest between RLD and BSP. Muzaffarnagar A Jat-dominated seat, Muzaffarnagar is witnessing a tough three-corner fight where Union minister and BJP candidate Sanjeev Baliyan is seeking a third term. He is, however, facing a tough challenge from SPs Harendra Mallik, also a Jat. Meanwhile, making the contest interesting, BSPs Dara Singh Prajapati is marking his presence by reaching out to potential voters. Nagina The reserved seat is witnessing a multi-cornered fight with BJP, SP, BSP and Chandrashekhar Azad of him Army in fray. In the 2022 Assembly polls, out of the five segments, SP won Najibabad, Nagina and Noorpur Assembly segments, but BJP got Dhampur and Nehtaur. If Chandrashekhar cuts into the votes of the BSP, the BJP candidates path would become easier. Pilibhit Though the slogans backing Maneka Gandhi are missing from political landscape of Pilibhit, as BJP has snubbed MP Varun Gandhi replacing him with Congress turncoat Jitin Prasada, yet the stage is all set for a fiercefight on the ground with SP having fielded Bhagwat Charan Gangwar. BSP has added colour to fight by fielding Anis Ahmad Khan alias Gulab Babu.

Lok Sabha Polls: Local factors an issue in Muzaffarnagar

Muzaffarnagar has five assembly segments - Budhana, Charthawal, Muzaffarnagar, Khatauli and Sardhana. BJP has only one MLA from Muzaffarnagar while SP has two MLAs from Sardhana and Charthawal. RLD has two MLAs from Khatauli and Budhana.

Staring at defeat, BJP dropped pics, names of candidates from posters, says Akhilesh

Akhilesh Yadav accuses BJP of manipulating posters in west UP, claims victory in Muzaffarnagar. He criticizes BJP's guarantees, promises loan waiver, and welcomes support from ex-MP Shahid Siddiqui.

Election Despatch: Can BJP score a hat-trick in Muzaffarnagar?

Election Despatch Can BJP score a hattrick in Muzaffarnagar

Mayawati's wish to make Western UP a good thing, but she won't get a chance: BJP's Sanjeev Balyan

Mayawati's wish to make Western UP a good thing, but she won't get a chance: BJP's Sanjeev Balyan While campaigning for Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha elections is in its final phase, Minister of State (Union of India) - Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and MP from Muzaffarnagar, Sanjeev Balyan, said that BSP chief Mayawati's wish of making western UP a separate state if she comes to power is a good thing, but she won't get the opportunity to do so. Speaking to ANI, Sanjeev Balyan, the Union Minister and BJP candidate from Muzaffarnagar, said, She has said a good thing (on BSP chief Mayawati's statement to make western UP a separate state), but she won't get the chance. People have already made up their minds to make PM Modi the Prime Minister again, even the opposition candidates will say so. Since PM Modi has assumed power, there is pro incumbency and we are going to the people based on the work that we have done. A day before, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, while addressing a public meeting in Muzaffarnagar, announced that if her government is formed at the Centre, they will declare Western Uttar Pradesh as a separate state. She also alleged that during the Samajwadi Party's government in Uttar Pradesh, hatred between Jat and the Muslim community increased. We will declare Western Uttar Pradesh as a separate state when our government is formed at the Centre, for the development of the people of this region. Along with this, special attention will be given to the interests of farmers, labourers, unemployed and small traders. When the party was formed, people from the opposition party had spread the word that BSP was against the Jats. But when our government was formed, there were no riots in Western Uttar Pradesh, especially Muzaffarnagar, she said. Ahead of the elections, the BJP candidate said that they were receiving a lot of love from the people of Muzaffarnagar. Not even one week is left but the way we are getting the love of people, I also love the people here and they also love me. On being questioned about how many seats they will win, Balyan said, The situation is like 2014. The kind of situation there was in 2014, is the same at present. Reflecting his views on the BJP's manifesto Sankalp Patra and slamming the opposition's criticism, Balyan claimed that after independence, no post is left vacant in the central government and all the vacancies have been filled. For the first time after independence, there is no vacancy left in the Central Government. We have given 10 lakh jobs in the past year. All the vacancies in the central government have been filled. Muzaffarnagar, one of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, will vote during the first phase of the general elections set to be held on April 19, with the date of counting and announcement of results scheduled for June 4. (ANI)

We Supported BJP In 2014, But It Didnt Live Up To Expectations: Tikait

MUZAFFARNAGAR (UP), Apr 15: Farmer leader Naresh Tikait says his Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) openly supported the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, but the party did not live up to their expectations after coming to power. Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp Tikait lamented that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre did not acknowledge the martyrdom of around 750 farmers during a 13-month-long protest at Delhis borders in 2020-21 and claimed that the saffron party reeks of dictatorship. [] The post We Supported BJP In 2014, But It Didnt Live Up To Expectations: Tikait appeared first on Daily Excelsior .

Uttar Pradesh: 2 killed, 17 injured after building collapses in Muzaffarnagar

19 labourers were rescued from under the debris of a market building in Muzzafarnagar, Uttar Pradesh; however, two people lost their lives in the incident.

2 killed, 17 injured after building collapses in UPs Muzaffarnagar

Muzaffarnagar: As many as two labourers were killed, and 17 others were injured after the roof of an under-construction building collapsed in Uttar Pradeshs Muzaffarnagar on Sunday, officials said. According to the officials, the rescuers, along with local police, pulled out 19 labourers buried under the debris of the market building. However, two people succumbed Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

Two killed, 17 injured after building collapses in Uttar Pradeshs Muzaffarnagar

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Two killed, 17 injured after building collapses in UP's Muzaffarnagar

Two killed injured after building collapses in UPs Muzaffarnagar

Mayawati seeks statehood for west UPs Harit Pradesh

LUCKNOW: Choosing the birth anniversary day of her ideologue Dr BR Ambedkar, Bahujan Samaj Pary (BSP) chief Mayawati made a major announcement of according statehood to western UP and also establishing a bench of Allahabad High Court in the region if voted to power at the centre. While addressing a poll rally in Muzaffarnagar, the BSP chief raked up the long-pending Harit Pradesh issue yet again. Significantly, it was Dr Ambedkar who had proposed the division of UP into three separate states Western, Central and Eastern for better governance. She launched a broadside on arch rival Samajwadi Party (SP) saying that the brotherhood and amity was buried in western UP when the SP was in power whereas the BSP rule never witnessed a communal flare-up in western UP. The BSP chief slammed both the Congress and the BJP for policies favouring the capitalists and big corporate houses. These parties dont have Dalits, tribals and the deprived in their agenda of development, she said. Notably, the BSP is going it alone in the elections keeping both the ruling and the Opposition blocs at equal distance. In Muzaffarnagar, she has fielded Dara Singh Prajapati against BJPs Sanjeev Balyan who is seeking the third term from the constituency and SPs Harendra Mallik, a former MP and a prominent Jat leader. Earlier, commencing her partys campaign from Saharanpur, the parliamentary constituency number 1, which the BSP had won in 2019, Mayawati claimed that it would not be easy for the ruling BJP to return to power because of the contradiction in their words and deeds. She accused the BJP of lying to the public and working in the interest of the powerful. SP fields NHRM scam tainted minister Springing a surprise, the Samajwadi Party (SP), on Sunday, named former minister Babu Singh Kushwaha who heads Jan Adhikar Party, as candidate to contest from Jaunpur Lok Sabha seat on a Samajwadi Party symbol. Besides, Kushwaha, the SP also announced names of six more candidate including Amarnath Maurya from Phulpur, Ram Shiromani Verma from Shravasti, Bhishm Shanker Kushal Tewari from Doomariyaganj, Laxmikant alias Pappu Nishad from Sant Kabir Nagar, Ramashanker Rajbhar from Salempur and Supriya Saroj from Machlishaher Lok Sabha seat.

Mayawati promises separate state for western UP

MUZAFFARNAGAR, April 14: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday said her party will take concrete steps to make western Uttar Pradesh a separate state if voted to power at the Centre. Addressing a rally here in support of the BSPs candidate from the Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha seat Dara Singh Prajapati, Mayawati also said [] The post Mayawati promises separate state for western UP appeared first on The Shillong Times .

Mayawati: Will take steps to make West UP a separate state

Mayawati promises to form a new state in western UP if elected, criticizing BJP for favoring wealthy businessmen. She assures fair crop prices at Muzaffarnagar rally, highlighting the need for free and fair elections.

Two-storey building collapsed in Muzaffarnagar; 15 rescued as search continues

Labourers feared being trapped after a two-storey house collapsed in the Jansath police station area of Muzaffarnagar. The district administration and police are engaged in rescue work.

Mayawati promises to work for statehood for western UP, asks Muslims not to vote for Cong

Mayawati promises to work for statehood for western UP, asks Muslims not to vote for Cong Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday said her party will take ''concrete steps'' to make western Uttar Pradesh a separate state if voted to power at the Centre. Launching her party's poll campaign in western Uttar Pradesh, the BSP chief also asked the Muslim community not to split their votes. ''If the Muslim community splits its votes, and votes for the Congress, then the BJP will get the benefit,'' she said at a rally in Saharanpur. Addressing another rally in Muzaffarnagar, where she campaigned for party candidate Dara Singh Prajapati, she referred to the long-standing demand for statehood for western Uttar Pradesh. ''There has been a long-standing demand for statehood by the people of western Uttar Pradesh. For this, concrete steps will be taken if our government comes to power at the Centre,'' Mayawati told the gathering. The BSP is fighting this Lok Sabha election alone and is not part of the opposition INDIA bloc. Twenty-five years ago, Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh as a separate state. The BSP chief also claimed that if free and fair elections are held and voting machines are not tampered with, the BJP will not return to power this time. ''Most of the BJP's time was spent on making wealthy businessmen wealthier and protecting them... The BJP and other parties run their organisations and contest elections with the support of these businesses. Electoral bond data revealed this,'' she added. At the Saharanpur rally earlier in the day, Mayawati asked Muslims not to split their votes. ''To the Muslims, I would like to say that you should not allow your votes to be split. If you want to defeat the BJP candidate, I would ask the Muslim community not to allow your votes to get split,'' she said. Sharpening her attack on the Congress, the BSP chief said, ''Whenever the BSP has fielded a Muslim candidate, the Congress and other parties have also given tickets to Muslim candidates.'' ''The Congress knows that its candidate will not win the polls. The BSP has a huge chunk of Dalit votes along with Muslims. From the Kairana Lok Sabha seat, we have given the ticket to a 'Kshatriya'. Our candidate will get the 'Kshatriya' votes in Saharanpur as well,'' she added. She further claimed that it would not be easy for the BJP to return to power because of the difference in its words and actions. ''The BJP and its allies have been in power at the Centre and in most states. Owing to their casteist, capitalist, narrow and vindictive policies and style of working, and due to the significant difference in their words and actions, it now seems that it would not be easy for them to return to power at the Centre,'' the BSP chief said. People are not going to fall for the ''rhetoric'' served by the political parties ahead of the polls anymore, she said and accused the BJP of ''politicising'' probe agencies. She said her party is contesting the Lok Sabha election on its own instead of forging an alliance with any party and has given ''appropriate share to all sections of society'' in ticket distribution. Mayawati also hit out at rival political parties, saying their wrong policies have adversely impacted the economy. Apart from this, the country's borders are not completely safe, she claimed. Asking the voters to remain alert, Mayawati said other political parties use the media, opinion polls and surveys to create a favourable atmosphere. ''The BSP does not release its manifesto. Our party believes in speaking less and working more. Our government in Uttar Pradesh did historic work which is now being copied by governments of most parties,'' she said. Hitting out at the free ration scheme Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, Mayawati said, ''Food materials given to extremely poor families is not going to benefit them. This problem can be addressed by giving them work and our party will pay attention to this.'' Earlier in the day, Mayawati accused other mainstream parties of giving an ''ostensible'' respect to Dr BR Ambedkar and ignoring his followers. ''For narrow electoral interests, the ostensible respect given to Baba Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, and ignoring his followers, exemplifies the proverb 'mooh mein ram, bagal mein chhuri', she said in a statement. In a post in Hindi on X, Mayawati paid tributes to Ambedkar on his birth anniversary and called him ''a messiah of millions of poor, exploited, deprived and neglected people in the country''. Eight parliamentary constituencies of Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur, and Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh will vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls on April 19. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

30 feared trapped as building collapses in UPs Muzaffarnagar

Muzaffarnagar: About 30 people are feared trapped inside a building that collapsed in UPs Muzaffarnagar district on Sunday evening. An NDRF team is reaching the incident site while local people have started rescue operations. All senior administrative officers are also reaching the spot. Also ReadUttar Pradesh: Eid brings warring politicians together at Eidgah According to Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

Several feared trapped as building collapses in UP's Muzaffarnagar

Election 2024: 'Communal raga' from UP's Kairana

LUCKNOW: The parliamentary constituency Kairana-- is known by one assembly segment famous all over the world for 'Kirana Gharana' of Hindustani classical music, established by Ustad Abdul Karim Khan in the early 20th century. In the recent history, Kairana is known for its 'communal raga'. The assembly segment is part of the Shamli district which suffered from communal violence in the neighbouring Muzaffarnagar in 2013. It also hit the headlines for the alleged exodus of Hindus before the 2014 Lok Sabha, an issue which helped BJP veteran Hukum Singh wrest the seat from the rival political family of Munnawar Hasan in 2014. The constituency is dominated by Muslims who make up 5.5 lakh of the total 17.2 lakh electorate. Set to vote in the first phase on April 19, the Kairana Lok Sabha constituency, a pivotal battleground, is bubbling with anticipation, renewed hopes and strategic manoeuvring. The battleground is war-ready for a three-cornered fight. While the BJP has reposed faith in sitting MP Pradeep Chaudhury, SP has fielded Munawwar's daughter Ikra Hasan, a law graduate from London. Her brother, Nahid Hasan, is a sitting MLA from Kairana while her mother Tabassum lost to Chaudhary, a Gurjar, in the 2014 polls. Meanwhile, BSP has fielded a retired BSF jawan Sripal Singh Rana, who can make the path of the BJP candidate difficult as he is already fighting the anti-incumbency of the last five years. As the campaign gains momentum and the political discourse gets shriller, the issues dominating the political landscape of the western UP constituency include socio-economic development, infrastructure, along good governance. The demographics present a diverse electorate with a near-even gender split, a significant rural population, and a notable representation from marginalized communities, emphasizing the complexity of this electoral battleground. The common refrain on battleground Kairana is the issues of unemployment, development along with law and order. If Sanjay Rajwanshi, a trader, in the Beghumpura market, feels that the voter of Kairana would focus more on PM Modis popularity and his style of governance, Kabir Ahmad, in his 70s, claims that the upcoming battle is going to be a fiercer one between the BJP and the SP with a conspicuous tilt in favour of SP candidate Ikra Hasan. In the same market, a stationary shop owner Gaurav Singhal feels that poll in Kairana is polarised on communal lines. Nafees, on the other, feels that it is an election between locals (Ikra Hasan) versus outsiders (Pradeep Chaudhury). BSP chief Mayawati promises statehood, Allahabad HC bench to western UP The politics of Kairana revolves around two prominent political poles one dominated by Hukum Singh whose father Man Singh had organised the Hindu Gujjar community under Kalsyan Khap. The other belonged to the former MP Akhtar Hasan, Ikra Hasans grandfather. He had unified the Muslim community under Hasan Chabutara. The two clans have faced each other in electoral battle for several decades. However, Hukum Singhs daughter Mriganka couldn't carry forward the winning streak and lost the Lok Sabha by-poll necessitated by the demise of her father in 2018 to Tabassum Hasan and in the 2022 assembly poll to Nahid Hasan, a Hasan family scion. While a section of voters feels that Chaudhury was invisible on ground zero for the last five years, others feel that sentiment is not for the BJP but its candidate. People also voiced support for Ikra Hasan claiming that she had been working on the ground and nurturing the constituency for the past two years. On the contrary, the BJP cadre feels that Chaudhury, despite facing anti-incumbency and a weak track record as an MP, could sail through riding the popularity of PM Modi and CM Yogi. The alliance with RLD will also come in handy for Pradeep Chaudhury, says a senior BJP leader. While the BJP leadership is weaving its narrative around law and order, development, and the Ram temple, Ikra Hasan is playing up the imminent fear of change in the Constitution of India if the BJP comes to power.

BSP chief Mayawati promises statehood, Allahabad HC bench to western UP

LUCKNOW: Choosing the birth anniversary day of her ideologue Dr BR Ambedkar, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati made a major announcement of according statehood to western UP and also establishing a bench of Allahabad High Court in the region if voted to power at centre. While addressing her a poll rally in Muzaffarnagar, the BSP chief introduced the long-pending Harit Pradesh issue to the poll arena yet again. Significantly, it was Dr BR Ambedkar who had proposed the division of UP into three separate statesWestern, Central and Easternfor the better governance. Even Union Minister and BJP candidate from Muzaffarnagar had also been a votary of statehood to western UP in his personal capacity. In Muzaffarnagar, the BSP chief launched a broadside on archrival Samajwadi Party (SP) saying that the brotherhood and amity was buried in western UP during the rule of SP whereas the BSP rule never witnessed a communal flareup in western UP. She slammed both Congress and the BJP for having policies favoring the capitalists and big corporate houses. These parties dont have Dalit, tribals and deprived in their agenda of development, she said. Notably, the BSP is going it alone in the ensuing elections keeping both the ruling and the opposition blocs at equal distance. In Muzaffarnagar, she has fielded Dara Singh Prajapati, against BJPs Sanjeev Balyan who is seeking the third term from the constituency and SPs Harendra Mallik, a former MP and a prominent Jat leader. The trick UP Mayawati's electoral sleeve Earlier, commencing her partys campaign from Saharanpur, the parliamentary constituency number 1, which the BSP had won in 2019, Mayawati claimed that it would not be easy for the ruling BJP to return to power because of the contradiction in their words and deeds. She accused the BJP of lying to the public and working in the interest of the powerful. For the past few years, the BJP and its allies have been in power at the Centre and in most of the states. Owing to the casteist, capitalist, narrow and vindictive policies and governance along with the contradictions in their words and actions, apparently, it would not be easy for them to return to power at the Centre, provided these elections are free and fair. Mayawati said people were not going to fall anymore for the rhetoric served by the political parties ahead of the polls, She also accused the ruling BJP of politicizing the probe agencies and using them to intimidate the political rivals. Mayawati said contesting alone, she had given tickets to all sections of the society ensuring their equal representation. She also issued a statement on the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, accusing the mainstream parties of giving an ostensible respect to him but ignoring his followers. For narrow electoral interests, the ostensible respect given to Baba Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, and ignoring his followers, exemplifies the proverb mooh mein ram, bagal mein chhuri. This is an old tradition, and it is still continuing, and it is necessary to remain cautious of this illusion. Speaking about the Congress, she said, the partys gharibi hatao slogan in the 80s remained only a slogan because of lack of intent. And now, the same condition prevails under the BJP government as the sky-rocketing inflation, poverty, unemployment and backwardness is worsening the lives of the people, she said.

Samajwadi Party Announces Additional Candidates for Lok Sabha Elections

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) has unveiled another roster of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, including seven contenders. Among the notable candidates are Babu Singh Kushwaha from Jaunpur and Bhishma Shankar 'Kushal' Tiwari from Dumariyaganj. The newly declared candidates by SP include Amarnath Maurya from Phulpur, Ram Shiromani Verma from Shravasti, Laxmikant alias Pappu Nishad from Sant Kabirnagar, Ramashankar Rajbhar from Salempur, and Priya Saroj from Machhilishahr. On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded BP Saroj from Machlishahr, Praveen Patel from Phulpur, Jagdambika Pal from Dumariyaganj, Kripashankar Singh from Jaunpur, Ravindra Kushwaha from Salempur, Praveen Nishad from Sant Kabirnagar, and Saket Mishra from Shravasti. Previously, SP had nominated Pushpendra Saroj, son of senior BSP leader and former minister Inderjit Saroj from Kaushambi, and Ajay Pratap Singh alias Pintu Sainthwar from Kushinagar.Moreover, SP has granted tickets to various candidates, including Ziaurraman Burke from Sambhal, Manoj Chaudhary from Baghpat, Dr. Mahendra Nagar from Noida, Bhagat Saran Gangwar from Pilibhit, and Rajeev Rai from Ghosi, among others. Akhilesh Yadav has expressed his confidence in Harendra Malik from Muzaffarnagar, while Afzal Ansari, brother of Mukhtar Ansari, secured the ticket from Ghazipur. Other SP candidates include Rajesh Kashyap from Shajahanpur, Usha Verma from Hardoi, Rampal Rajvanshi from Misrikh, RK Chaudhary from Mohanlalganj, and SP Singh Baghel from Pratapgarh, among others. Successful Trials of Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) by DRDO Video: Palestinian Muslims Celebrate Iran's Attack on Israel; Thousands Gather in Solidarity Arrests Made in Connection with Banka Bomb Blast: Mohammad Ismail and Noor Mohammad Apprehended

Uttar Pradesh: RLD Chief Jayant in, yet Jats play hardball to BJP

LUCKNOW : Two days before voting in the 2022 assembly elections in western UP, Union home minister Amit Shah made an unprecedented move. Along with hundreds of BJP workers, he went door-to-door seeking support from voters, especially Jats, for party candidates. This happened immediately after the BJPs failed discussions for a pre-poll alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) led by Jayant Chaudhary, a significant Jat leader and the grandson of former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh. Jayant opted to stay aligned with the SP and famously declared, Main koi chavanni nahin jo palat jaoon (I am not a coin that flips). Cut to February 2024. Two months before the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conferred Bharat Ratna on Charan Singh. And Jayant reacted to this saying: Dil Jeet Liya (won hearts). Thus the RLD chief was won over. Solving the Jat puzzle was a major strategic win for the BJP, as it facilitated their entry into the political landscape of UPs Wild West in the lead-up to the election. Jats form just 2% of UPs electorate. Nonetheless, political analysts say the influence of Jats stems from their concentration in a dozen districts of western UP, where they make up 20-25% of the voting population. The influence of the Jat factor is palpable as the BJP, which continues to reign supreme in the state since 2014, has now joined hands with the RLD, the party that is perceived to advocate for the Jat community. The Jats are primarily farmers and wield significant economic influence in the region. The extent of Jat influence on votes is evident from the 2009 polls, where the BJP secured only three seats in western UP while RLD (then a minor partner of NDA), won five seats due to support from Jats. On the other hand, experts note that in the 2014 polls, held in the aftermath of the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, Jats were polarised in favour of the BJP, resulting in a sweeping victory for the saffron party in the region. This trend continued in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. However, alarm bells rang for the BJP in the 2022 Assembly polls when Jats were divided between their loyalty to Jayant, who was an ally of the SP, and the BJP. And the community drifted away from the BJP over the Centres controversial farm laws. Although the three farm laws were withdrawn before the polls, the damage was already done. The BJPs loss translated into RLDs victory. It resulted in a jump in RLDs vote share, with the number of seats going up from one in 2017 to eight in 2022. It was no wonder that the BJP brass went on an overdrive to lure Jayant, despite opposition from partys Jat leaders. The thinking was that with RLD by our side, whatever discontent among farmers is remaining would go away, and Jats will have no dilemma over which camp to support, said a senior BJP leader. Jats wield a lot of influence in society because of their dominant social status. Their firepower is beyond their own community, he said. Economic influence The Jats are primarily farmers and wield significant economic influence in the region. The extent of Jat influence on votes is evident from the 2009 polls, where the BJP secured only three seats in western UP while RLD (then a minor partner of NDA), won five seats due to support from Jats. However, experts note that in 2014 polls, held in aftermath of the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, Jats were polarised in favour of the BJP, resulting in its sweeping victory The J Factor The communitys influence and importance is palpable as BJP has joined hands with RLD a party that is perceived to advocate for the Jats Jats comprise around 2% of UPs population Around a dozen LS constituencies of west UP have up to 20-25% of Jat population Their strong social status influences other caste groups They are farmers, majority being cane growers They are in good numbers in Baghpat, Mathura, Fatehpur Sikri, Muzaffarnagar, Aligarh, Kairana, Amroha, Bijnor, Hathras.

'Jat factor' and love-hate relationship of BJP, RLD in western Uttar Pradesh

LUCKNOW: The Jats constitute a mere 2 percent of Uttar Pradesh's vote share . Nonetheless, their significant presence across a dozen districts in western Uttar Pradesh renders them a potent force in the region's political landscape, assert political analysts. The influence of the 'Jat factor' is palpable as the BJPwhich continues to reign supreme in the state since 2014is currently allying with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), the party that is perceived to advocate for the Jat community. Solving the Jat puzzle was a major strategic win for the saffron party, as it facilitated their entry into the challenging political landscape of Uttar Pradesh's Wild West in the lead-up to the election. Over the years, it has always kept the 'Jat card' in their back pockets and managed to pull it in UP right around elections. The importance of being Akhilesh Yadav in this Lok Sabha election Yet this time, the saffron party rushed to ally with the RLD chief, Jayant Chaudhary, who had just quit the alliance with the Samajwadi Party. A happy Amit Shah, along with hundreds of other BJP workers, were busy carrying out door-to-door campaigns with their new partners and seeking votes, especially those of Jats. And in February, two months before the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conferred Bharat Ratna on former Prime Minister Chaudary Charan Singh, also the grandfather of Jayant Singh. And Jayant reacted to this saying: Dil Jeet Liya (won hearts). Long story short, the BJP had won Jayant's heart as well as the Jat votes. Jats, who are primarily farmers, are economically influential in their regions. The Jat influence on votes can be gauged by the fact that in the 2009 polls, while a national party like the BJP managed to secure just three seats in West UP, a relatively smaller party, RLD (then a minor partner of the NDA), won five seats. Parties vie for a pie in Muslim votes spread across two dozen seats In the 2014 polls, held in the aftermath of the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, Jats were completely polarised and were in favour of the BJP, marking an absolute victory for them, according to experts. This trend continued even in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. However, alarm bells rang for the BJP in the 2022 Assembly polls when the Jats were divided between their loyalty to their leader Jayant (who was part of the SP coalition) and the BJP. The predominantly farmer community mainly drifted away from the BJP over the party's controversial farm laws. Although the three farm laws were withdrawn before the polls, the damage was already done. The BJP's loss translated into the RLD's victory. It resulted in a sharp jump in RLD's vote share, with the number of seats going up from one in 2017 to eight in 2022. It was no wonder that the BJP brass went ahead in an overdrive to lure Jayant, despite strong opposition from the party's own Jat leaders. The thinking was that with RLD by our side, whatever discontent among farmers is remaining would also go away, and Jats will have no dilemma over which camp to support, said a senior BJP functionary. Their overall number may be small, but their concentration in the sugar belt makes them formidable in the western region. Jats wield a lot of influence in society because of their dominant social status. Therefore, their firepower goes much beyond their own community, added the BJP leader. Top 5 LS constituencies with large Jat population Baghpat: 4 lakh Mathura: 2.15 lakh Fatehpur Sikri: 2.1 lakh Kairana: 1.75 lakh Amroha: 1.70 lakh Bumpy roads ahead of BJPs Mission 80 Mixed feelings for Gandhis in UPs rice bowl

NGT directs Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board to act against industrial units found violating environmental norms in Muzaffarnagar

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Anti-social elements will not get land even for last rites, says Adityanath

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said those involved in intimidating and torturing innocents would be deprived of even a piece of land for last rites. Attacking the opposition at a poll rally in Sardhana segment to seek votes for Muzaffarnagar candidate Sanjeev Balyan, Yogi alleged that those attempting to mislead people today had put the BJP leaders like Sangeet Som and Sanjeev Baliyan behind the bars and had imposed curfews to add to peoples woes in 2013. The Sardhana assembly segment in Meerut district falls under Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha constituency. He cautioned the people against those political forces which were entrenched in deceptive tactics of caste-based politics undermining nations integrity and religious values. At the rally, CM Yogi asserted that no individual could evade strict action if found indulging in wrongdoing regardless of their status. Without naming anyone, he referred to the downfall of prominent mafia empires allegedly patronised by previous regimes. The CM said the during the SP regime even top officials hesitated to confront mafias. However, under the present administration, those, operating with impunity, were dealt with iron fist under the law of the land, he claimed. He also drew a sharp contrast between Indias progress and Pakistans struggles, attributing the neighbouring countrys plight to poor governance. Rallied support for the BJP condidate, the CM highlighted the infrastructure push which the region has received during the last six years. Meerut will go to polls on April 26.

Muzaffarnagar constituency of Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha Election 2024: Date of voting, result, candidates list, main parties, schedule

PM Modi declares on first day of 'Navratri' that worshippers of 'Shakti' will not forgive INDIA alliance

PM Modi declares on first day of 'Navratri' that worshippers of 'Shakti' will not forgive INDIA alliance With the Navratri festival beginning on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country should remember how the INDIA bloc ''has taken a vow to destroy Shakti'' and those who worship the Goddess will never forgive the Congress and its allies. Nine forms of Goddess Durga or Shakti are worshipped during the nine-day Chaitra Navratri festival. ''Today, on the first day of Navratri, I am also reminding the country how the INDI alliance has vowed to destroy 'Shakti'. The 'Shakti' before which we bow our heads, the leaders of the Congress are speaking about uprooting that 'Shakti','' Modi said at an election rally, again targeting the opposition over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'fight against Shakti' remarks. During the election campaign, Modi and the BJP have been accusing the Congress and the opposition alliance of being ''anti-Hindu'', repeatedly attacking them over Rahul Gandhi's remarks, the comments of DMK leaders against Sanatan Dharma and for staying away from the consecration ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The opposition has, in turn, alleged that the ruling party was resorting to communal polarisation as it has nothing to show in its report card. ''Pilibhit's land is blessed by Mother Yashwantri Devi. This is the origin place of Adi Ganga Maa Gomti. ''Today, the 'Shakti', who is being worshipped in the country, that 'Shakti' has been insulted by the Congress... No worshipper of 'Shakti' will forgive the INDI alliance for this insult,'' Modi said. At an INDIA bloc rally in Mumbai last month, Rahul Gandhi had said, ''In the Hindu religion, there is a word called 'Shakti' . We are fighting against a 'Shakti'.'' Later, Gandhi accused the prime minister of twisting his words. ''The 'Shakti' that I mentioned, Modi ji is the mask of that power and we are fighting against it. It is such a power that today it has captured India's voice, India's institutions, the CBI, I-T, ED, Election Commission, the media, Indian industry and the entire constitutional structure of India in its clutches,'' he had said on X. ''I recognise that power and so does Narendra Modi ji. It is not any kind of religious power, it is the power of unrighteousness, corruption and falsehood. That's why whenever I raise my voice against it, Modi ji and his machine of lies gets upset and enraged,'' the Congress leader had added. Addressing an election rally in Saharanpur on April 6, Modi had said that it is the country's misfortune that leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc are openly talking about ''fighting against Shakti''. ''In every corner of Hindustan, worshipping Shakti is a part of our natural spiritual journey. ''But it is the misfortune of the country that the leaders of INDI Alliance openly throw a challenge that their fight is against Shakti. Can anyone finish Shakti, and challenge the power of Shakti? And, those who made an effort to destroy Shakti, what happened to them? It is mentioned in history and the Puranas,'' Modi had said. Eight parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh -- Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur, and Pilibhit -- will vote in the first phase of general elections on April 19.

India showing world nothing is impossible: PM Modi

India showing world nothing is impossible: PM Modi Amid the various difficulties being faced by the world now, India is showing that there is nothing impossible for it to achieve, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday. He said this has been possible due to every single vote of the people. ''No matter how difficult the goal is, if India is determined to achieve it, it will definitely achieve. Today, with this inspiration and energy, we are working towards the resolution of a developed India,'' he said at a poll rally here. ''Amidst the difficulties of the entire world, India is showing that there is nothing impossible for it,'' he said The prime minister noted there was a time when the Congress government used to ask for help from the world, but during the Covid pandemic, medicines were made available to the whole world from India. ''When India became the world's fastest growing economic power, were you (people) proud of it or not? When our Chandrayaan hoisted the tricolour on the moon, were you proud or not? The grand G20 summit held in India was praised all over the world,'' he added. ''When the country becomes strong, the world listens to it,'' Modi said. Eight parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls on April 19. These are Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit. Counting of votes will be held on June 4.

Congress committed scams in all three worlds: Nadda

Congress committed scams in all three worlds: Nadda BJP president JP Nadda on Monday came down heavily on the Congress, accusing it of committing scams in all the three worlds and said the party did not spare the sky, underground and water. Addressing an election rally in Rampur on Monday in favour of the BJP candidates, Nadda attacked the INDIA bloc and said, ''Modi ji is saying to end corruption and that none of the corrupt persons will be spared. All of them will go to jail.'' Further quoting Modi, he said the 'gathbandhan' (alliance) is saying that the corrupt should be ''saved'' and they are ''engaged'' in it. ''Did the Congress not commit the coal scam? Did the Congress not commit CWG scam, 2G scam, 3G scam, AugustaWestland scam, submarine scam?'' he said. In other words, the opposition bloc committed scams in all the three ''loks'' (worlds), Nadda said. ''They did not spare the 'nabh' (sky), 'paataal' (below the surface of the Earth) and 'jal' (water). The Congress committed corruption in the three worlds,'' he said. He also alleged that Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav committed the laptop scam, the Gomti (river) front scam and foodgrain scam. Similarly, senior RJD leader Lalu Prasad committed fodder scam and job in lieu of land scam, he further alleged. Attacking DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, the BJP chief said, ''Do you know that the income of Stalin is Rs 1.32 lakh crore. There is no source of this income. (Former Jharkhand chief minister) Hemant Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) also committed the scam. ''Has (Delhi Chief Minister) Arvind Keriwal not committed the liquor scam? This 'ghamandiya' alliance is nothing but an alliance of the corrupt people,'' he said. Nadda also said former Congress presidents Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, the DMK ministers and the ministers of the Mamta Banerjee government are on bail. He asked the audience whether Soren, Kejriwal, AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, TMC ministers, KCR's daughter K Kavitha and veteran SP leader from Rampur Azam Khan are in jail or not. ''All these leaders of the 'ghamandia' (arrogant) alliance are either on bail or in jail,'' he said. Listing the ''parivarvadi'' (dynastic) parties, he said, ''Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi; rest of it (in Congress) is full stop. In the National Conference (NC), there are Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah; in the PDP, there are (late) Mufti Mohammad and Mehbooba Mufti; in Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), there was Parkash Singh Badal, and now there is Sukhbir Badal; and there is the Chautala family.'' ''After Mulayam Singh Yadav, it was Akhilesh Yadav and then Dimple (Yadav). They have even left 'chacha' (Shivpal Yadav), rest of it is full stop,'' he said, and cited the examples of Lalu Yadav-Rabri Devi-Tejashwi Yadav-Tej Pratap, Mamta Banerjee and (her nephew) Abhishek Banerjee, KCR-KTR-Kavitha, Karunanidhi-MK Stalin-Udhayanidhi and Uddhav Thackeray and Aditya. ''(There are) Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule. They have pushed away Ajit Pawar,'' he said. ''They have to save their families and indulge in corruption,'' Nadda said. According to the election schedule, eight parliamentary constituencies in UP will vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls on April 19. These are Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit. Counting of votes will be held on June 4.

Battle for Jat supremacy awaits BJP, Samajwadi in UP's Muzaffarnagar

Battle for Jat supremacy awaits BJP Samajwadi in UPs Muzaffarnagar

Acting against corruption to ensure a better future for people: PM Modi in UP

Eight parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh -- Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit -- will vote in the first phase on April 19. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

Congress manifesto completely bears imprint of Muslim League: PM Modi

Congress manifesto completely bears imprint of Muslim League: PM Modi Virtually equating the Congress with the Muslim League, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the grand old party's election manifesto reflects the same thought as that of the Muslim League at the time of the freedom movement. Prime Minister Modi said the Congress, which existed at the time of the freedom movement, has ''ended decades ago''. ''A number of great personalities were associated with the Congress. The name of Mahatma Gandhi was associated with the Congress. The Congress, which is left today, neither has policies in the interest of the nation nor vision for the nation's development,'' Prime Minister Modi said. ''Yesterday, the kind of election manifesto was released, it has proved that today's Congress is completely cut off from the hopes and aspirations of today's India,'' he added addressing an election rally in Saharanpur. Sharpening his attack further, he said said the Congress is not visible even remotely. Prime Minister Modi also took a jibe at the Samajwadi Party, which is a member of the INDIA bloc and an election partner of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. ''The situation of SP (Samajwadi Party) in Uttar Pradesh is such that here they have to change their candidates every hour, whereas the situation of Congress is even more strange. The Congress is not getting candidates at all,'' Prime Minister Modi said. ''Even on the seats, which the Congress considered as its stronghold, it is not able to muster the courage to field candidates,'' he added apparently referring to the Congress strongholds of Amethi and Rae Bareli. Prime Minister Modi said the ''INDI alliance has become another name for instability and uncertainty''. ''That's why today the country is not taking seriously even a single thing said by them,'' he added. Without taking the name of former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Prime Minister Modi said, ''You might remember here in Uttar Pradesh that the film featuring two boys ('do ladke'), which had flopped last time, the film of two boys has been re-released by these people.'' ''I do not understand how many times will these INDI alliance members put the wooden pot (on fire)?'' he added. The Congress and the Samajwadi Party had also contested the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections together. According to the election schedule, eight parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will vote in the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls on April 19. These are Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

Model code: Rs 3.80 lakh cash seized from man in Greater Noida

Model code: Rs 3.80 lakh cash seized from man in Greater Noida Amid imposition of the model code of conduct for Lok Sabha polls, cash Rs 3.80 lakh was seized from the possession of a man during a checking campaign in Greater Noida, officials said Saturday. The seizure was made around 1 am and the man from whom the cash was recovered is a resident of Muzaffarnagar district, the police said. The car he was driving bears a registration number of Ghaziabad but the man was unable to properly explain the source of the cash, the police said. ''In view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, during the checking campaign today a flying squad team (FST) of Dadri and Badalpur police stations intercepted a car at the Dhoom Manikpur underpass,'' a police spokesperson said. ''Rs 3,80,000, which is more than that permitted by Election Commission (during MCC), has been recovered from the possession of Bilal Mohammad, a resident of Budhana area in Muzaffarnagar district,'' the spokesperson said. Further legal proceedings in the case are being carried out, the police said. Earlier this week the FST had seized around Rs 10 lakh cash from a doctor in the Badalpur area and Rs 11.58 lakh from the car of a Delhi resident on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway in Greater Noida, according to officials. While both Muzaffarnagar and Gautam Buddh in western Uttar Pradesh will go to polls on April 26, some parts of the state also have elections scheduled on April 19.

INDI alliance is for commission, NDA is on mission: PM Modi

INDI alliance is for commission, NDA is on mission: PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the opposition INDIA bloc's aim is to earn commission after coming to power while the BJP-led NDA is on a mission. Addressing an election rally in Saharanpur, Modi said the opposition alliance was fighting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections just to stop the BJP from winning more than 370 seats. ''During its rule, the Congress' focus was on earning commissions. The INDI alliance too aims to earn commission after coming to power but the NDA and Modi sarkar is on a mission,'' Modi said. ''The opposition is fighting just to stop the BJP from winning more than 370 seats. The Samajwadi Party is changing candidates every hour while the Congress can't even find candidates to field,'' Modi said. ''The Congress does not have the courage to field candidates even in those seats which are considered its stronghold,'' he added. Modi said the Congress manifesto bears a Muslim League imprint and part of it is dominated by leftists. The prime minister said the INDIA bloc has become synonymous with instability and uncertainty and the people of the country were not taking them seriously. He said it is the misfortune of the country that the opposition alliance is talking about fighting against 'shakti'. ''Worshipping shakti is a part of our natural spiritual journey. But, the people of the INDI alliance say their fight is against shakti,'' Modi said. According to the election schedule, eight parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls on April 19. These are Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

Shah slams Cong over Art 370, Ram temple in Balyans Muzaffarnagar

LUCKNOW: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday launched a broadside against the Congress and accused it of keeping the issue of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir pending for seven decades. The Congress opposed the Ram temple. PM Modi got it built and did the consecration of Ram Lalla in his final abode as well. Our government killed Pakistani terrorists by entering their territory. We ended terrorism from Kashmir, he asserted. Shah was addressing a rally in Muzaffarnagar in support of Union Minister and BJP candidate Sanjeev Balyan seeking a third term from the same constituency. The arrogant alliance, which includes Akhilesh Yadavs party and the Congress in UP, never wanted the Ram temple to be built in Ayodhya. The Congress kept the issue of the Ram Janmabhoomi hanging for 70 years, he alleged. Drawing a contrast between the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and the INDI Alliance, led allegedly by dynasts and the leaders with alleged complicity in corruption, Amit Shah, exhorted the voters in Muzaffarnagar to vote for the BJP in order to accomplish the target of 400 seats. This is an election to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister for a third time as he had done a lot for the uplift of the poor and farmers, he said. He has made many changes by making a national policy for sugarcane. When Congress was in power, the FRP of sugarcane was Rs 210 per quintal. Today it has been taken Rs 340 per quintal, he said. Shah said that 19 sugar mills were closed during the BSPs rule and 10 while SP was in power. During the BJPs rule, more than 20 sugar mills were revived and five new set up, he said. BSP fields Sarvar Malik from Lucknow The Bahujan Samaj Party on Wednesday released its third list of 12 Lok Sabha poll candidates for Uttar Pradesh, fielding Nandkishore Pundir from Ghaziabad and Sarvar Malik from Lucknow. With this, the Mayawati-led party has declared its candidates for 37 seats out of total 80 parliamentary seats in the state. The BSP candidate will battle against sitting BJP MP and actor Hema Malini.

SP, Congress didnt want Ram temple in Ayodhya: Shah

MUZAFFARNAGAR (UP), Apr 3: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the Samajwadi Party and the Congress were not in favour of the Ram temple being constructed in Ayodhya. Addressing a public meeting in Muzaffarnagar to seek votes for BJP candidate Sanjeev Baliyan ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Shah said it was the Narendra Modi Government that honoured peoples sentiment and built the temple. He also said that the BJP Government in Uttar Pradesh has stopped the migration [] The post SP, Congress didnt want Ram temple in Ayodhya: Shah appeared first on Daily Excelsior .

Poor, farmers central to Modi governments welfare policies: Amit Shah in Muzaffarnagar

Home Minister pushes nationalism pitch in western U.P., speaks of Article 370, and the Ram Mandir that honoured peoples sentiments

Shah: Cong., SP Never Wanted Ram Temple

New Delhi: Top BJP leaders descended upon Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday with Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh holding separate rallies in Muzaffarnagar and neighbouring Ghaziabad ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a public gathering in Muzaffarnagar to seek votes for BJP candidate Sanjeev Baliyan , Shah lauded the Narendra Modi government for honouring the sentiment of the people by initiating the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Akhilesh Yadav ji's party (SP) and the Congress never wanted the Ram temple to be built in Ayodhya. The Congress kept the issue of Ram Janmabhoomi stuck for 70 years but Modi ji won the case, performed bhoomi pujan and also the consecration of Ramlalla, Shah said. He also criticised the Opposition alliance, referring to them as the 'I.N.D.I.A. bloc,' alleging involvement in scams and corruption amounting to Rs 12 lakh crore. The aim of the opposition is to make people from their family chief ministers and prime ministers. The aim of Modi ji is to make the poor, farmers, helpless, Dalits and tribals strong and stand on their feet, he added. Further, Shah highlighted the achievements of the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, claiming an end to the migration of people and the eradication of goon terror in the state. Meanwhile, Rajnath Singh, while launching his Lok Sabha poll campaign in Ghaziabad, assured the Muslim community that no one in India, regardless of caste or creed, would lose their citizenship. He pointed to the BJP's commitment to nation-building and its fulfilment of promises made in past manifestos, including the abolition of triple talaq.

PM Modi did the job of ending terrorism in Kashmir Amit Shah in Muzaffarnagar

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Amit Shah attacks Congress over Article 370, Ram temple, slams INDIA bloc as group of 'dynasts'

LUCKNOW: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday attacked the Congress for keeping the issues of Article 370 and Ram Janmabhoomi pending for seven decades. The Congress opposed the Ram temple. PM Modi got it built and did the consecration of Ram Lalla in his final abode as well. Our government killed Pakistani terrorists by entering their territory. We ended terrorism from Kashmir, he said while addressing a rally in Muzaffarnagar in support of Union Minister and BJP candidate Sanjeev Balyan seeking a third term from the same constituency. Shah said that the opposition alliance, which includes Akhilesh Yadav's party and the Congress in UP, never wanted the Ram temple to be built in Ayodhya. Drawing a contrast between the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and the INDIA bloc, led allegedly by dynasts and the leaders with alleged complicity in corruption, Shah exhorted the people of Muzaffarnagar to vote for the BJP in order to accomplish the target of 400 seats. Underscoring PM Modi's popularity and the track record of his decade-long governance, Shah said it was an election to make him the Prime Minister for the third time as he had done much for the uplift of the poor and farmers. He has made many changes by making a national policy for sugarcane. When the Congress was in power, the FRP of sugarcane was Rs 210 per quintal. Today it has been taken Rs 340 per quintal, he said. Shah said that 19 sugar mills were closed during the BSPs rule and 10 were shut during the SPs rule. Can people of Karnataka be safe under Congress rule: Amit Shah During the BJPs rule, more than 20 sugar mills were revived and our government has also done the work of building five new sugar mills, he said. All praise for the Yogi Adityanath government for bringing about a marked improvement in law and order scenario of the state, especially the western region, Shah said that when he had come here in 2014, migration was a major issue in Kairana, Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur. You formed the BJP government in 2017 and the Yogi government stopped the terror of goons here, stopped migration and made people feel safe, he said. The arrogant alliance stitched in this election is a congregation of people involved in scams and corruption worth Rs 12 lakh crore. Its goal is to make people from their family Prime Minister and Chief Minister, whereas PM Modis aim is to strengthen the country's farmers, poor, labourers, Dalits, tribals and make them stand on their feet, he asserted. Earlier, sharing the stage with the Union Home Minister, newly-inducted NDA ally RLD chief Jayant Chaudhury took a jibe at SP chief Akhilesh Yadav without taking his name. He said the fight for Muzaffarnagar was an issue of prestige for him and asked voters to save his pride. I have never said anything against him (Akhilesh Yadav) personally nor will I do it ever irrespective of the abuses hurled at me, said the RLD chief. Notably, the SP-RLD alliance fell apart over the Muzaffarnagar seat. While Jayant wanted it, calling it his family legacy, Akhilesh was adamant at not leaving it for the RLD and fielded Harendra Mallik, a former MLA, from there. Muzaffarnagar will go to the polls in the first phase on April 19. Of the 27 seats in western UP, the BJP had won 19, losing eight to the SP-BSP-RLD grand alliance in 2019.

On the campaign trail in Muzaffarnagar, HM Shah attacks INDIA Blocin UP

Seven women among 80 candidates in first phase of LS polls in Uttar Pradesh

NOIDA: Among the 80 candidates in the fray for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, just seven or 8.75 per cent are women, according to official data. The figure is lower than the first phase of the 2019 general elections when 12 of the 91 contenders or 13.18 per cent were women. However, none of those female candidates were victorious. Of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, eight -- Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit -- will go to polls in the first phase on April 19. Kairana, Moradabad and Saharanpur have two female candidates each and Muzaffarnagar has one. Bijnor, Pilibhit, Rampur and Nagina do not have any female contenders, the Election Commission website showed. In Kairana, the Samajwadi Party has fielded Iqra Choudhary while Priti Kashyap is representing the Rashtriya Mazdoor Ekta Party. Ruchi Vira is the Samajwadi Party nominee and Sadhna Singh is an Independent candidate in Moradabad. In Saharanpur, Tasmeem Bano and Shabnam are fighting it out as Independents while Kavita, the lone woman candidate in Muzaffarnagar, is representing Rashtrawadi Janlok Party (Satya). During the first phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, when voting was held in these eight seats, Pilibhit, Kairana and Rampur had three female candidates each, Saharanpur had two and Nagina one. Bijnor, Moradabad and Muzaffarnagar didn't have any female candidates. March 30 was the last date of nomination withdrawal for the first phase of the 2024 general elections. Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said 155 candidates had filed nominations and during their scrutiny on March 28, nomination papers of 71 were rejected. Four candidates -- two from Saharanpur and one each from Kairana and Moradabad -- withdrew their nomination. In the eight Lok Sabha constituencies of the first phase, 80 candidates are in the fray. There are 73 male candidates and seven female candidates. The list format 7A of all candidates has been prepared and election symbols have also been allotted to all candidates. Voting for the constituencies of the first phase will be held on April 19, Rinwa added.

Amit Shah to address public gathering in Uttar Pradeshs Muzaffarnagar tomorrow

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Thousands of Muslims attend PM Modi rally in UP's Meerut: BJP

Thousands of Muslims attend PM Modi rally in UP's Meerut: BJP Thousands of people from the Muslim community, some of them part of a motorcycle rally, on Sunday attended the election meeting addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here, BJP's minority wing office-bearers said. ''A little over 10,000 Muslims attended the election rally. Most of them came from Meerut district,'' said Javed Malik, president of Minority Morcha of UP BJP's western unit. ''There is a craze among people regarding Modi ji. People who got benefits of the Centre's various schemes came here to listen to him. Those who have seen the works of Modi ji and Yogi (Adityanath) ji, and those who wanted to see Modi ji came here,'' Malik told PTI here. Sameer Khan, in-charge of Minority Morcha of UP BJP for Meerut Lok Sabha seat, who also attended the rally, said that a motorcycle march was taken out from Gandhibagh to the rally venue with active participation of 100 bikers. ''The level of enthusiasm among the participants of the motorcycle rally was high,'' Khan said, adding that people now feel much more safe in the Meerut city. People who participated in the PM's rally poll said they were excited about the event. ''The reason for the excitement is that for the past 10 years, the Samajwadi Party, the BSP and the Congress were never seen enquiring the wellbeing of the citizens,'' Anjum Nizami, who runs a battery repairing unit here, said. Yunus Saifi, a resident of Meerut South assembly segment, claimed that the BJP will win a majority of the Lok Sabha seats in the state. Dilshad Ahmad, a veterinary doctor who came from Bijnor to attend the rally, said that along with him, around 300 people came to listen to Prime Minister Modi. ''There has been a significant change of mindset among people about the BJP. A large number of beneficiaries of various schemes of the government including Ayushman Yojana and Awas Yojana are Muslims. This election rally will definitely send a strong message to the public,'' he said. BJP's Malik also said that ''the turnout of so many Muslims in the election rally definitely suggest a significant shift of the community towards the BJP''. He added that the Meerut Lok Sabha constituency has a significant number of Muslim voters. Malik said that in the 2019 elections, the alliance of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), SP and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) had achieved success in the Muslim-dominated region of western UP. However, the political equations have completely changed this time, he claimed. The Lok Sabha constituencies in western UP with a sizeable Muslim population are Rampur (42 per cent), Amroha (32 per cent), Saharanpur (30 per cent), Bijnor, Nagina and Moradabad (28 per cent each), Muzaffarnagar (27 per cent), Kairana and Meerut (23 per cent each) and Sambhal (22 per cent). Apart from this, the Muslim voters constitute 19 per cent of the electoral population each in Bulandshahr, Baghpat and Aligarh. Around 15.34 crore people are eligible to vote in Uttar Pradesh -- a politically crucial state with 80 Lok Sabha seats where the elections will be held in seven phases beginning April 19. According to the election schedule, eight parliamentary constituencies will vote in the first phase on April 19. These are Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit. In the 2019 general elections, the BJP won 62 seats and its ally Apna Dal (S) two seats, brushing aside the challenge of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance. The BSP was the biggest gainer in the alliance with 10 seats. Akhilesh Yadav's SP won five seats while the RLD couldn't open its account in the polls. The Congress won the lone Raebareli seat from where Sonia Gandhi had contested.

PM Modi does not just weave dreams, but he weaves reality: Adityanath at Meerut rally

PM Modi does not just weave dreams, but he weaves reality: Adityanath at Meerut rally Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday asserted the ''country believes in (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi's guarantees'', and said that people choose him again and again because he does not just weave dreams, but he weaves reality. Addressing a rally in Meerut, which was also addressed by PM Modi, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, ''This country believes in Modi's guarantees. Modi's guarantee means PM Kisan Samman Nidhi for 12 crore farmers, housing for four crore poor, LPG cylinder in the houses of 10 crore poor, toilet facilities in the houses of 12 crore, free ration to 80 crore poor, health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh for 60 crore poor. ''Because of Modi's guarantee, this country is speaking in one voice - 'phir ek baar Modi sarkaar' (once again Modi government). This is Modi's guarantee. He does what he says. UP has faith in Modi's guarantee and India has faith in it, because Modi does not just weave dreams, he weaves reality, that is why people choose Modi ji again and again,'' Adityanath said. Terming the election as that of family first versus the nation first, Adityanath said, ''This election is not just an election, but to once again show the right place to those people who have worked to tear the social fabric. This election is family first versus the nation first, mafia raj versus law raj, corruption versus zero tolerance (to corruption), appeasement versus sabka saath-sabka vikaas, family of selfishness versus Modi's family, and casteism versus poor's welfare.'' On one hand, there is a government that works for development, while on the other hand, there are people of the ''naapaak gathbandhan'' (unholy alliance) who are creating confusion, he said as he sought votes for BJP candidates Arun Govil (Meerut), Pradeep Chaudhary (Kairana), Sanjeev Balyan (Muzaffarnagar), NDA candidates Chandan Chauhan (of RLD from Bijnor) and Rajkumar Sangwan (of RLD from Baghpat). We have to decide whether we want curfew or Kanwar Yatra, he said. The UP chief minister went on to say that there has been a lot of change in the area in 10 years. ''During the time of the Congress and SP governments, this area faced the tortures of riot policy and curfew. Whenever there is an attempt to divide the society on the basis of caste and dynasty, rioters will take advantage of it and not only attack the livelihoods or the safety of daughters and businessmen, but will also try to hinder development,'' he said. He also said that it is an honour for the farmers that former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, the messiah of the farmers, was awarded the 'Bharat Ratna'. The farmers of the state and the country express their gratitude to the prime minister for this, Adityanath added. He said that after 2014, PM Modi changed the destiny and picture of the country and showed a ''new India''. By removing the obstacles, which were hindering the development of UP, he has given leadership and guidance to UP and has presented a new Uttar Pradesh of new India, the statement said.

Will Muslim vote division favour BJP in western UP?

The BJP got the benefit of a split in Muslim votes in some seats of western UP, and its candidates registered wins from Muzaffarnagar, Kairana, Meerut, Bulandshahr, Baghpat and Aligarh Lok Sabha seats.

Stones Thrown At Cars During Election Rally Of BJP MP Sanjeev Balyan In UP

Some people pelted stones and damaged several cars during an election rally in support of the BJP's Lok Sabha candidate and Union minister Sanjeev Balyan in Khatauli area of Muzaffarnagar district, police said on Sunday.

UP: Cars pelted with stones during election meeting of BJP candidate Sanjeev Balyan

UP: Cars pelted with stones during election meeting of BJP candidate Sanjeev Balyan Some people pelted stones and damaged several cars during an election rally in support of the BJP's Lok Sabha candidate and Union minister Sanjeev Balyan in Khatauli area of Muzaffarnagar district, police said on Sunday. Balyan was addressing an election meeting when the cars parked in the vicinity were damaged. Additional Superintendent of Police (city) Satyanarayan Prajapat said the election rally of Balyan was underway in Madhkarimpur village on Saturday night when some unruly elements threw stones at several vehicles, breaking their window panes. The attackers also raised slogans, Prajapat said, adding that a search is on to nab the accused and additional police force has been deployed in the village. The BJP's district unit president Sudhir Saini has condemned the incident and demanded strict action against those involved. Balyan is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Muzaffarnagar parliamentary constituency, voting for which will be held in the first phase on April 19.

Sanjeev Balyan News: , BJP

Sanjeev Balyan News: (Uttar Pradesh) (Muzaffarnagar) . (Sanjeev Bayan) . , , . . .

Lok Sabha Polls: BJP Candidate Sanjeev Balyan`s Convoy Attacked In Muzaffarnagar, Union Minister Safe

The authorities had recieved reports of stone pelting around 8:30 pm in village Madkarimpur, which falls within the Khatauli police station's jurisdiction.

Bid to Lure Voters, Super Sunday Sees Huge Rallies

New Delhi : A politically charged Sunday is on the cards, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching an election campaign in Western Uttar Pradesh with a rally in Meerut. The BJP has fielded actor Arun Govil, renowned for his portrayal of Lord Ram in the TV serial 'Ramayan', as its candidate. Meanwhile, the Opposition I.N.D.I.A. Bloc is gearing up for a major showdown at the Ramlila ground, where it plans to hold a rally protesting against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren by the Enforcement Directorate. Alongside Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former President Rahul Gandhi, top leaders of 11 other Opposition parties have confirmed their attendance at the event. The Congress said the rally is to safeguard the Constitution and democracy. The Opposition party stressed that a strong message will be sent out from the rally on Sunday to Lok Kalyan Marg (the prime minister's residence), signalling that the BJP-led government's ime is up. Addressing a press meet on the rally, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh stated that party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi, among other senior leaders, will address the gathering. This is not a rally centered around any particular individual; hence it is named the Loktantra Bachao Rally. It involves about 27-28 parties affiliated with the I.N.D.I.A. Jan Bandhan. All constituents of the I.N.D.I.A. Jan Bandhan will participate, Ramesh said. He highlighted that one of the key issues to be raised is the alleged targeting of the Opposition through the misuse of central agencies, citing the arrests of two chief ministers and several ministers as politically motivated actions. Representing their respective parties, TMC Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien, Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren, NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav have confirmed their attendance. The Left parties will also be well-represented, with the general secretaries of four left-wing parties CPM, CPI, CPI(ML), and Forward Bloc participating. The DMK will be represented by the party's Rajya Sabha leader Tiruchi Siva. Earlier in the day, Hemant Soren's wife met with Sunita Kejriwal, the wife of the arrested Delhi Chief Minister. While the administration has permitted 20,000 attendees for the rally, the police expect the turnout to exceed 30,000. AAP sources suggest that the gathering may reach up to one lakh, which is the full capacity of Ramlila Maidan. Meanwhiel, it has been learned that apart from Govil, Rashtriya Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary, who recently joined the BJP-led NDA, will share the stage with the Prime Minister. A BJP leader pointed out the rally marks the beginning of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, and party workers feel privileged to have the Prime Minister launch the campaign from Meerut. Uttar Pradesh BJP general secretary Anoop Gupta has been tasked with coordinating the Prime Minister's rally. Apart from Meerut, attendees from nearby constituencies such as Baghpat, Bijnor, Muzaffarnagar, and Kairana will also join the rally on Sunday. The local administration has enhanced security measures ahead of the Prime Minister's rally on Sunday. Flying drones, kites, or balloons within an eight-kilometer radius from the rally venue has been prohibited under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Polling in Uttar Pradesh will be conducted across all seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections. Voting in Bijnor, Muzaffarnagar, and Kairana Lok Sabha constituencies will take place in the first phase on April 19, while Meerut and Baghpat will see polling in the second phase on April 26.

14-year-old mentally challenged girl raped in UP's Muzaffarnagar

14-year-old mentally challenged girl raped in UP's Muzaffarnagar A 14-year-old mentally challenged girl was allegedly raped here by a youth, police said on Saturday. SP (Rural) Aditya Bansal said that in the complaint given to the police by the girl's family, it was alleged that the accused, who also belongs to the same village, took her to a nearby field on Friday in a village under the Titawi police station area, where she was raped. On the basis of the complaint, police have registered a case against accused Sachin under various sections of the IPC and POCSO Act, and he was arrested on Saturday. The girl has been sent for medical examination, Bansal added.

Lok Sabha Polls: 71 nominations rejected in UP's first phase seats

The Election Commission rejected 71 nominations for eight Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. Scrutiny revealed valid nominations in Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur, and Pilibhit. The first phase of polls is on April 19.

One vote can change country's fate: UP CM Adityanath

One vote can change country's fate: UP CM Adityanath Highlighting the importance of a single vote, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said it can change the fate of the country. Addressing a conference of intellectuals organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Muzaffarnagar district, the chief minister said when this one vote went into ''wrong hands'', an ''atmosphere of anarchy'' was created in western Uttar Pradesh, but when the saffron party secured that one vote, it brought ''respect to the faith''. Hitting out at the opposition, the BJP leader said, ''You will see how much your one vote is worth. How can one vote change the destiny of the country. Whenever one of your votes went into the wrong hands, a curfew was imposed in Muzaffarnagar for months. When your one vote goes to the correct place, Muzaffarnagar is today not known for curfews, but for the Kavad Yatra.'' ''If your one vote goes into the wrong hands, the security of not only Muzaffarnagar, but entire western Uttar Pradesh will be in danger and if your one vote goes to the right political party, then anarchy will end and faith will get respect,'' he added. Referring to Holi being played in the newly-constructed Ram temple in Ayodhya, Adityanath said, ''I used to listen to a Holi song for years -- 'Holi Khele Raghuveera Awadh Ma' -- but every year, we felt sad that Lord Ram is invoked to play Holi but the lord is not present in his birthplace in Ayodhya. After 500 years, your one vote has given respect to your faith.'' Asking the gathering whether the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress would have been able to build the Ram temple, he said, ''Today, Lord Ram is seated in Ram Janmabhoomi. Could previous governments have done this work? They gave curfews, they gave anarchy, they played with faith, they breached the security of daughters and businessmen.... Today, we are moving forward in a new environment.'' The chief minister said whenever that one vote went to the ''wrong place'', there was extortion, ''but when it went into the right hands, to the right party, the result is that extortion has ended now''. Adityanath asked the intellectuals to tell people that for the BJP, it is ''nation first'', unlike the opposition for which it is ''family first''. ''They (opposition) talk about caste, Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks of the poor's welfare. This gives a different identity to Modiji from other leaders,'' he said. Adityanah also said former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh should have been honoured with Bharat Ratna much earlier but claimed that it was not on the agenda of the previous governments. ''What is the INDI alliance doing? They were in power from 2004 to 2014. They should have given the honour to Chaudhary sahab, but this was done by Modiji,'' he said.

Muzaffarnagar endured months of curfew when governance fell into the wrong hands: CM Yogi

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Lok Sabha Elections 2024: UP CM Yogi Adityanath in Muzaffarnagar

UP CM Yogi Adityanath in Muzaffarnagar

CM Yogi to conduct 'Prabuddh Sammelan' in 15 districts of Western UP from March 27

CM Yogi to conduct 'Prabuddh Sammelan' in 15 districts of Western UP from March 27 In the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will conduct 'Prabuddh Sammelan' in 15 districts of Western UP from March 27 to 31. Ahead of the election rallies, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will interact with intellectuals across various districts in the state through 'Prabuddh Sammelan' (meeting of intellectuals), presenting a comprehensive account of the government's work. The Chief Minister's Prabuddh Sammelans are set to begin from Western Uttar Pradesh, where elections will also be held in the first few phases. Through these proposed meetings until March 31, CM Yogi will engage in dialogue with the people, laying the groundwork for the 'Phir ek bar, Modi sarkar' resolution ahead of the elections. As per the schedule announced by the Bharatiya Janata Party, Uttar Pradesh, CM Yogi will visit 15 districts over five days from March 27 to 31. His series of Prabuddh Sammelan will commence from Mathura, Meerut, and Ghaziabad on Wednesday, March 27, where he will engage with dignitaries and the general public. On Thursday, March 28, CM Yogi's schedule includes programs in Bijnor, Moradabad, and Amroha, where he will interact with prominent individuals. Moving forward, on March 29, CM Yogi is scheduled to participate in the Prabuddh Sammelan in Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, and Saharanpur. Continuing this momentum, on March 30, he will attend Prabuddh Sammelan in Baghpat (Modinagar), Bulandshahr, and Gautam Buddha Nagar. Lastly, on March 31, he will be present at Prabuddh Sammelans in Bareilly, Rampur, and Pilibhit. Through these 'Prabuddha Sammelans, ' CM Yogi aims to provide detailed information about the achievements of both the state and the central governments. He will also discuss the schemes benefiting the common people under the double-engine government. CM Yogi had previously organized a similar Prabuddha Sammelan before the 2023 civic elections, significantly benefiting the BJP and leading to a clean sweep in all municipal corporations. Once again, CM Yogi is gearing up with the mission of a clean sweep in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections through these 'Prabuddha Sammelans'. These 'Prabuddha Sammelans' of CM Yogi are starting from Western Uttar Pradesh, where elections will be held in the initial phases. In the first phase i.e. on April 19, 2024, elections are to be held in Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit, while in the second phase i.e. on April 26, elections are to be held in Amroha, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh and Mathura. Similarly, in the third phase, elections have been announced in districts like Sambhal, Hathras, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Badaun and Bareilly. Keeping this schedule in mind, CM Yogi's 'Prabuddha Sammelans' is beginning from the districts of Western Uttar Pradesh so that the impact of his dialogue can reach the common people as much as possible. (ANI)

LS polls: 42 candidates file nominations in UP

Lucknow, Mar 26 (PTI) Forty-two candidates from different political parties including Union minister Sanjeev Kumar Balyan on Tuesday filed their nomination papers in Uttar Pradesh for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said. Rinwa said so far 46 candidates from different political parties have filed their nomination papers. Eight parliamentary constituencies -- Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina-SC, Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit -- will vote in the first phase on April 19. From the Saharanpur Lok Sabha seat, four candidates including Imran Masood of the Congress and BSP's Majid Ali filed their nominations. In Kairana constituency, seven candidates including Iqra Chaudhary of the Samajwadi Party, SP's supplementary candidate Nahid Hasan and BSP's Shripal filed their nomination papers. From Muzaffarnagar seat, 11 candidates filed their nomination papers. Prominent among them are Union minister and BJP's candidate Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, SP's Harendra Malik and BSP's Dara Singh Prajapati. In Bijnor, four candidates including Vijendra Singh of the BSP filed the nomination papers. Five candidates have so far filed the nomination papers from Nagina (SC) Lok Sabha seat, with three of them filing their nominations on Tuesday. Five candidates from Moradabad including BJP's Sarvesh Kumar Singh and sitting MP ST Hasan of the SP filed their nominations, taking the total count in the parliamentary constituency to six. From the Rampur seat, five candidates filed their nomination papers on Tuesday. Three candidates including Bhagwat Sharan Gangwar of the SP and BSP's Anis Ahmad (Phool Babu) were among the three candidates from Pilibhit who filed their nomination papers on Tuesday. So far, four candidates have filed their nomination papers from the seat. Chief Electoral Officer Rinwa said adequate security measures were in place for the submission of the nominations and that the entire process was videographed. According to the Election Commission, the notification for the first-phase polls was issued on March 20 and March 27 is the last date for filing of nominations. Scrutiny of nominations will be done on March 28 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is March 30. This time, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has announced it would contest the elections alone, while the SP and the Congress -- both members of the opposition INDIA bloc, are fighting the polls in alliance. The Rashtriya Lok Dal has joined hands with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, of the 80 seats in the state, the BJP won 62 and its ally Apna Dal(S) two seats, decimating the SP-BSP alliance. The Congress won the lone Raebareli seat from where Sonia Gandhi was elected. The Mayawati-led party was the biggest gainer in the SP-BSP alliance as it won 10 seats. Akhilesh Yadav's SP won five seats and the RLD could not open its account. Of the eight Lok Sabha seats going to polls in the first phase, the BJP had won the Muzaffarnagar (Sanjeev Kumar Balyan), Kairana (Pradeep Kumar Chaudhary) and the Pilibhit (Varun Gandhi) constituencies in 2019. The SP's ST Hasan won the Moradabad seat, while Azam Khan emerged victorious from Rampur. Haji Fazlur Rehman, Malook Nagar and Girish Chandra of the BSP won the Saharanpur, Bijnor and Nagina (SC) seats in the last general elections. PTI NAV KVK KVK Disclaimer: This article is published from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Deccan Chronicle team