Assembly Elections 2022 highlights: Owaisi says it's time for UP people to say 'talaq, talaq, talaq' to BJP & Samajwadi Party

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday came out in defence of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi over the political brouhaha caused by his ‘UP de bhaiye’ remark, saying the comments were made for AAP leaders and BJP campaigners in the northern state. Come back tomorrow for more updates.

BJP openly proclaims of forming government in UP, while Samajwadi Party thinks of doing it on the strength of communal riots: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Want to assure you that no one will be allowed to play with unity and integrity of the country: Amit Shah to Punjab CM on his letter on AAP

Highly condemnable that to grab power, people go to extent of joining hands with separatists: Amit Shah to Punjab CM on his letter on AAP

The agenda of such forces is no different from the agenda of country's enemies: Amit Shah to Punjab CM on his letter on AAP

Political party having relations, getting support from terrorist group serious matter: Amit Shah writes to Punjab CM on his letter on AAP

People of Punjab want to create 'Nava Punjab', only BJP-led NDA can bring change: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav shielded terrorists when he was chief minister of UP, says BJP president Nadda

AAP CM candidate Bhagwant Mann and Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu have "brighter future" in comedy: Hardeep Singh Puri

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi says time has come for people of Uttar Pradesh to say "talaq, talaq, talaq" to both BJP and SP

Goddess Lakshmi always arrives on a lotus, have you ever seen her arriving on a cycle, sitting on an elephant, or waving her hand? It is very clear that prosperity & growth will only arrive if lotus blooms in UP: Rajnath Singh in Lucknow

Yesterday Akhilesh Ji was in Karhal with his revered father. This indicates all his hopes are now finished. If Mulayam Ji had to campaign, then understand rest of his seats are gone, he is now saving his own Assembly constituency: JP Nadda

Farmers kept saying that the three farm laws were not in their interest, but BJP kept insisting otherwise. The three laws were part of a conspiracy to give hard-earned money of farmers to some industrialists: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

Priyanka accuses BJP of selling PSUs to industrialists

The industrialists whom govt properties are being sold to don't create jobs. It is PSUs that create majority of jobs. This govt is selling all PSUs to its industrialist friends. 12 lakh posts were lying vacant under the BJP Govt in UP: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

Congress promises procurement of oilseed, pulses, corn by government agencies: Navjot Sidhu

Samajwadi Party and Congress do not have the power to work for development of the state. An international airport is going to be built in the holy land of Ayodhya, people from across the globe will be able to land here directly: JP Nadda

Samajwadi Party candidate (Akhilesh Yadav) will lose his deposits in Karhal, Mainpuri in this election. BJP has already won this fight since the commander of Samajwadi Party himself is going out of the contest: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath in Kanpur

Battle for UP: Third phase crucial for SP, BJP

As elections in Uttar Pradesh move into the third phase, the battle becomes increasingly crucial for the BJP as well as Samajwadi Party.

Polling in the third phase will be held on February 20 on 59 seats spread across 16 districts.

These include five districts from western UP -- Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Kasganj and Hathras. Six districts of the Avadh region, namely Kanpur, Kanpur Dehat, Aurraiya, Kannauj, Etawah and Farrukhabad, will go to polls along with five districts from Bundelkhand region-Jhansi, Jalaun, Lalitpur, Hamirpur and Mahoba.

The region, known as Yadav belt, was once a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party but majority of the Yadav votes went with BJP in 2017.

The BJP won 49 out of 59 seats while SP only had to settle with 9. Congress got one while BSP drew a blank from here.

"A grand temple of Lord Ram will be ready in Ayodhya by 2023. This Ram Temple will be 'Rashtra Mandir' of India,"UP CM Yogi Adityanath said during a rally in Karhal, Mainpuri. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is contesting the Assembly polls from Karhal.

Battle for UP: Khaki gets closer to Khadi

The transition from 'Khaki' to Khadi in Uttar Pradesh is becoming increasingly smooth. At least two officers from the police force have quit their jobs to contest elections this year.

Aseem Arum, police commissioner Kanpur, quit his job last month and is contesting the Kannauj Assembly seat on a BJP ticket.

Rajeshwar Singh, a Provincial Police Service (PPS) officer who later went on deputation to the enforcement directorate, has also quit the police service and is contesting the Sarojini Nagar seat on a BJP ticket.

At least three former police officers are, at present, members of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh.

UP DGP Brij Lal, who joined the BJP after his retirement in 2014, is presently a member of the Rajya Sabha.

AAP wants to burn down Punjab for power: BJP

After 'Sikhs for Justice' denied issuing any letter extending support to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Punjab Assembly polls, the BJP has said that AAP wants to burn down Punjab for power.

A letter announced that Sikhs for Justice's Gurpatwant Pannu has extended support to the AAP in the Assembly polls in Punjab.

After the letter went viral on social media, Pannu released a video clarifying that the letter was fake and they have not announced support to any political party.

BJP national in-charge of information and technology department, Amit Malviya termed it a new low for the AAP.

In multi-cornered contest, Cong best suited to govern Punjab; Oppn 'fragmented': Pilot

Senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Friday exuded confidence that the Congress will again form the government in Punjab, saying the Opposition is "fragmented" with none of the other parties or alliances in a position to get a majority and that the people will not "waste their vote" despite all the "hype" surrounding the challengers.

He also said the Congress is the best bet to govern a sensitive border state like Punjab while the AAP lacks the depth to do so.

In an interview with PTI after campaigning in several constituencies in Punjab this week, Pilot said Captain Aamrinder Singh was removed as the chief minister as he had lost the confidence of MLAs and that his new party Punjab Lok Congress (PLC), along with its alliance partners the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt), will not have any sort of impact on the March 10 results.

Rahul Gandhi was the first one to point fingers at me. PM Modi heard his speech and followed suit. Corrupt leaders of the Opposition have united to harass AAP. They want to stop Mann to be CM: Arvind Kejriwal

In the seven years of the Modi govt, it has made the Delhi Police, ED and income tax department raid my house. They have reached my bedroom but they found nothing. The two big national parties of the country have made the security of India a joke. They are scared of me, they think I am a terrorist," Arvind Kejriwal said in a press briefing.

SP writes to ECI

Samajwadi Party has written to the Election Commission of India to "deploy additional security forces in Jaunpur district to conduct free andfair elections" ahead of the seventh phase of the ongoing Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

Union Minister Anurag Thakur slams Kejriwal in Punjab

"Arvind Kejriwal wants to end reservation for SC, ST, OBC communities. I want to ask why. Why does he want to end the reservation for backward communities in need of upliftment?" Anurag Thakur said in a press briefing in Punjab.

Battle for UP: Hardoi's Agarwals work to retain family seat

Once known as the king maker in Uttar Pradesh politics, former MP and minister, Naresh Agrawal, is preparing to retain the seat that he has held in the family for the past 36 years.

This time he is working for his son, Nitin Agarwal, who is contesting the Hardoi seat for the third time.

Naresh Agarwal began his career in the Congress and became a Minister in the Kalyan Singh government after splitting the Congress in 1997.

He moved on to the BSP and then the SP.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath withdraws notice to anti-CAA protesters

The Uttar Pradesh government has withdrawn notice sent to the anti-CAA protesters seeking to recover damages.

The move to seize properties of people involved in the December 2019 protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) comes after the Supreme Court pointed out last week that the state may have overreached itself.

"The state government has withdrawn the notices for the recovery of damages," said a senior officer.
According to the officials, additional district magistrates (ADMs), who headed the recovery claims tribunals in different districts, issued 274 notices for recovery of damages, including 95 issued to protesters in Lucknow.

Politics of opposing Indian culture won't work anymore: UP Dy CM Dinesh Sharma

Politics of opposing Indian culture will not work anymore, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma said on Thursday as he hit out at opposition parties for dividing people on caste and communal lines.

He alleged that the opposition leaders, who were earlier against the culture of the country, are now wearing 'janeu' (sacred thread) over their clothes, visiting temples and reciting Hanuman Chalisa, as he credited the BJP for bringing about this change in the last five years.

The senior BJP leader held public programmes in Lakhimpur and Shravasti districts, drumming up support for party candidates. Voting will take place in Lakhimpur on February 23 and in Shravasti on February 27.

BJP twisted Channi's remark made for AAP, BJP leaders: Priyanka Gandhi on ‘UP de bhaiya’ comment

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday came out in defence of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi over the political brouhaha caused by his ‘UP de bhaiya’ remark, saying the comments were made for AAP leaders and BJP campaigners in the northern state.

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Goa voters have rejected ideology of election-related violence dominant in some states: DGP

Days after the February 14 state assembly elections, which saw nearly 80 percent of voters turning up to cast a ballot, Goa Director General of Police Indra Dev Shukla on Thursday said that the voters in the coastal state had rejected the culture of electoral violence which is prevalent in other states.

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UP Polls: Angry farmers may hurt BJP in Lakhimpur Kheri

''This government doesn't think about farmers,'' says 70-year old Dalbir Singh, a Sikh farmer and a resident Banika village in Lakhimpur Kheri district, which had shot into limelight after four farmers were killed after an SUV, in which union minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra was allegedly present, drove through a crowd of protesting farmers here, summing up the feelings of the farmers.

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