Central News Hub

Category: Politics

  • 2 SP candidates to contest from jail

    2 SP candidates to contest from jail

    The other SP leader, who will be contesting from behind the bars is Nahid Hasan from Kairana in Shamli district…reports Asian Lite News

    Two Samajwadi Party candidates — Mohd Azam Khan and Nahid Hasan — will contest the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections from jail.

    Mohd Azam Khan, SP MP, has been named as the party candidate form Rampur. Azam Khan has been in jail since February 2020 after multiple cases were lodged against him.

    He has applied for bail in the Supreme Court and is awaiting decision. In the meantime, his wife Tanzeen Fatima and son Abdullah Azam will campaign for him in Rampur.

    Abdullah Azam is himself a candidate from the Suar Assembly seat and is presently out on bail.

    “There is tremendous sympathy now for Azam Khan and his family, especially after the manner in which the Yogi Adityanath government went overboard in booking him in frivolous cases like buffalo theft, book theft, statue theft, goat theft, etc. While his family will lead the campaign for him, senior party leaders will also join him to ensure his victory,” said a senior SP leader.

    The other SP leader, who will be contesting from behind the bars is Nahid Hasan from Kairana in Shamli district.

    His nomination was accepted by the returning officer on Monday. The candidature of Nahid’s sister Iqra Hasan, who was tipped to contest if Nahid is not allowed, has also been accepted.

    Nahid, the sitting MLA from Kairana, was arrested on January 15 by the UP Police. He was wanted in a case in which police had slapped the Gangster and Anti-Social Activities Prevention) Act on him for an incident that took place in February 2021.

    He was produced in the MP/MLA court of Shamli and sent to jail for 14 days.

    Soon after Nahid’s arrest, his London-returned sister, Iqra Hasan, started campaigning on her brother’s behalf.

    Also, apprehending that ‘unfavourable circumstances’ might lead to rejection of his candidature, Iqra too had filed her nomination papers as an independent candidate.

    “My mother and former MP Tabassum Hasan and brother Nahid were framed in false cases,” said Iqra who will continue campaigning for her brother.

    Voting in Kairana will be held in the first phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh, on February 10.

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  • From backroom movers to aspiring MLAs

    From backroom movers to aspiring MLAs

    Neeraj is now aspiring for a ticket for himself from Lucknow while his elder brother Pankaj is already seeking re-election from his Noida seat…reports Asian Lite News

    They are children of political leaders, who have served as quintessential backroom boys when their parents contested the elections.

    Now these backroom boys are yearning to take to the centre stage of UP politics by contesting elections and their parents are lobbying for their tickets.

    Neeraj Singh, the younger son of Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, had managed the campaign of his father along with a dedicated team of workers in 2014 and 2019.

    Neeraj is now aspiring for a ticket for himself from Lucknow while his elder brother Pankaj is already seeking re-election from his Noida seat.

    Lobbying for Neeraj is being done very discreetly in Delhi.

    BJP MP Rita Bahuguna Joshi has been very vocally lobbying for a ticket for her son Mayank Joshi, who had managed her campaign in the 2017 Assembly polls and then the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

    He gave up his job in the UK to help his mother in her political career.

    Rita Bahuguan Joshi is wanting the Lucknow Cantt seat that she won in 2017 for Mayank and has even offered to quit her Lok Sabha seat if the ‘one family, one ticket’ rule applies in the party.

    Aditya Yadav, son of Shivpal Singh Yadav, is another son who is aspiring for an electoral debut in these elections.

    Shivpal Singh Yadav is contesting his Jaswantnagar seat and Aditya is eyeing another seat.

    The normally reticent Aditya Yadav is slowly taking the centre stage in politics. Apart from managing his father’s campaign, he is also meeting party workers from all over the state and addressing issues related to the party.

    SP sources said that Akhilesh Yadav is averse to fielding family members in these elections in order to demolish the nepotism charge and Aditya may finally not get a ticket.

    BJP MP Jagdambika Pal is also trying for a ticket for his son Abhishek Pal from Siddhartha Nagar district while BJP MP Kaushal Kishore is another father aspiring for a ticket for his sons, Vikas and Ayush, from rural constituencies of Lucknow.

    At least two Governors, Kalraj Mishra of Rajasthan and Phagu Chauhan of Bihar, are also trying for tickets for their sons.

    Kalraj Mishra wants his son Amit Mishra to contest from his home district Deoria and Phagu Chauhan wants a ticket for his son Ram Vilas Chauhan from Mau.

    BJP MP Satyadev Pachauri is seeking a ticket for his son Anup Pachauri from Govind Nagar seat in Kanpur while Speaker Hriday Narain Dixit wants to field his son Dilip Dixit from Purwa seat in Unnao district.

    Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya is also said to be keen on a ticket for his son who has been active in politics since the past two years.

    A senior party leader said: “It is natural for parents to seek tickets for their children. Most of the leaders who are seeking tickets for their children, are past their prime and want their children to get established in politics. However, the party does not wish to become a dynastic destination like other parties and will think twice before giving tickets.”

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  • Bulandshahar accused in the fray as independent

    Bulandshahar accused in the fray as independent

    Yogesh was among the 80 people, of which 27 were named and rest ‘unknown’, who were booked by the police for their alleged role in the violence…reports Asian Lite News

    Yogesh Raj, an accused in the 2018 mob violence in Bulandshahr that led to the killing of two people, including an on-duty police inspector, is contesting the Syana Assembly seat in Bulandshahr as an independent candidate.

    Yogesh Raj has filed his nomination as Yogesh Kumar and in his affidavit, the Class 12-pass out has mentioned his age as 26 and also declared that there are two criminal cases against him in which a verdict is awaited, including the 2018 mob violence case.

    His name in the voter list is mentioned as Yogesh Kumar and not Yogesh Raj.

    It may be recalled that police Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and local resident Sumit had died of bullet injuries after violence broke out in the Syana area of Bulandshahr district in December 2018.

    The violence erupted after cattle carcasses were found strewn outside Chingrawathi village.

    Yogesh was among the 80 people, of which 27 were named and rest ‘unknown’, who were booked by the police for their alleged role in the violence.

    Yogesh Raj was the Bulandshahr unit convener of the Bajrang Dal at the time of the incident but is no longer its member, an office-bearer of the right-wing outfit had said after he (Yogesh Raj) won the panchayat election in May 2021.

    Yogesh, who was released on bail, had contested the panchayat polls and emerged as a winner among the six candidates.

    Syana Assembly constituency goes to polls on February 10 during the first phase of elections in the state.

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  • Mayawati slams Yogi on CM bungalow remark

    Mayawati slams Yogi on CM bungalow remark

    No sooner did Yogi Adityanath said this, pat came the reply from former Chief Minister Mayawati. In a series of tweets, the BSP supremo targeted Yogi Adityanath and the BJP fiercely…reports Asian Lite News

    Targeting opposition parties ahead of the first phase of polls, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday accused his predecessors of building bungalows for themselves first after coming to power. Hitting back, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati who said that the mutt of Gorakhpur, where Adityanath resides, is also no less than a big bungalow.

    Campaigning in Ghaziabad, Adityanath, in a voter dialogue programme, targeted the SP and Akhilesh Yadav, saying that when the SP government was formed, the Chief Minister and ministers built their own bungalows first, but under the BJP government, he and his ministers did not build their own residences, but provided house to 43 lakh poor people of the state. He claimed that the BJP government also provided toilets to 2 crore 61 lakh people in the state.

    No sooner did Yogi Adityanath said this, pat came the reply from former Chief Minister Mayawati. In a series of tweets, the BSP supremo targeted Yogi Adityanath and the BJP fiercely.

    Mayawati tweeted: “Perhaps the people of western UP do not know that the mutt built by Yogi ji in Gorakhpur, where he resides for most of the time, is no less than a big bungalow. It would have been better if he had told this to voters as well.”

    Describing the achievements of the BSP government, Mayawati said in her next tweet: “Also, it would have been better if the UP CM, along with the praise of his government, also mentioned the works related to the public interest by the BSP government. They should know that the BSP government’s track record in giving houses to the poor and land to the landless has been excellent.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qtnkFPfOVo

    In her third tweet, Mayawati, claiming to have provided houses to the poor during her tenure, said, “Under Manyavar Shri Kanshi Ram Ji Shahari Garib Awas Yojana, more than one and a half lakh pucca houses were given in just two phases. Many families were benefited under the Garib Awas Ownership Scheme. Lakhs of landless families were also given land.”

    The BJP is constantly targeting the Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav as the campaigning for the first phase intensifies. In the battle between BJP and the SP, the BSP and Mayawati are still lagging behind. But in the last few days, Mayawati has been continuously targeting her opponents and claiming to remain in the race.

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  • Captain to contest from Patiala, releases list of 22 candidates

    Captain to contest from Patiala, releases list of 22 candidates

    The PLC’s share in seat allocation for the Majha region currently stands at seven, while the Doaba region accounts for four seats…reports Asian Lite News

    Capt Amarinder Singh on Sunday announced the Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) candidates from 22 constituencies for the February 20 polls, with clear focus on winnability while ensuring due representation across regions and various sections of society.

    He himself is in fray from his home constituency of Patiala (Urban). Four of the 22 candidates belong to the Scheduled Castes (SC) community, three to Other Backward Class (OBC) community, while five are Hindu faces (three Pandits and two Aggarwals).

    The PLC has currently got 37 of the 117 seats in the state as part of its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and SAD (Sanyukt), with discussions still in progress on possibly another five seats for the party.

    Of the 37 seats in the PLC kitty, the maximum of 26 are from Malwa region, which Capt Amarinder had single-handedly transformed into a game-changer for the Congress in the 2007 polls with his ground-breaking Water Termination Act of 2004 as well as the introduction of BT cotton.

    More recently, it was Capt Amarinder’s strong and unequivocal support to the agitating farmers in the region, which was the epicentre of their protest before it shifted to the Delhi borders, that played a decisive role in the final outcome to the issue.

    The former Chief Minister’s hand is being seen in the eventual revocation of the farm laws by the Centre. Also Capt Amarinder has strong family ties with the region, which used to be part of the erstwhile royal estate of Patiala.

    The PLC’s share in seat allocation for the Majha region currently stands at seven, while the Doaba region accounts for four seats.

    Releasing the first list of nominees, the PLC leader said all these candidates have strong political credentials and are well known faces in their respective constituencies.

    There is one woman in this first list. Farzana Alam Khan, a former SAD MLA and wife of late DGP Izhar Alam Khan, will contest from Malerkotla in the Malwa region.

    Besides Capt Amarinder, who had on Saturday itself announced his decision to fight from his home constituency of Patiala (Urban), there are eight other Jat Sikhs in the well balanced first list.

    In addition to Capt Amarinder and Farzana Alam, another key candidate from Malwa region is the current Mayor of Municipal Corporation Patiala, Sanjeev Sharma, who was President of District Youth Congress for a number of years. Sharma will contest the Patiala (Rural) seat.

    Kamaldeep Saini, former PPCC secretary, has been finalised as the candidate from Kharar, while Jagmohan Sharma, who was President of District Congress Committee, Ludhiana and is currently the PLC district president, has been selected for Ludhiana (East).

    The Ludhiana (South) seat will be represented in the PLC by Satinderpal Singh Tajpuri, the son of a former Cooperation Minister in the previous Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) government.

    Prem Mittal, an SAD ex-MLA from Mansa and former Senior Deputy Mayor of Ludhiana, will contest from Atamnagar, while Damanjeet Singh Mohi, an active Youth Congress functionary who has formerly been Sarpanch, Zila Parishad member and Chairman of Market Committee Mullanpur, will fight from Dakha.

    A popular Dalit face and a retired PPS officer, Mukhtiar Singh has been nominated for the party ticket from the reserved constituency of Nihalsingh Wala.

    The Dharamkot seat ticket has gone to Ravinder Singh Garewal, an advocate, agriculturist and businessman. Amarjeet Sharma, a medical practitioner who has been working at the grassroots for over a decade, has been pitched from Rampura Phul.

    An established businessman, transporter and agriculturist, Raj Nambardar is a prominent Hindu face from Bathinda and will contest the polls from Bathinda (Urban).

    Incidentally, his father Dev Raj Nambardar also contested from Bathinda in 1985. Bathinda (Rural), a reserved constituency, will be contested by Sawera Singh, son of late MLA Makhan Singh and currently Vice Chairman, Punjab Water Resources Management Corporation.

    The PLC candidate from another reserved seat, Budhalada, is Subedar Bhola Singh Hasanpur, who served the Indian Army for 28 years and was unanimously elected Sarpanch of his village.

    Three-time Municipal Councillor and former member Improvement Trust, Barnala as well as ex-President SC Wing of SAD, Dharam Singh Fauji has been selected as the PLC candidate from Bhadaur (SC).

    The Sanaur seat will be contested by business and youth social activist Bikramjit Inder Singh Chahal, son of Capt Amarinder Singh’s advisor B.I.S. Chahal, with the Samana candidature going to Surinder Singh Kherki, former Member of Panchayat Samiti.

    In the Majha region, Tejinder Singh Randhawa is the candidate for Fatehgarh Churrian, while ex-MLA and former Chairman of Forests Corporation Harjinder Singh Thekedar will fight Amrtisar (South).

    The first list of candidates from Doaba region includes Amandeep Singh, former Punjab Congress spokesperson, for Bholath, and former Indian Hockey Team captain, Ajitpal Singh, for Nakodar.

    Vows to empower girls

    On the National Girl Child Day, former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday resolved to empower the girls by giving them education, freedom and equal space.

    Singh’s fledgling the Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) is contesting the Punjab Assembly polls in alliance with the BJP and SAD (Sanyukt),

    “On #NationalGirlChildDay, I salute our girls and their accomplishments in various fields,” Amarinder Singh tweeted.

    “They are the real change-makers, truly our future. Let us resolve to empower them, give them education, freedom and equal space and see the wonders they do,” he further tweeted.

    Amarinder Singh on Sunday released the first list of candidates for 22 constituencies for the February 20 Punjab Assembly polls and announced that he will contest from his home constituency — Patiala (Urban).

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  • Keshav Prasad Maurya : SP, BSP, Congress will be routed out

    Keshav Prasad Maurya : SP, BSP, Congress will be routed out

    The Deputy Chief Minister said that as soon as his party wins the 2022 polls, it will start preparations for the 2024 general elections…writes Vivek Tripathi

    The electoral battle for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh has already begun with all parties going all out with their poll preparations. The BJP government in the state has given the responsibility of repeating the 2017 state polls performance to Keshav Prasad Maurya, the Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader, who is working hard especially setting the caste equations right once again for the saffron party.

    Keshav Prasad Maurya said that BJP is always ready for any election. He claims that the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress will be routed out when poll results will be declared on March 10. He is confident about the chances of BJP’s victory in the upcoming state Assembly polls. The Deputy Chief Minister said that as soon as his party wins the 2022 polls, it will start preparations for the 2024 general elections.

    All opposition parties accuse the BJP of not fighting elections on the issue of development, but playing politics in the name of religion?

    The BJP is fighting elections in the name of development. The SP is taking credit for the inauguration and foundation stone of various developmental projects that have been undertaken during the last five years of the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh. Therefore, I challenge SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav to contest elections from the Assembly constituency where maximum development was done during his term as the CM.

    “If there has been any Chief Minister who is the biggest obstacle to development in the country, it is Akhilesh Yadav. He has been the most unsuccessful Chief Minister till date. During his tenure, there were a lot of rioting incidents and the condition of Uttar Pradesh was in complete turmoil.”

    CM Yogi Adityanath and you are also fighting elections, is the BJP not confident enough ?

    Our political opponents are getting nervous because of us (Yogi and I) contesting the upcoming state elections. Yogi ji is fighting election from the Gorakhpur Assembly constituency. The party has given me an opportunity to fight election from my native land. “The way we (BJP) had secured a thumping majority in 2017, we will again come back to power in 2022 with an even bigger mandate.”

    The BJP had given a slogan of 60 per cent votes out of 100 is ours. Now the SP has given a new slogan that 85 per cent votes of 100 is ours, there is division on the rest,

    This is a clear attempt by the SP to copy the slogan given by the BJP. Those who imitate others must know that imitation requires intelligence. But the people belonging to the SP have mortgaged their intelligence to gangsters and rioters. The SP had already tried contesting election alone and even by forming pre-poll alliances with other parties in 2014, 2017 and 2019. In all the three elections, the people rejected the SP and voted in large numbers for the BJP.

    Asked about the discontent among party workers on the ground level due to prominence being given to people joining the BJP from other parties?

    Before 2014, the BJP had 50 MLAs and nearly 10 MPs in Uttar Pradesh. But the number of MPs increased from 10 to 73 in 2014. Similarly, in the 2017 state Assembly elections, we (BJP) secured 325 seats. Leaders from other parties want to join the BJP and are being welcomed here. There is no question of giving tickets to all the leaders who have joined the BJP from other parties.

    Asked about religious polarisation due to the Muzaffarnagar riots in the upcoming elections,

    The BJP always practices the politics of development. Who can forget the 700 riots in Uttar Pradesh? Who can forget those leaders from the SP involved in criminalizing of politics? How can it be forgotten that people had to migrate due to the fear of criminals in Kairana? Who can forget the ban on Kanwar yatra?

    The BJP is fighting elections in the name of development and is confident of securing victory. “We will defeat those parties which vitiate the law and order situation in the state.”

    The opposition says that the entire vote bank of OBCs is standing firm with them?

    The Forward and Backward castes as well as Dalits are standing firmly with the BJP. The party is getting votes from every community. Of the 24 crore people in UP, more than 15 crore prefer to vote for the BJP. The issues raised by our party will become the basis of our victory. The SP and RLD have given tickets to criminals and mafia, that is why both the parties are taking time to announce their second list of candidates after releasing the first.

    The BJP is giving tickets to those people you deserve it. Akhilesh Yadav is not able to handle his own family, how will he handle a state like Uttar Pradesh?

    The BJP does not work for casteism, instead ours is a nationalist party. The nationalism of opposition parties is a hoax. This will be decided by the mood of the people . Right now this is just a trailer, the entire picture will be clear after 2022 polls when Uttar Pradesh will develop at a much faster pace.

    Asked about Akhilesh’s statement to build Ram temple?

    If Akhilesh Yadav’s government was in power today, thousands of karsevaks would have been killed by now. BJP’s history as a party has been to relinquish political power for Ram bhakts (devotees of Ram).

    In response to another query, Maurya said that the SP, BSP and Congress are visible as a party only during the time of elections.

    “They (opposition parties) have only one goal that is to contest elections and attain power by any means. When these parties are in power, they protect criminals, mafias and rioters. Our policy is that after coming to power, our priority is to reach the poor and the deprived sections of society.”

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  • Rival groups jockey for Congress CM’s face in Punjab

    Rival groups jockey for Congress CM’s face in Punjab

    Party insiders say that the leadership is in favour of playing it safe for the moment by not naming any chief ministerial candidate…reports Asian Lite News

    Everything is in a name when it comes to announcing the chief ministers face, it seems!

    Just about a week after the AAP declared comedian-turned-politician Bhagwant Mann as its chief ministerial candidate, whispers in the Congress party have become louder over announcing a name for the coveted post.

    The demand by Congress leaders in Punjab comes at a time when both Charanjit Singh Channi, the state’s first Dalit Chief Minister, and the party’s state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu have made clear their desire to occupy the seat, while former party chief Sunil Jakhar is the silent runner in the race.

    Delhi is cautious about announcing the name as it has the potential to create trouble for the party with elections just round the corner.

    In the 2017 Punjab assembly polls, ending all speculation with just a week to go before the election, then party vice-president Rahul Gandhi had announced that Amarinder Singh would head the government if the Congress was voted to power.

    “Amarinder Singh has given his blood and sweat for Punjab. He has worked day and night for the development of Punjab. He has always worked for the Punjabi and Sardar (Sikh) community. He is going to be our chief minister,” Gandhi had said at his first political rally in the Akali Dal assembly stronghold of Majitha.

    This time too the clamour within the party has been increasing to announce Channi as the Congress’ face.

    Party insiders say that the leadership is in favour of playing it safe for the moment by not naming any chief ministerial candidate.

    But the key opponents in the state — the AAP, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)- Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) combine and the BJP in alliance with Amarinder Singh’s new party Punjab Lok Congress and the Samyukt Samaj Morcha, the fledging coalition of farm unions — are making an issue out of it. The prominent faces for the parties are Channi, 58, Mann, 48, Sukhbir Singh Badal, 59, Amarinder Singh, 80, and Balbir Singh Rajewal, 78, respectively.

    The announcement of the Congress chief ministerial face is crucial with the pollsters predicting that the Congress could either retain the helm with a photo finish close to the halfway mark of 59 or no party will get a clear majority, despite the anti-incumbency sentiment against previous incumbent Amarinder Singh, who was unceremoniously removed after a bitter power tussle with Sidhu last September.

    Cricketer-turned-politician and a well-known TV personality Sidhu, 58, who in the game once rebelled against the Indian cricket team captain and in politics left the BJP in 2016 to join the Congress a year later, is slamming the central leadership by asking: “What’s a ‘baraat’ without a ‘dulha’ (bridegroom)?

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  • Captain almost ready with the list

    Captain almost ready with the list

    The PLC’s share in seat allocation for the Majha region currently stands at seven, while the Doaba region accounts for four seats….reports Asian Lite News

    Capt Amarinder Singh on Sunday announced the Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) candidates from 22 constituencies for the February 20 polls, with clear focus on winnability while ensuring due representation across regions and various sections of society.

    He himself is in fray from his home constituency of Patiala (Urban). Four of the 22 candidates belong to the Scheduled Castes (SC) community, three to Other Backward Class (OBC) community, while five are Hindu faces (three Pandits and two Aggarwals).

    The PLC has currently got 37 of the 117 seats in the state as part of its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and SAD (Sanyukt), with discussions still in progress on possibly another five seats for the party.

    Of the 37 seats in the PLC kitty, the maximum of 26 are from Malwa region, which Capt Amarinder had single-handedly transformed into a game-changer for the Congress in the 2007 polls with his ground-breaking Water Termination Act of 2004 as well as the introduction of BT cotton.

    More recently, it was Capt Amarinder’s strong and unequivocal support to the agitating farmers in the region, which was the epicentre of their protest before it shifted to the Delhi borders, that played a decisive role in the final outcome to the issue.

    The former Chief Minister’s hand is being seen in the eventual revocation of the farm laws by the Centre. Also Capt Amarinder has strong family ties with the region, which used to be part of the erstwhile royal estate of Patiala.

    The PLC’s share in seat allocation for the Majha region currently stands at seven, while the Doaba region accounts for four seats.

    Releasing the first list of nominees, the PLC leader said all these candidates have strong political credentials and are well known faces in their respective constituencies.

    There is one woman in this first list. Farzana Alam Khan, a former SAD MLA and wife of late DGP Izhar Alam Khan, will contest from Malerkotla in the Malwa region.

    Besides Capt Amarinder, who had on Saturday itself announced his decision to fight from his home constituency of Patiala (Urban), there are eight other Jat Sikhs in the well balanced first list.

    In addition to Capt Amarinder and Farzana Alam, another key candidate from Malwa region is the current Mayor of Municipal Corporation Patiala, Sanjeev Sharma, who was President of District Youth Congress for a number of years. Sharma will contest the Patiala (Rural) seat.

    Kamaldeep Saini, former PPCC secretary, has been finalised as the candidate from Kharar, while Jagmohan Sharma, who was President of District Congress Committee, Ludhiana and is currently the PLC district president, has been selected for Ludhiana (East).

    The Ludhiana (South) seat will be represented in the PLC by Satinderpal Singh Tajpuri, the son of a former Cooperation Minister in the previous Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) government.

    Prem Mittal, an SAD ex-MLA from Mansa and former Senior Deputy Mayor of Ludhiana, will contest from Atamnagar, while Damanjeet Singh Mohi, an active Youth Congress functionary who has formerly been Sarpanch, Zila Parishad member and Chairman of Market Committee Mullanpur, will fight from Dakha.

    A popular Dalit face and a retired PPS officer, Mukhtiar Singh has been nominated for the party ticket from the reserved constituency of Nihalsingh Wala.

    The Dharamkot seat ticket has gone to Ravinder Singh Garewal, an advocate, agriculturist and businessman. Amarjeet Sharma, a medical practitioner who has been working at the grassroots for over a decade, has been pitched from Rampura Phul.

    An established businessman, transporter and agriculturist, Raj Nambardar is a prominent Hindu face from Bathinda and will contest the polls from Bathinda (Urban).

    Incidentally, his father Dev Raj Nambardar also contested from Bathinda in 1985. Bathinda (Rural), a reserved constituency, will be contested by Sawera Singh, son of late MLA Makhan Singh and currently Vice Chairman, Punjab Water Resources Management Corporation.

    The PLC candidate from another reserved seat, Budhalada, is Subedar Bhola Singh Hasanpur, who served the Indian Army for 28 years and was unanimously elected Sarpanch of his village.

    Three-time Municipal Councillor and former member Improvement Trust, Barnala as well as ex-President SC Wing of SAD, Dharam Singh Fauji has been selected as the PLC candidate from Bhadaur (SC).

    The Sanaur seat will be contested by business and youth social activist Bikramjit Inder Singh Chahal, son of Capt Amarinder Singh’s advisor B.I.S. Chahal, with the Samana candidature going to Surinder Singh Kherki, former Member of Panchayat Samiti.

    In the Majha region, Tejinder Singh Randhawa is the candidate for Fatehgarh Churrian, while ex-MLA and former Chairman of Forests Corporation Harjinder Singh Thekedar will fight Amrtisar (South).

    The first list of candidates from Doaba region includes Amandeep Singh, former Punjab Congress spokesperson, for Bholath, and former Indian Hockey Team captain, Ajitpal Singh, for Nakodar.

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  • Tory MP to meet police over ‘blackmail’ claim

    Tory MP to meet police over ‘blackmail’ claim

    Senior Tory backbencher William Wragg will be speaking to a Met Police detective in the House of Commons early next week, reports Asian Lite News

    A senior Conservative backbencher who accused Prime Minister’s Office of trying to “blackmail” MPs seeking to oust Boris Johnson is to meet police to discuss his allegations, according to reports.

    William Wragg said he will be speaking to a Met Police detective in the House of Commons early next week, after requesting a meeting with the force, the BBC reported.

    The lawmaker, who wants the Prime Minister Boris Johnson to quit, said he wanted to leave any probe to “experts” rather than No 10.

    He told the Daily Telegraph he would outline “several” examples of bullying and intimidation when he speaks to police.

    “I stand by what I have said. No amount of gas-lighting will change that,” he said. “The offer of No 10 to investigate is kind but I shall leave it to the experts.”

    Meanwhile, Downing Street said it had not seen any proof of the behaviour he alleges.

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

    A No 10 spokesman said on Friday they were not investigating the allegations but would look “carefully” at any evidence presented to them, the BBC reported.

    It comes as Tory whips and No 10 try to shore up support for the prime minster ahead of senior civil servant Sue Gray’s report into a series of Downing Street lockdown parties which is expected next week.

    Johnson has been facing down an attempt from some Conservative MPs to oust him since he admitted attending a drinks event at No 10 during the first lockdown, although he says he believed it was a work event.

    Earlier, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer had accused Johnson of breaking Covid laws with parties held in Downing Street during lockdown. He said the UK prime minister had “lied” about “industrial scale partying” in No 10.

    However, Starmer told the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme he did not need to wait for the report to conclude that Johnson broke the rules.

    “The facts speak for themselves, and the country has made up its mind,” he said, adding it was “blindingly obvious what’s happened”.

    “I think he broke the law, I think he’s as good as admitted that he broke the law,” he added, the report said.

    Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer speaks at the House of Commons. (UK Parliament_Jessica Taylor)

    Pressure on Johnson has been growing since he admitted he attended a gathering in the Downing Street garden on 20 May 2020, during the first Covid lockdown.

    As many as 100 people were invited to “socially distanced drinks in the No 10 garden” in an email on behalf of the prime minister’s principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds, the report said.

    On Wednesday, Johnson told MPs he had “believed implicitly” it was a work event, but admitted: “With hindsight, I should have sent everyone back inside”.

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  • Kejriwal, Sawant spar over Parrikar son’s candidature

    Kejriwal, Sawant spar over Parrikar son’s candidature

    Kejriwal, during his recent visit to Goa, had also said that Utpal Parrikar was free to contest on an AAP ticket, if he wishes to…reports Asian Lite News

    Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday slammed his Delhi counterpart and Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of being a hypocrite and of fishing in troubled waters.

    Sawant’s criticism of Kejriwal came soon after the Delhi CM once again reached out to late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s son Utpal to join the AAP, after the BJP rejected his claim to contest from the Panaji assembly constituency, a seat represented by his father since 1994.

    “Hypocrisy! Person whose entire party & politics is based on shallow opportunism should brush up his memory & remind himself of his own filthy comments used against one of the greatest leaders Shri Manohar Bhai Parrikar. Mr. Opportunist…” Sawant said.

    Earlier on Thursday, Kejriwal had tweeted: “Goans feel v sad that BJP has adopted use and throw policy even with Parrikar family. I have always respected Manohar Parrikar ji. Utpal ji is welcome to join and fight elections on AAP ticket”.

    Kejriwal, during his recent visit to Goa, had also said that Utpal Parrikar was free to contest on an AAP ticket, if he wishes to.

    Utpal Parrikar had put in a request with the BJP high command to contest from the Panaji seat. The BJP, which released its first list of 34 candidates for the February 14 Goa polls, has instead picked sitting BJP MLA Atanasio Monserrate as its candidate from Panaji. Monserrate, who faces charges of raping a minor and several other criminal cases including one involving leading a mob which attacked a city police station in 2008, had won the 2017 state assembly bypolls — which were facilitated after the death of Manohar Parrikar — on a Congress ticket. He had however joined the BJP along with nine other Congress MLAs in a midnight coup in 2019.

    ALSO READ-Goans have rejected Trinamool’s aggressive politics: Fadnavis