The party has been sounding confident on the issues it has taken up for the elections, as well as on the popularity of its faces in Delhi and Lucknow…reports Asian Lite News
With the announcement of polling dates for the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, all major political parties have intensified their campaign, apart from taking pot-shots at one another.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is confident of making a comeback in the state despite the opposition parties — the Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, giving the saffron party a tough fight.
The party has been sounding confident on the issues it has taken up for the elections, as well as on the popularity of its faces in Delhi and Lucknow.
In fact, the BJP veterans have been continuously claiming that the party will repeat its last election’s performance.
The party which has often backed the idea of “a double engine government”, is constantly putting forth the issues and agendas related to Hindutva along with the development work. According to party sources, the BJP leaders will try to woo people on the basis of this strategy.
Apart from listing the achievements of the public welfare work of the Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath governments, the BJP leaders will also discuss the issue of Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura, its core agenda.
Terming the issue of law and order as the biggest achievement of the Yogi Adityanath government, the BJP leaders are likely to be seen appealing to people to vote in favour of the party to keep the momentum going.
The BJP has also prepared a blueprint for the digital campaign in an attempt to reach out to the voters amid restrictions imposed by the Election Commission following rise in the number of Covid cases.
A BJP leader associated with the election campaign told, the party would be making an effort to woo every section of the electorate to vote in favour of the party. Hence, “the party has taken special care of the youth, women, elderly, the workers as well as the voters associated with the party over the Hindutva ideology”.
The party will continue to focus on its core agenda of “Ayodhya-Kashi-Mathura” as well, he said.
He said he was of the strong belief that the dairy sector has the potential to transform the lives of over 10 crore small farmers in the country as their earnings would shoot up…reports Asian Lite News.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stones of 22 development projects that will see an investment of Rs 2,095 crore flowing into Varanasi.
The projects include “Banas Dairy Sankul” spread across a sprawling 30 acres of land which will be built at a cost of about Rs 475 crore and have a capacity to process five lakh litres of milk per day.
Addressing a massive rally ahead of the UP assembly elections, the Prime Minister said the mega dairy project would be a game-changer for Varanasi and the adjoining districts.
The dairy project would generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs as milk collection and chilling centres would come up all over the region before it was transported to the dairy.
He said he was of the strong belief that the dairy sector has the potential to transform the lives of over 10 crore small farmers in the country as their earnings would shoot up
Taking a swipe at the opposition, he said that they have ignored the dairy sector whereas the BJP’s “double-engine” government has accorded it top priority as raising livestock was an indispensable part of India’s culture and rural economy.
“The success of the government’s policy is evident from the fact that milk production in India has increased by about 45 per cent in the last six to seven years. Today, India produces about 22 per cent of the world’s milk. I am happy that today UP is not only the largest milk producing state in the country, but it’s also ahead in the expansion of the dairy sector,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi also laid the foundation stone for a biogas-based electricity generation plant for a Milk Producers’ Cooperative Union plant in Varanasi’s Ramnagar. He said this would make the plant self-sufficient in energy.
Besides, farmers would see an increase in earnings as cow dung from their farms would be purchased at a remunerative price by the biogas plant. The slurry would be used for fertiliser that would be made available to farmers at cheap prices, he explained.
The Prime Minister said that the “Varanasi model” of development had now taken shape where both the traditional culture and modern enterprise were both moving ahead in tandem.
He also digitally transferred a bonus of about Rs 35 crore to the bank accounts of more than 1.7 lakh milk producers associated with the Banas Dairy as part of what he called Gujarat’s Amul model that was being implemented in the state.
PM Modi also launched a portal and a logo dedicated to the Conformity Assessment Scheme of milk products, developed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) with the help of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
He said consumers face a big problem as far as the quality of milk and milk products are concerned and this new logo which will reflect a sign of good quality would help to solve their problem.
The unified logo, featuring both the BIS logo and the NDDB quality mark, will simplify the certification process for the dairy sector and reassure the public about dairy product quality.
In another effort to resolve the problems regarding home ownership at the grassroots level, the prime minister virtually distributed the rural residential rights record, “Gharauni”, under the Swamitva scheme of the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj to over 20 lakh residents of Uttar Pradesh.
He said apart from securing the property of the poor sections, these legal documents would also enable them to raise loans.
On the basis of the analysis of these situations, the BJP will choose its candidates and decide whether to give tickets to the sitting MLAs again or not…reports Asian Lite News.
The BJP is likely to begin the process of selecting its candidates from December for the upcoming Assembly polls in five states.
A senior BJP leader associated with the party’s election management said that while selecting the party candidates, the BJP will take into account the strength of the opposition parties on a particular Assembly seat as well as consider all caste equations.
The BJP will select the candidates by adopting a two-pronged strategy.
The BJP leader said that while on many seats there will be a direct fight with the opposition parties, on many seats the contest will be triangular or multi-cornered. On the basis of the analysis of these situations, the BJP will choose its candidates and decide whether to give tickets to the sitting MLAs again or not.
He said while adopting the party’s mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas’, the BJP would keep in view the social engineering equations of the particular region during the selection of candidates.
Speaking about Uttar Pradesh, on the basis of the current caste equations, it is expected that there will be a direct political fight between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party (SP) on the majority of seats in the state.
The BJP candidates must get 40 to 45 per cent votes to win these seats. In seats where the BJP will compete with the candidates of SP, Bahujan Samaj Party, Congress or other opposition parties, its candidates can win even by securing 30 to 35 per cent votes.
In Goa, the BJP will be involved in a direct fight with the Congress, although regional parties such as the Goa Forward Party and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party will pose a tough political challenge to the BJP on some Assembly seats.
But now with parties like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Trinamool Congress and the Shiv Sena entering the electoral fray in Goa, it is likely that the contest in many seats could be multi-cornered. The BJP is preparing an in-depth analysis of the strength of the opposition parties.
Despite the entry of the AAP in Uttarakhand, the BJP is assuming that it will have a direct fight with the Congress in the state. The BJP will follow a similar two-pronged strategy while selecting candidates in poll-bound Punjab and Manipur.
Chautala had then also won from Uchana seat, due to which he resigned from the Ellenabad seat and in the 2010 by-election it was won by Abhay…reports AMARPAL SINGH VERMA
All eyes are on Saturday’s by-elections in Haryana’s Ellenabad constituency, which has emerged as a prestige issue for the three main political parties in the fray – the ruling BJP, the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).
The biggest and most emotive issue in the election is the farmers’ agitation sparked by the passage of three contentious farm laws in late 2020. Haryana’s farmers are among those taking an active part in the movement and resentment against the BJP has been brewing ever since.
Whether the saffron party wins or loses Ellenabad will not affect Haryana’s Manohar Lal Khattar government, but the election has become a prestige issue for the BJP, and the state machinery is employing its full force to win the seat. For the Congress and INLD, the by-election has become a question of survival with dignity.
A total of 19 candidates are in the fray, of which 11 are Independents, but the main contest is believed to be between the INLD, Congress and BJP.
Candidates in slugfest
The political atmosphere in the state is already charged.
Among the heavyweights is INLD’s Abhay Singh Chautala, who resigned from the state Assembly early this year in protest against the agricultural laws. Taking on him from the Congress is Pawan Beniwal, while the BJP has fielded Govind Kanda after inducting him into the party.
Traditionally, the Ellenabad seat in Sirsa has been the stronghold of former Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal. Abhay, his grandson and son of the former chief minister and INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala, was victorious here in the 2019 elections when he defeated Beniwal, then in the BJP.
Abhay’s resignation from the seat is what led to the by-election here. While he is standing again from the INLD, his rival Beniwal switched to the Congress a few days before the announcement of the election date.
All parties campaigned diligently for their candidates from village to village, though flags and banners are not visible due to the fear of the Election Commission. In his rallies, Abhay campaigned against the agricultural laws and alleged scams during the rule of the Khattar government in Haryana, while Beniwal spoke about the lack of development in the state. BJP’s Kanda assured the electorate of all-around progress.
Former CM Chautala is not leaving any stone unturned for the victory of son Abhay. He is visiting dozens of villages every day seeking support. On the other hand, the entire Haryana government is working to take BJP candidate Kanda to the finish line. State BJP president Om Prakash Dhankar, all ministers, MLAs, and chairmen of Khattar government corporations and boards are scouring the villages of Ellenabad in their bid for victory.
In the Congress, leaders including state president Kumari Selja and former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, are making efforts to ensure a win.
Odds of victory
All three candidates have their pros and cons.
The Ellenabad seat has long been dominated by the Chautala family, and in 11 of 15 previous elections, a member of the family or a candidate of their choice has won.
In the 1970 by-election here, Om Prakash Chautala became the MLA. From 1977 to 2005, the seat was reserved for the Scheduled Castes. In this time, Bhagiram, who was close to the Devi Lal family, won from here five times. After delimitation in 2009, the seat was declared for the general category, after which Chautala senior became the MLA.
Chautala had then also won from Uchana seat, due to which he resigned from the Ellenabad seat and in the 2010 by-election it was won by Abhay.
In 2014 and 2019, Abhay won again by defeating Beniwal. Now Abhay is in the fray here for the fourth time and is confident of the support of the farmers and Jats who are agitating against the BJP government.
Yet, the challenges before him are no less.
By winning from Ellenabad in 2019, Abhay was able to register his presence as the lone MLA of INLD in the 90-member Haryana Assembly, all thanks to infighting in the Chautala family.
One of Abhay’s rivals has turned out to be his own nephew, Dushyant Chautala, son of Omprakash Chautala’s elder son Ajay. Dushyant is currently the deputy chief minister of Haryana – a post he got by forming a joint government with the BJP on the strength of ten MLAs from his Jannayak Janata Party.
Abhay has to thus face not only the Congress-BJP candidates but also the supporters of his nephew, a participant in the rival Khattar government. If Abhay wins, then it will give new strength to INLD in Haryana, but in case of defeat, the future of the party will be in question.
There are also strengths and weaknesses associated with Congress’s Pawan Beniwal.
In Ellenabad, Beniwal’s uncle, former MLA Bharat Beniwal, had been contesting elections on a Congress ticket. But this time the party gave his ticket to the nephew – which did not go down well with Bharat. The Congress high command has so far persuaded Bharat to remain in the party fold, but fears of rebellion remain.
On the pro side, Pawan Beniwal’s biggest advantage is that he is a Jat and the Congress is banking on him to get votes from the farmers as well as the Jats. The majority of Ellenabad’s nearly 2 lakh voters stay in villages and according to estimates, 37 per cent of voters are from the Jat community, with Jat Sikhs making up 7 per cent of the voters.
BJP on backfoot
The BJP in Ellenabad is facing the displeasure of farmers, who threw out party candidate Kanda and other leaders from the local gurdwara. Even in villages, farmers are raising slogans against the party. The United Kisan Morcha has taken out a Kalash Yatra with the ashes of the farmers killed in Lakhimpur Kheri to different villages in Ellenabad. So the farmers are leaving no stone unturned to make BJP’s path to victory here difficult.
The majority of Jat votes are likely to be divided between Abhay and Beniwal. In such a situation, the BJP is trying hard to get its candidate to win by mobilising non-Jat voters. Govind’s elder brother Gopal Kanda, former Minister of State for Home in Haryana, has also jumped on the campaign ground with full strength.
Palaram Jat, a farmer from Dholpaliya village, admitted to the impact of the farmer agitation on the Ellenabad election. In this case, Abhay has an upper hand as he resigned from the Assembly in protest against the agricultural laws.
The BJP claimed that the Trinamool, its office-bearers, ministers and other senior functionaries are now preparing to abuse the state’s resources in support of Banerjee…reports Asian Lite News.
The BJP on Wednesday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to deploy a minimum of 90 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) for the bypolls to three Assembly constituencies in West Bengal scheduled on September 30.
A BJP delegation submitted a memorandum to the poll panel demanding the deployment of at least 40 companies of CAPF in Bhabanipur from where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting, and at least 25 companies in each of the other two Assembly constituencies in Samserganj and Jangipur.
BJP
BJP national General Secretary Arun Singh, MPs Swapan Dasgupta and Locket Chatterjee, and party leaders Sanjay Mayukh, Om Pathak, Shishir Bajoria and Neeraj signed the memorandum.
“A CAPF deployment of only 15 companies per Assembly constituency has been sent, which is grossly inadequate, especially in Bhabanipur where unelected Chief Minister Banerjee is contesting for survival. The Trinamool Congress has deployed its entire strength of hooligans,” the BJP memorandum said.
The BJP claimed that the Trinamool, its office-bearers, ministers and other senior functionaries are now preparing to abuse the state’s resources in support of Banerjee.
The BJP also alleged that the officials who were shifted out by the Commission, either for completing three years in a post or for being found unfit for conducting free and fair polls, have been brought back in the three Constituencies by the Trinamool, demanding that they should be immediately transferred out of the Kolkata district.
“Hoardings, posters and banners with photos of Chief Minister Banerjee should immediately be removed from all government and municipal sites from the KMC area,” the BJP demanded.
Citing Covid, the BJP urged the ECI that the presence of the agents of the candidates inside the polling booths should be restricted only to the national parties, while all other polling agents should be seated outside the booths.
“Firhad Hakim, a state minister and administrator of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), who is a close confidante and an undeclared election agent of Banerjee, should be debarred from participating in the poll process in any form and be relieved from his charge of KMC until the conclusion of the elections in Bhabanipur, an area falling within the limits of KMC,” the BJP further demanded.
EC sends notice to BJP candidate Priyanka Tibrewal
The Election Commission has issued a show-cause notice to the BJP candidate for Bhabanipur bypolls, Priyanka Tibrewal, for alleged violation of Covid protocols by gathering a large number of supporters while filing her nomination paper.
On Tuesday, the BJP had objected to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nomination for the same bypolls, on the ground that she suppressed information in her affidavit.
The Trinamool Congress in its complaint alleged that Tibrewal violated the Model Code of Conduct and the Covid-related guidelines by gathering “an unruly mob” of not less than 500 without any prior permission.
She even performed a ‘Dhunuchi Nach’ (traditional Bengali dance, generally performed during Durga Puja) at places on the way to file her nomination, the Trinamool claimed.
The notice issued by the returning officer also referred to a report submitted by the officer-in-charge of the Bhabanipur police station where he mentioned traffic congestion following a big assembly of BJP supporters on Sambhunath Pandit Street and other places.
Tibrewal, however, denied the allegation and said, “The Election Commission has sent me a letter after the Trinamool filed a complaint alleging that I had taken a huge number of people when I had gone to file my nomination and thus violated the Model Code of Conduct as well as the Covid-19 protocols. I will reply with whatever will be my answer,” she said.
“I would also like to say that Suvendu Adhikari was alone in my vehicle. There was no one else. Arjun Singh and Dinesh Trivedi came in their own vehicle. So how did I violate the poll code? There was no flag in my vehicle either,” Tibrewal added.
On the allegation of carrying supporters along with her, the BJP leader said, “I had not led any crowd. It’s not my duty to see who was on the roads on bikes and four-wheelers. It’s the job of the police and the local administration,” she added.
Tibrewal is up against Banerjee and CPI(M)’s Srijib Biswas in the bypoll scheduled to be held on September 30. The votes will be counted on October 3.
Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer speaks after Chancellor Rishi Sunak's Budget speech. (UK Parliament_Jessica Taylor)
About 48 million people in England, Scotland and Wales will be able to take part in the elections on Wednesday, the first major democratic event in the UK since the pandemic hit the world last year, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
Millions of voters in England, Scotland and Wales will head to the polls on Thursday, the first electoral test for parties since the Conservatives won a majority at the 2019 general election.
Polls open from 07.00 to 20:00 BST. The results are due from Friday.
There is immense pressure on the leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer after new polls put his party far behind the ruling Conservatives in several key races, according to many reports.
At the same time, the Tories enjoy a poll bounce from the government’s successful coronavirus vaccination programme in recent months after it faced huge criticism over its pandemic management last year.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Conservatives faced some “tough contests” but the party was “fighting for every vote”, the BBC reported.
Meanwhile, the Labour leader Sir Keir said his party was doing the same but had “a mountain to climb” to win back support in key battlegrounds.
According to BBC report, about 48 million people will be able to take part in the elections, many of them postponed from last year because of the pandemic.
As well as polls for the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd in Wales, there are elections for seats on 143 English councils and 13 local mayors. There will also be a by-election for the Westminster seat of Hartlepool.
Thursday’s elections will be the first since Sir Keir took over as Labour leader 13 months ago and Sir Ed Davey won the Liberal Democrat leadership race last August.
Campaigning has been curtailed by Covid restrictions, with large public meetings moved online and limits on groups of activists going door-to-door.
Speaking in Stourbridge, in support of the Tory candidate for West Midlands mayor, Johnson said: “It is a very tough set of elections.
“When we stood last time for of these many council seats we were at a high water mark and we will be fighting for absolutely every vote,” the BBC quoted Johnson as saying.
Asked if the Conservatives could win a “hat-trick” in the mayoral races in Tees Valley and West Midlands, and the Hartlepool by-election, he said: “These are tough contests.
“Hartlepool hasn’t been a Conservative seat since its inception. It will be a very tough fight, but I hope everybody gets out to vote,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Labour leader’s final day campaigning began with a visit to Pontefract to support the party’s candidate for West Yorkshire mayor.
Asked about a Guardian report, based on internal polling that the party is heading for a big defeat in Thursday’s Hartlepool by-election, he said: “There was a mountain to climb when I took over as leader of the Labour Party.
“We lost in December 2019 very badly and I’ve got to make sure the Labour Party is in a position to win the next general election when it comes. That’s the mountain we’re climbing. We’re on that mountain, we’re climbing and we’re going into the elections tomorrow fighting for every vote,” Sir Keir was quoted as saying.
Kolkata Port and Ballygunje recorded a voter turnout of 64 per cent and 59.5 per cent, respectively, as against 64.2 per cent and 66.2 per cent polling recorded during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, respectively…reports Asian Lite News.
According to the data available till 5 p.m., the four Assembly constituencies in South Kolkata, which went to the polls in the penultimate seventh phase on Monday, experienced a low voter turnout as compared to Lok Sabha elections held in 2019.
According to the latest data available, the four constituencies had an average turnout of around 60 per cent, whereas in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, it was little more than 66 per cent.
Bengal heads for penultimate phase of polling
Major Trinamool Congress, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool youth wing leader Abhishek Banerjee, state Power Minister Shovondeb Chattopadhayay and Urban Development Minister and former Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Firhad Hakim, exercised their franchise on Monday.
Banerjee, a resident of Harish Chatterjee Street in South Kolkata, exercised her franchise at a polling booth in Mitra Institution school at around 3.50 p.m. Sitting on a wheelchair, she briefly paused before the photojournalists while coming out amid shouts of ‘Didi, Didi’, before boarding her car. She also flashed a victory sign towards the cameras.
However, former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who is a resident of Palm Avenue and a voter in the Ballygunje Assembly constituency, failed to cast his vote owing to poor health condition.
Among the four Assembly constituencies in South Kolkata, including Kolkata Port, Rashbehari, Bhowanipore and Ballygunge, Rashbehari recorded the lowest turnout at only 55.9 per cent, down from the 66.9 per cent polling recorded during the 2019 general elections.
Bhowanipur, which used to be the constituency of Chief Minister Banerjee, recorded a turnout of 60 per cent, compared to the 66.8 per cent polling recorded in 2019.
Similarly, Kolkata Port and Ballygunje recorded a voter turnout of 64 per cent and 59.5 per cent, respectively, as against 64.2 per cent and 66.2 per cent polling recorded during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, respectively.
As far as vote share is concerned, Trinamool had an edge over the saffron brigade in the last Lok Sabha polls.
Despite a strong BJP wind in the state that helped the saffron party win 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats, Trinamool was successful in holding back its forte in these four seats in South Kolkata.
The Assembly seat-wise analysis shows that Trinamool’s Mala Roy maintained her lead in three of the four Assembly constituencies. Rashbehari was the only constituency where BJP candidate Chandra Bose was able to win over his Trinamool counterpart.
Though the Election Commission deployed 64 companies of central forces, both the Trinamool and the Congress complained of excesses of forces.
The Congress, Left and the Indian Secular Front (ISF) of cleric Peerzada Abbas Siddiqui are part of the Samyukta Morcha…reports Asian Lite News
To ensure division of non-BJP votes among the ruling Trinamool Congress and the ‘Samyukta Morcha’, the saffron party will start attacking the Congress in the remaining fives phases of Assembly elections in the state.
The Congress, Left and the Indian Secular Front (ISF) of cleric Peerzada Abbas Siddiqui are part of the Samyukta Morcha. The BJP strategists believe that a triangular contest in the last five phases will benefit the party, while a direct fight with the Trinamool may go against it.
“Division of non-BJP votes among the Trinamool and the Congress-led alliance will help us improve our position. On the other hand, consolidation of non-BJP votes only in favour of the Trinamool will help the ruling party in Bengal,” a senior BJP leader said.
Another senior saffron party leader explained that the last five legs of Bengal Assembly polls will be crucial, and consolidation of all non-BJP votes in favour of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool will not do the BJP any good.
Bihar BJP workers .
“Division of non-BJP votes among the Trinamool and the Congress or its alliance partners will brighten up our chances,” he said.
To divide the non-BJP votes among the Trinamool and the Congress-led alliance, the saffron party is all set to launch an attack on the grand old party.
“Congress has its presence in many areas where polling will be conducted in the coming phases. They also have sitting MLAs there. Shifting of Congress votes in these seats to the Trinamool in a close contest will strengthen the ruling party and we have to stop this,” the BJP leader said.
As per the strategy, the BJP will now start attacking the Congress-led Samyukta Morcha so that the voters start taking them seriously.
“Non-BJP votes going to the Samyukta Morcha will weaken the Trinamool. Also, Peerzada Abbas Siddiqui might corner the minority votes for the alliance which Mamata Banerjee is eyeing,” he said.
The BJP also believes that now senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may campaign in West Bengal after the completion of elections in Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, something which they haven’t done till now.
“The likely presence of Gandhi siblings in West Bengal will also give us an opportunity to attack the Congress which will ultimately benefit us,” a BJP leader said.
The BJP has identified a few areas that will go to the polls in the remaining phases where the Congress has presence, like Hooghly, Howrah, Noapara, Krishna Nagar, Raiganj, Malda, Murshidabad, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar.
“We have to stop shifting of Congress votes to the Trinamool camp in these areas,” a Bengal BJP leader said.
