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INDIA 2024 India News Politics

For SP, mafia was a vote bank, Yogi cleaned them up: Modi

The Prime Minister said that the INDIA bloc plans to have five Prime Ministers in five years if they come to power…reports Asian Lite News

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that for the Samajwadi Party (SP), the mafia had become a vote bank.

“Yogi Adityanath has cleaned up Uttar Pradesh by doing away with mafia. He has followed my Swachhta Abhiyan. The mafia has vanished,” he said while addressing a rally in Mirzapur on Sunday.

The Prime Minister said that the Hindu month of Jyeshtha was special because the Tuesdays in this month are a celebration of Lord Hanuman.

“This is the first time when Lord Ram will be in his temple and Lord Hanuman will be happiest. This has been possible only because of your vote. June 4 is also a Tuesday when I will be back — phir ek baar. The six phases of elections have confirmed that Modi will be back for a third term,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that the INDIA bloc plans to have five Prime Ministers in five years if they come to power.

“When you build a house, do you change the mason every month? Can you build a strong house in this manner? No one should waste his vote on the INDIA bloc because no one buys shares of a sinking company. You should vote for those who are ready to form a strong government,” he said.

The Prime Minister further pointed out that communalism, casteism and nepotism were the mainstay of the INDIA bloc.

“In UP, SP fielded Yadav candidates only from the family. Samajwadi Party has never followed the rule of law. Mafia was a vote bank for them. These people can go to any limits to appease the vote bank. They want to encroach on the quota of SC/ST and OBC and give their share to Muslims,” he said.

He further said, “In its 2012 assembly manifesto, SP had promised to give quota to Muslims. I belong to most backward castes and I know the pain. The court prevented them from doing so because the constitution does not allow quota on the basis of religion,” he said.

Reiterating his commitment to the people, the Prime minister listed the schemes he had launched for the welfare of all and ended his speech with, “I have washed cups and plates in my childhood. When the sun rises, the lotus blooms and people yearn for a cup of tea.”

The cup-plate is the election symbol of Apna Dal (S) whose Anupriya Patel is contesting the Mirzapur seat.

Yogi’s influence makes Gorakhpur safe for Ravi Kishan

Although the BJP has fielded the Bhojpuri star Ravi Kishan from the prestigious Gorakhpur seat in Uttar Pradesh, however, it is Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who wields power and authority when it comes to his bastion.

Yogi Adityanath first contested from Gorakhpur in 1998 which he won for five consecutive terms.

After taking over as Chief Minister in 2017, Yogi Adityanath has done to Gorakhpur what Mulayam Singh Yadav did to Saifai, his native village in Etawah.

Gorakhpur has witnessed an unprecedented drive for a makeover since Yogi Adityanath took over and most of the development projects have already been completed.

Besides, Gorakhpur holds in high esteem Goraksh Peeth, which is headed by Yogi Adityanath.

“The temple and Yogi Adityanath are now synonymous with each other and the work he has done is a bonus. Ravi Kishan is only a face but the real identity lies with the Chief Minister,” says Ravindra Shahi, a local businessman.

Under the leadership of Yogi Aditynath, the UP government has worked on the revival of a fertiliser factory which was shut down for several years, besides a new LPG bottling plant has also been built.

The revival of closed sugar mills in the area has also been put on priority by the Yogi government.

Gorakhpur also has a branch of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to its name.

The Ramgarh Taal has been developed into a water sports complex and auditorium.

Land has also been allocated to the Education Department to set up a library and research centre.

“Besides these projects, beautification of parks, broadening of roads, redevelopment of Ramgarh Taal and availability of potable water to check water-borne Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) are also being undertaken,” said a senior official in the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.

“When I first became MP, Gorakhpur was known as the “crime capital” of northern India and I took the support of social organisations, traders and youth to counter the mafia. Now, I want Gorakhpur should be known as a developed zone,” the Chief Minister recently said.

Most importantly, Yogi Adityanath has ensured the eradication of Japanese Encephalitis from the region, thus saving the lives of hundreds of children every year.

Yogi Adityanath said that he was determined to change the identity of Gorakhpur.

The city’s airport, the civil terminal of which was inaugurated in 2017, has since gone on to become a bustling entry point to the city. It already has direct flights connecting to and from Delhi, Lucknow and some other major cities.

The state government is also working overtime to improve the power situation and ensure 24-hour power supply. Efforts are also being made to improve the quality of water supply in Gorakhpur city.

A special focus is on the 4,000-odd families from the Vantangiya community which lives in forest areas in Gorakhpur and adjoining Maharajganj districts as it has been deprived of basic facilities like schools, hospitals and power supply since independence.

The Vantangiya community, brought from Burma now Myanmar for afforestation during colonial rule, got voting rights in September last year.

People across the political spectrum believe that Gorakhpur got a new identity under the regime of Yogi Adityanath.

What is more important is that Yogi Adityanath makes it a point to spend the weekend in Gorakhpur and meet local people.

“Yogi Adityanath spends more time in Gorakhpur than the sitting MP Ravi Kishan, who is seeking his second term as MP and meets more people than the actor-turned-politician. He is a true representative of the city and we vote for any candidate he supports,” says Bhola Tiwari, a local party worker.

Ravi Kishan fully understands the influence that Yogi Adityanath holds over Gorakhpur and takes care to mention the Chief Minister’s name in every conversation.

The INDIA alliance has fielded TV and Bhojpuri film actress, Kajal Nishad of Congress, while Javed Simnanai will lead BSP in the upcoming mega elections from Gorakhpur.

Gorakhpur goes to polls on May 13.

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Triangular contest between BJP, SP, BSP for Shahjahanpur

Shahjahanpur constituency will be a matter of prestige for BJP…reports Asian Lite News

Shahjahanpur Lok Sabha constituency in central Uttar Pradesh, where parliamentary elections were first held in 1962, faces a triangular contest this time between Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Arun Kumar Sagar, Samajwadi Party’s Jyotsna Gond and Bahujan Samaj Party’s Daudram Verma.

Shahjahanpur constituency will be a matter of prestige for BJP as three UP ministers – finance minister Suresh Khanna, PWD minister Jitin Prasada and cooperatives minister JPS Rathore – are associated with Shahjahanpur.

Sitting BJP MP Arun Sagar is trying his fate again from Shahjahanpur. He had defeated BSP’s Amar Chandra Jauhar in 2019 polls. BJP has been holding the seat since 2014 when Krishna Raj defeated BSP’s Umed Singh Kashyap.

Political drama in SP has been a point of discussion in the constituency as SP changed its candidate at the last moment replacing Rajesh Kashyap with Jyotsana Gond.

The Shahjahanpur Lok Sabha constituency comprises six Vidhan Sabha seats: Katra, Jalalabad, Tilhar, Powayan, Shahjahanpur, and Dadraul.

The Congress party won the first three elections but faced defeat in 1977 due to an anti-government wave, with the Janata Dal party emerging victorious.

However, the Congress party reclaimed the seat in 1980 and again in 1984 with Jitendra Prasad as their candidate. During the 1990s, amidst the Ram Mandir wave, the BJP gained prominence in Uttar Pradesh, winning the elections in 1989 and 1991.

However, the Samajwadi Party secured victory in 1996, disrupting the BJP’s momentum. The BJP regained the seat in 1998, but in 1999, Jitendra Prasad of the Congress party won.

After his demise in 2001, his son Jitin Prasad won the seat in the 2004 general elections. The Samajwadi Party emerged victorious in the 2009 Lok Sabha election, but the BJP reclaimed the seat in 2014.

In 2019, Arun Kumar Sagar of the BJP emerged victorious in the Shahjahanpur constituency. He secured 688,990 votes, while Amar Chandra Jauhar of the BSP received 420,572 votes. Arun Kumar Sagar won by an impressive margin of 268,418 votes.

The seat will undergo polls on May 13 in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls and results will be declared on June 4. (ANI)

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INDIA, SP will emerge victorious, says Akhilesh  

In response to the BJP claiming that the candidates fielded by their party belong to the “actual PDA”, Yadav took a dig saying it is good that the BJP has at least started to speak on PDA…reports Asian Lite News

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said that his party along with the INDIA bloc will register the first victory in Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

“The Samajwadi Party was the first to announce its seats and start the campaign. You will see that the first victory will be that of the Samajwadi Party and the INDIA bloc…We were the first to form an alliance, distribute seats, release campaign song…,” Akhilesh Yadav said speaking to reporters at a joint press conference with state Congress President Ajay Rai on Monday.

Yadav pointed out that the integrated terminal 3 (T3) of the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (CCSIA) that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was built when the Samajwadi party was in power in Uttar Pradesh.

“The airport and runway that was inaugurated were built when the Samajwadi party was in power in the state. It was built during Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and was expanded during the time of the last Samajwadi Party government, whether it is Azamgar or Moradabad. Even the Lucknow airport was constructed when our government was in power,” the Samajwadi Party chief said.

Hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Yadav said that the upcoming Lok Sabha election will be fought to save the Constitution and democracy.

“The slogan Sabka Satha Sabka Vikas is the biggest lie. Where is everyone prospering? This election is on saving the Constitution, democracy, the idea of Dr Ram Manihar Lohia’s socialist society and to save the rights and respect of the farmers, poor and those are from minority,” the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said.

In response to the BJP claiming that the candidates fielded by their party belong to the “actual PDA”, Yadav took a dig saying it is good that the BJP has at least started to speak on PDA.

“It is good that they have started speaking on the PDA. Those in BJP are fake PDA. How many Vice Chancellors who were appointed were from PDA? How many district officials posted are from PDA? How many directors of this University (Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University) are from PDA? The Bharatiya Janata Party is only concerned about taking the votes of PDA but not giving them their rights and respect,” Yadav said.

The Samajwadi Party and the Congress will contest the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh in alliance with the Congress contesting 17 seats while the SP will contest 63 seats. (ANI)

‘Need all 13 LS seats to make Punjab more prosperous’

AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Monday launched his party’s poll campaign in Punjab for the upcoming general elections and accused the BJP of trying to topple the Bhagwant Mann government by approaching its MLAs.

He asked people to ensure his party’s victory in all 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab.

“We do not need these seats for ourselves. (These are) to work more for your family and to make your family more prosperous. To make Punjab ‘Rangla’, we need 13 seats,” Kejriwal said.

At the event, the AAP also rolled out the slogan — “Sansad vich ve Bhagwant Mann, Khushaal Punjab te vadhegi shaan”.

Addressing a gathering here, Kejriwal slammed the Centre for allegedly withholding Rs 8,000 crore of Punjab’s funds and accused the BJP of trying to topple the AAP government in the state by approaching its MLAs.

“The Centre has withheld Rs 8,000 crore of Punjab’s funds. It is a lot of money. How many schools, hospitals, mohalla clinics could have come up with that fund?” he posed.

Kejriwal hit out at the Centre for rejecting Punjab’s tableau at the Republic Day parade. “How could they reject it.” “Now they approach MLAs every day in Punjab to topple the state government. They want to topple the government of the people of Punjab,” Kejriwal alleged.

The Delhi chief minister also accused the Centre and the Punjab governor of harassing Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann every day.

Kejriwal said there was a time when there was negativity all around in Punjab and there was a law and order problem. “Electricity bills were going up, there were electricity outages, farmers and traders were upset,” Kejriwal said.

“Today, there is positivity all around. Industrialists are returning, they want to open industries here. Youths are getting jobs, Mohalla clinics are coming up”, he said, adding, “But a lot is yet to be done.” “Elections are coming. There are 13 seats in Punjab and we need all these seats,” he said.

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‘SP to contest from 63 seats, Cong gets 17 in UP’

The Samajwadi Party leader also alleged the BJP-led central government for misusing the central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), etc…reports Asian Lite News

After Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, party leader Ravidas Mehrotra also confirmed an alliance with the Congress for the Lok Sabha Election 2024

Sharing details of the alliance, Mehrotra said that the Samajwadi Party will contest elections on 63 seats and Congress on 17 seats in Uttar Pradesh.

“Samajwadi Party and Congress will contest Lok Sabha elections together. This will strengthen the INDIA alliance and INDIA will form its government in 2024. The opposition parties will contest the election together. We have tried to stop the scattering of non-BJP votes,” Mehrotra told ANI.

“Samajwadi Party will contest elections on 63 seats and Congress on 17 seats. We will try to get all 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh,” he added.

The Samajwadi Party leader also alleged the BJP-led central government for misusing the central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), etc.

“INDIA bloc will form its government in 2024. The BJP-led central government is trying to weaken the opposition parties by misusing the central agencies such as ED, CBI, etc.,” he said.

Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav confirmed an alliance with the Congress, assuring that details would be revealed soon. He stated that there was no conflict between the two parties, emphasizing that all would be clarified in due course.

“All is well that ends well. Yes, there will be an alliance. There is no conflict. Everything will be out and clear soon,” Yadav stated while speaking to reporters on Wednesday.

The Samajwadi Party and the Congress are partners in the INDIA bloc. The success of the seat sharing talks between the two are crucial, especially after the failure of such talks with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has decided to contest in her state alone.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had made his participation in the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra conditional to a decision on seat sharing, saying that he would join it the moment the seats for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections are distributed between the two parties.

“Right now talks are going on, lists have come from their side and from ours as well, the moment the seats are distributed and decided, the Samajwadi Party will join Congress’s Nyaya Yatra,” Yadav said speaking to reporters on Monday.

The SP Chief could now join the yatra on February 24-25 when it hits Moradabad in Western UP.

Speaking about the significance of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Yadav said, “The 2024 elections are significant. It is an election to save the Constitution and save the future of the country, save Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb, to save fraternity.” (ANI)

No conflict, alliance is still on, says Akhilesh  

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav confirmed an alliance with the Congress, assuring that details would be revealed soon. He stated that there was no conflict between the two parties, emphasizing that all would be clarified in due course.

Earlier this week, the Samajwadi party chief had said that he would join the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Uttar Pradesh only after the finalization of the seat sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

“All is well that ends well. Yes, there will be an alliance. There is no conflict. Everything will be out and clear soon,” Yadav stated while speaking to reporters on Wednesday.

The Samajwadi Party and the Congress are partners in the INDIA bloc. The success of the seat sharing talks between the two are crucial, especially after the failure of such talks with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has decided to contest in her state alone.

Sources say the Congress is likely to get 17 seats in the potential alliance. Issues over three seats between the two parties have also been ironed out.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had made his participation in the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra conditional to a decision on seat sharing, saying that he would join it the moment the seats for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections are distributed between the two parties.

“Right now talks are going on, lists have come from their side and from ours as well, the moment the seats are distributed and decided, the Samajwadi Party will join Congress’s Nyaya Yatra,” Yadav said speaking to reporters on Monday.

Lucknow, Feb 21 (ANI): Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and candidate from Lucknow Central Assembly Constituency, Ravidas Mehrotra greets the supporters during a public meeting for the State Assembly Election, in Lucknow on Monday. (ANI Photo)

The SP Chief could now join the yatra on February 24-25 when it hits Moradabad in Western UP.

Speaking about the significance of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Yadav said, “The 2024 elections are significant. It is an election to save the Constitution and save the future of the country, save Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb, to save fraternity.”

Earlier, the Samajwadi Party Chief had accepted the invitation from Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to join the Yatra saying that he would participate in the Yatra in Amethi or Rae Bareli.

However, with no headway being made in the seat sharing talks between the two parties, the SP Chief stayed away from the Yatra making its way through Uttar Pradesh (ANI)

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SP, allies face seat-sharing trouble

In a press statement, the SBSP named its UP president ‘Sunil Arkvanshi as the Samajwadi Party-SBSP candidate on the Sandila seat in Hardoi for the UP polls…reports Asian Lite News

The Samajwadi Party’s alliance seems to be running into rough weather over the issue of seat allotment.

While the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), an ally of the Samajwadi Party (SP) in west Uttar Pradesh, is facing trouble over seat allotment in at least eight Assembly segments, another ally has now queered the pitch for the SP.

A day after SP president Akhilesh Yadav named Rita Singh as the party candidate from the Sandila Assembly constituency in Hardoi for the UP polls, his alliance partner Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) has now announced its own candidate for the same seat.

In a press statement, the SBSP named its UP president ‘Sunil Arkvanshi as the Samajwadi Party-SBSP candidate on the Sandila seat in Hardoi for the UP polls.

Samajwadi Party state spokesperson, Rajendra Chaudhary said, “I am not aware of the seat declaration by the SBSP or if there is any confusion, we will work it out.”

However, SBSP national spokesperson Piyush Mishra said, “There cannot be any confusion. The SP had allotted the Sandila seat to the SBSP. In fact, Akhilesh even did a rally for us in this constituency on November 27.”

Akhilesh Yadav, on Saturday, had announced the induction of Rita Singh, the wife of former Samajwadi Party MLA from Sandila, into the party.

Rita Singh, the wife of the late Raja Mahavir Singh who won the Sandila seat on the SP ticket in 2012, is from the famous Bhargava family of Lucknow.

She is the daughter of the late Rani Ramkumar Bhargava, a freedom fighter and Congress leader. Rita Singh’s brother Luv Bhargava was earlier the state general secretary of the Samajwadi Party. Luv Bhargava had contested on the Lucknow East seat in the 1993 UP Assembly polls as an SP candidate.

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SP, BSP MLCs set to join BJP in UP

In the list that has been cleared for induction into the BJP, the most prominent name is that of Ravi Shankar Singh Pappu who is presently in the Samajwadi Party…reports Asian Lite News.

About ten members of the Uttar Pradesh legislative council, belonging to the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, will be joining the BJP soon.

All of them are Vidhan Parishad members, elected through local bodies, and their terms are coming to an end in March next year.

The names of these ten leaders have been cleared by the newly constituted joining committee of the Uttar Pradesh BJP, according to party sources.

All these leaders wield considerable influence in their respective areas and with support from the BJP, they will manage a comfortable reelection next year.

In the list that has been cleared for induction into the BJP, the most prominent name is that of Ravi Shankar Singh Pappu who is presently in the Samajwadi Party.

He is the nephew of former Prime Minister late Chandra Shekhar.

It may be recalled that late Chandra Shekhar’s son Neeraj Shekhar has already joined the BJP.

Former Minister Markanday Chand’s son, C.P. Chand is also joining the BJP.

Polls

Akshay Pratap Singh, a cousin of former minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh a.k.a. Raja Bhaiyya, is also quitting the Samajwadi Party to join the BJP.

BSP MLC from Jaunpur Brijesh Singh ‘Princu’ is also changing loyalties to join the BJP. He is considered close to former BSP MP Dhananjay Singh.

Interestingly, most of the leaders joining the BJP belong to the Thakur community.

Their joining the BJP is expected to give a major boost to the ruling party which had faced reverses in the panchayat elections held earlier this year.

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