Yogi Adityanath, a firebrand lawmaker from Gorakhpur,&nbsp;took&nbsp;today oath as the 32nd chief minister of India&#39;s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh&nbsp;in the state capital Lucknow.

In his first interaction with media persons after taking over, Adityanath said his government will follow the &#39;sabka saath sabka vikas&#39; (With all, development for all) agenda in serving the people.

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister said his government would work for all sections of the society without any discrimination.

&quot;Our Government will work for the welfare of the people. We will work for all the sections of the society without any discrimination. Special efforts will be made for the welfare of the poor, Dalits and backward classes,&quot; Yogi Adityanath said in his address to the media.

He also said the government would work towards bettering the law and order situation and tackle the unemployment problem.

&quot;The people have borne a heavy loss due to the deteriorated situation of law and order and corruption. Our Government will work for the welfare of the people,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;We will surely work to improve job crisis&quot;. 
 
He said that in the last 15 years, Uttar Pradesh had been left behind in all respects, and vowed to take the state on the&nbsp;path of growth and development.

Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Dinesh Sharma said that all the promises including waiving off farmers&rsquo; loan would be fulfilled. &quot;Don&rsquo;t worry. All the promises which were made during elections rally will be fulfilled,&quot; he said when asked whether farmers&rsquo; loans would be waived off.

Adityanath, deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, and a 43-member Cabinet were sworn-in by Governor Ram Naik&nbsp;at the&nbsp;Kanshiram Smriti Upvan. 
 
The Muslim face of the Cabinet, former cricketer Mohsin Raza, was sworn in as the Minister of State.

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Yogi Adityanath becomes Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, leaders congratulate him at the ceremony. <a href="https://t.co/BgLvQJs4Nd">pic.twitter.com/BgLvQJs4Nd</a>
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Keshav Prasad Maurya takes oath as Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. <a href="https://t.co/buO161ZPCg">pic.twitter.com/buO161ZPCg</a>
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Yogi Adityanath was chosen as the next chief minister of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday ending days of speculation.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by the top brass of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president Amit Shah, Union ministers Rajnath Singh,&nbsp;Nitin Gadkari,&nbsp;Uma Bharti, and senior party leader LK Advani.

Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav was also invited for the ceremony and could be seen interacting with PM Modi. 
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Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu were also present on the occasion.

The party&#39;s state president Keshav Prasad Maurya and Lucknow mayor Dinesh Sharma were chosen as the deputy chief ministers.

The decision was made after a high-power meeting at Lok Bhawan in Lucknow. The meeting was attended by Union minister Venkaiah Naidu and BJP vice-president Om Mathur.&nbsp;

Adityanath is known to be&nbsp;a Hindu hardliner, with his incendiary comments often creating controversies.

The five-time MP has compared Pakistan to Satan and Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan to Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

In 2002, he formed a right-wing outfit named Hindu Yuva Vahini. The group has been known for enforcing cow protection and love jihad (inter-religious marriages) campaigns.

Born on June 5, 1972, Adityanath was the youngest member of the 12th Lok Sabha at 26.&nbsp; 
 
The 44-year-old has also been accused of converting Christians to Hinduism in 2005.

Most recently, he lauded US President Trump&#39;s travel ban that aimed to halt immigrants from a handful of Muslim-majority countries from entering America, saying India needed similar action to check terrorism.

Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya was instrumental in the BJP securing over 300 seats in these elections as he helped the saffron party get the non-Yadav OBC votes. And like Modi, he worked at several tea stalls when he was a young boy.

Maurya&#39;s colleague Dinesh Sharma, the national vice-president of the BJP, is believed to be close to Modi. Sharma, also the mayor of Lucknow, played a key role in boosting the party&#39;s membership from 10 million to 110 million before this year&#39;s elections.

Adityanath&#39;s appointment removed the shroud of uncertainty about the identity of the state&#39;s next chief minister.

Besides Adityanath, Union minister Manoj Sinha, BJP leader Shrikant Sharma and Maurya were in the reckoning to be the head of India&#39;s northern state.

Till a few hours ago, it was Manoj Sinha who was believed to be in the inside lane of the chief ministerial race. But minutes before the Lok Bhawan meeting at 4 pm yesterday (March 18), there were strong indications that Adityanath had stolen a march over Sinha.

&quot;This is a watershed moment in the history of BJP,&quot; Venkaiah Naidu, Federal Information &amp; Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu told reporters after BJP officials met in Uttar Pradesh&#39;s capital Lucknow on Saturday.

&quot;The mandate is for development, good governance and against caste politics.&quot;

The BJP swept to power in UP, winning&nbsp;312 seats in a 403-member house, while its allies Apna Dal (Soneylal) and Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party got nine and four seats respectively.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

The chief minister said his government would work for all sections of the society and would tackle the law and order problem in the state

Yogi Adityanath, a firebrand lawmaker from Gorakhpur, took today oath as the 32nd chief minister of India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh in the state capital Lucknow. In his first interaction with media persons after taking over, Adityanath said his government will follow the 'sabka saath sabka vikas' (With all, development for all) agenda in serving the people. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister said his government would work for all sections of the society without any discrimination. "Our Government will work for the welfare of the people. We will work for all the sections of the society without any discrimination. Special efforts will be made for the welfare of the poor, Dalits and backward classes," Yogi Adityanath said in his address to the media. He also said the government would work towards bettering the law and order situation and tackle the unemployment problem. "The people have borne a heavy loss due to the deteriorated situation of law and order and corruption. Our Government will work for the welfare of the people," he said. "We will surely work to improve job crisis". He said that in the last 15 years, Uttar Pradesh had been left behind in all respects, and vowed to take the state on the path of growth and development. Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Dinesh Sharma said that all the promises including waiving off farmers’ loan would be fulfilled. "Don’t worry. All the promises which were made during elections rally will be fulfilled," he said when asked whether farmers’ loans would be waived off. Adityanath, deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, and a 43-member Cabinet were sworn-in by Governor Ram Naik at the Kanshiram Smriti Upvan. The Muslim face of the Cabinet, former cricketer Mohsin Raza, was sworn in as the Minister of State. #FLASH: Yogi Adityanath takes oath as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister pic.twitter.com/IA6U6kYUPX — ANI (@ANI_news) March 19, 2017 × Yogi Adityanath becomes Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, leaders congratulate him at the ceremony. pic.twitter.com/BgLvQJs4Nd — ANI (@ANI_news) March 19, 2017 × Keshav Prasad Maurya takes oath as Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/buO161ZPCg — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 19, 2017 × Lucknow: Dinesh Sharma takes oath as Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh pic.twitter.com/10H64qmGfL — ANI (@ANI_news) March 19, 2017 × Yogi Adityanath was chosen as the next chief minister of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday ending days of speculation. The swearing-in ceremony was attended by the top brass of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president Amit Shah, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Uma Bharti, and senior party leader LK Advani. Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav was also invited for the ceremony and could be seen interacting with PM Modi. #WATCH PM Narendra Modi and Mulayam Singh Yadav interact post swearing-in ceremony of Yogi Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister pic.twitter.com/8NfGbtzfRO — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 19, 2017 × Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu were also present on the occasion. The party's state president Keshav Prasad Maurya and Lucknow mayor Dinesh Sharma were chosen as the deputy chief ministers. The decision was made after a high-power meeting at Lok Bhawan in Lucknow. The meeting was attended by Union minister Venkaiah Naidu and BJP vice-president Om Mathur. Adityanath is known to be a Hindu hardliner, with his incendiary comments often creating controversies. The five-time MP has compared Pakistan to Satan and Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan to Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. In 2002, he formed a right-wing outfit named Hindu Yuva Vahini. The group has been known for enforcing cow protection and love jihad (inter-religious marriages) campaigns. Born on June 5, 1972, Adityanath was the youngest member of the 12th Lok Sabha at 26. The 44-year-old has also been accused of converting Christians to Hinduism in 2005. Most recently, he lauded US President Trump's travel ban that aimed to halt immigrants from a handful of Muslim-majority countries from entering America, saying India needed similar action to check terrorism. Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya was instrumental in the BJP securing over 300 seats in these elections as he helped the saffron party get the non-Yadav OBC votes. And like Modi, he worked at several tea stalls when he was a young boy. Maurya's colleague Dinesh Sharma, the national vice-president of the BJP, is believed to be close to Modi. Sharma, also the mayor of Lucknow, played a key role in boosting the party's membership from 10 million to 110 million before this year's elections. Adityanath's appointment removed the shroud of uncertainty about the identity of the state's next chief minister. Besides Adityanath, Union minister Manoj Sinha, BJP leader Shrikant Sharma and Maurya were in the reckoning to be the head of India's northern state. Till a few hours ago, it was Manoj Sinha who was believed to be in the inside lane of the chief ministerial race. But minutes before the Lok Bhawan meeting at 4 pm yesterday (March 18), there were strong indications that Adityanath had stolen a march over Sinha. "This is a watershed moment in the history of BJP," Venkaiah Naidu, Federal Information & Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu told reporters after BJP officials met in Uttar Pradesh's capital Lucknow on Saturday. "The mandate is for development, good governance and against caste politics." The BJP swept to power in UP, winning 312 seats in a 403-member house, while its allies Apna Dal (Soneylal) and Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party got nine and four seats respectively. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Yogi Adityanath sworn in as Uttar Pradesh chief minister, promises inclusive development

The Bharatiya Janata Party is set to hold a legislature meet today to elect the new chief minister of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

All MLAs will meet at 5 pm in the state&rsquo;s capital Lucknow to decide the pick, news agency ANI reported.&nbsp;

Union minister Venkaiah Naidu and BJP general secretary Bhupendra Yadav will attend the meeting as the party&#39;s central observers, ANI reported.

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Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu arrives in Lucknow; will hold meeting with BJP MLAs later today. <a href="https://t.co/RaBtqqnB8R">pic.twitter.com/RaBtqqnB8R</a>
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The swearing-in ceremony of the new CM is scheduled to be held at the Kanshiram memorial ground tomorrow, ANI reported.

Prime Minister Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah will also attend the swearing-in.

The BJP won a whopping 324 seats out of 403 in the&nbsp;Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

According to a report in DNA, a majority of party leaders and 312 MLAs say that the selection has already been made by Modi and Shah, with the consent of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and the MLAs feel that they will only have to stamp their approval on that name.

A senior state BJP leader told DNA that the name of the leader has already been finalised.

Most of the party leaders are betting on minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha, DNA reported.

&quot;He is, no doubt, an able administrator with a clean image and proven track record. The only thing going against him is that he is not a member of either House in the state and the PM may not like to lose a precious Lok Sabha member when there are a few other leaders who can be the chief minister,&quot; a party leader told DNA.&nbsp;

Some legislators are also speculating the name of Suresh Kumar Khanna, the eight-time MLA from Shahjahanpur district.

&quot;He may emerge as a dark horse. He is a senior party legislator with a vast experience in assembly affairs,&quot; an MLA from Bareilly told DNA.

Other names doing the rounds are those of Dr Dinesh Sharma, party national vice-president and Lucknow Mayor, and Satish Mahana, a senior legislator from Kanpur, DNA reported.&nbsp;

The names of party state president Keshav Prasad Maurya and union home minister Rajnath Singh did not figure much after Shah almost ruled out their names.

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Lucknow: UP BJP Chief Keshav Prasa Maurya&#39;s supporters stage demonstration demanding that Maurya be made the CM of UP <a href="https://t.co/qwAR0WsJTl">pic.twitter.com/qwAR0WsJTl</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/842979913145745408">March 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Mahant Yogi Adityanath, firebrand MP from Gorakhpur, &nbsp;is on top of the list of influential leaders eyeing the post, DNA reported.

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Lucknow: Yogi Adityanath&#39;s supporters demonstrate demanding that Adityanath be made Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh <a href="https://t.co/kDmVWpGfiT">pic.twitter.com/kDmVWpGfiT</a>
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(WION with inputs from ANI and DNA) 
&nbsp;

Most of the party leaders are betting on minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha

The Bharatiya Janata Party is set to hold a legislature meet today to elect the new chief minister of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. All MLAs will meet at 5 pm in the state’s capital Lucknow to decide the pick, news agency ANI reported. Union minister Venkaiah Naidu and BJP general secretary Bhupendra Yadav will attend the meeting as the party's central observers, ANI reported. Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu arrives in Lucknow; will hold meeting with BJP MLAs later today. pic.twitter.com/RaBtqqnB8R — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 18, 2017 × The swearing-in ceremony of the new CM is scheduled to be held at the Kanshiram memorial ground tomorrow, ANI reported. Prime Minister Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah will also attend the swearing-in. The BJP won a whopping 324 seats out of 403 in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. According to a report in DNA, a majority of party leaders and 312 MLAs say that the selection has already been made by Modi and Shah, with the consent of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and the MLAs feel that they will only have to stamp their approval on that name. A senior state BJP leader told DNA that the name of the leader has already been finalised. Most of the party leaders are betting on minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha, DNA reported. "He is, no doubt, an able administrator with a clean image and proven track record. The only thing going against him is that he is not a member of either House in the state and the PM may not like to lose a precious Lok Sabha member when there are a few other leaders who can be the chief minister," a party leader told DNA. Some legislators are also speculating the name of Suresh Kumar Khanna, the eight-time MLA from Shahjahanpur district. "He may emerge as a dark horse. He is a senior party legislator with a vast experience in assembly affairs," an MLA from Bareilly told DNA. Other names doing the rounds are those of Dr Dinesh Sharma, party national vice-president and Lucknow Mayor, and Satish Mahana, a senior legislator from Kanpur, DNA reported. The names of party state president Keshav Prasad Maurya and union home minister Rajnath Singh did not figure much after Shah almost ruled out their names. Lucknow: UP BJP Chief Keshav Prasa Maurya's supporters stage demonstration demanding that Maurya be made the CM of UP pic.twitter.com/qwAR0WsJTl — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 18, 2017 × Mahant Yogi Adityanath, firebrand MP from Gorakhpur, is on top of the list of influential leaders eyeing the post, DNA reported. Lucknow: Yogi Adityanath's supporters demonstrate demanding that Adityanath be made Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh pic.twitter.com/kDmVWpGfiT — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 18, 2017 × (WION with inputs from ANI and DNA)

India: BJP MLAs to meet in Lucknow today to elect Uttar Pradesh chief minister

Even as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah credited his old colleague and now India&#39;s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, for the clear sweep of votes in Uttar Pradesh, many other factors, including his own work in the state from as early as 2009-10 played a crucial role.

Brand Modi was definitely at work in 2017 as it was in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, but the process of converting it into votes was painstaking and tedious.&nbsp;What worked was the BJP&#39;s focus on farmers, the poor and disadvantaged voters, not ever considered its core vote, which is identified as upper caste, upper class, traders. The BJP realised early its appeal among Brahmins, Rajputs and other land-owning communities will not garner enough votes to record a landslide victory.

&quot;The first election promise by the PM to the voters of UP was that he would waive all farming and agriculture loans. Ours is a farm-centric state. That immediately had a positive impact,&quot; said Virendra Singh &#39;Mast&#39;, BJP&#39;s Kisan Morcha (farmers&#39; cell) chief who is also from a farmer family. &nbsp;&nbsp;

&#39;Mast&#39; was put in charge of dousing the sentiments of farmers riled by demonetisation right before the sowing season. He details how the BJP cadre got to work after the 2014 win to put its organisation in place in the districts. &nbsp;

&quot;After the demonetisation, we held sabhas in every district in which 500-600 farmers would gather and share their views on the government&#39;s step. People were inconvenienced, but they also realised that this was a pro-poor move and for the betterment of the country. Farmers anyway don&rsquo;t have a culture of over-spending, so they were not really affected,&quot; he pointed.

Some argue that the loan waivers were offered to soothe frayed tempers over lost crops.&nbsp;

The party&#39;s strategists, however, say that this was part of a larger plan of acquiring and retaining new vote banks and not just a move to dilute the negative impact of demonetisation. They insist that demonetisation worked favourably for them as it showed PM Modi as a man who was prepared to go against the party&#39;s core voters, the trader class, who were the worst hit by demonetisation.&nbsp;

The solution was a slew of pro-poor moves &ndash; most popular among which was the Ujjwala scheme. &nbsp;The BJP ensured 40 lakh gas cylinders were distributed in UP alone.

&quot;If you count five members in a family, that is straight away 2 crore votes in BJP&#39;s kitty. These are people who never voted for BJP. Modi has changed the party&#39;s caste arithmetic. There&#39;s a shift in our core voters. People who never voted for us are voting for the BJP. It&#39;s like Indira Gandhi&#39;s (former prime minister) appeal among the poor and underprivileged,&quot; said a BJP strategist.&nbsp;

His point is borne out by &#39;Mast&#39; who is also BJP&#39;s Bhadohi MP: &quot;We distributed 96,000 cooking gas cylinders among women in my parliamentary constituency alone under Ujjwala. It really helped our image among women voters.&quot; He credits the BJP&#39;s soaring fortunes to the PM&#39;s appeal among voters, but baulks at the term &#39;Modi magic&#39;.&nbsp;

&quot;What magic? The term magic means something happened suddenly in a moment. A lot of work has gone into this and the voters are convinced that Modi means business when it comes to delivering on promises,&quot; he told WION.&nbsp;

Party strategists have called this verdict three days ago and said they either expected to sweep the polls with far higher number of seats than the predicted 190-210, or a crushing defeat with less than 130 seats.&nbsp;

&quot;We needed to galvanise voters from other sections who don&rsquo;t normally vote for us. The non-Yadav OBC (other backward classes) vote and non-Jatav vote needed to come to us in order to record a convincing majority. It was important to retain the 4-8 % new vote banks ,&quot; said a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary. &nbsp;

It was important to get the caste arithmetic right and ensure a consolidation of votes. &quot;The consolidation of votes was across caste lines, among OBCs and Dalit, in BJP&#39;s favour and not along Hindus and Muslims as portrayed by the media. BSP chief Mayawati&#39;s Dalit supporters are silent voters. This time they have just quietly voted for the BJP,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

However, PM Modi&#39;s shamshaan and kabristan (cremation ground and graveyard) rhetoric definitely touched a nerve with the predominantly Hindu voters, mainly of whom felt the SP government was busy appeasing the Muslims, leading to a consolidation of the majority vote.&nbsp;

&quot;Contrary to the popular theory in the media that the Jats in western UP did not vote for us in the first and second phase, large sections in the community have cast their votes in our favour. In Baghpat assembly seat where 50 per cent of the voters are Jats, the Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal&#39;s candidate is trailing behind our BJP man by 50,000 votes. This would not happen without Jat votes,&quot; the RSS source said &nbsp;&nbsp;

The infighting within the Samajwadi Party family and its consequent tie-up with Congress also worked for the BJP as voters saw the latter as a more viable option that will get things done on the ground. State government in friction with the Modi government have not been able to get much done where Centre&#39;s support is required. &nbsp;

(WION)&nbsp;

BJP realised early its appeal with upper caste won't get enough votes, OBC-Dalits were key to victory in Uttar Pradesh

Even as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah credited his old colleague and now India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, for the clear sweep of votes in Uttar Pradesh, many other factors, including his own work in the state from as early as 2009-10 played a crucial role. Brand Modi was definitely at work in 2017 as it was in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, but the process of converting it into votes was painstaking and tedious. What worked was the BJP's focus on farmers, the poor and disadvantaged voters, not ever considered its core vote, which is identified as upper caste, upper class, traders. The BJP realised early its appeal among Brahmins, Rajputs and other land-owning communities will not garner enough votes to record a landslide victory. "The first election promise by the PM to the voters of UP was that he would waive all farming and agriculture loans. Ours is a farm-centric state. That immediately had a positive impact," said Virendra Singh 'Mast', BJP's Kisan Morcha (farmers' cell) chief who is also from a farmer family. 'Mast' was put in charge of dousing the sentiments of farmers riled by demonetisation right before the sowing season. He details how the BJP cadre got to work after the 2014 win to put its organisation in place in the districts. "After the demonetisation, we held sabhas in every district in which 500-600 farmers would gather and share their views on the government's step. People were inconvenienced, but they also realised that this was a pro-poor move and for the betterment of the country. Farmers anyway don’t have a culture of over-spending, so they were not really affected," he pointed. Some argue that the loan waivers were offered to soothe frayed tempers over lost crops. The party's strategists, however, say that this was part of a larger plan of acquiring and retaining new vote banks and not just a move to dilute the negative impact of demonetisation. They insist that demonetisation worked favourably for them as it showed PM Modi as a man who was prepared to go against the party's core voters, the trader class, who were the worst hit by demonetisation. The solution was a slew of pro-poor moves – most popular among which was the Ujjwala scheme. The BJP ensured 40 lakh gas cylinders were distributed in UP alone. "If you count five members in a family, that is straight away 2 crore votes in BJP's kitty. These are people who never voted for BJP. Modi has changed the party's caste arithmetic. There's a shift in our core voters. People who never voted for us are voting for the BJP. It's like Indira Gandhi's (former prime minister) appeal among the poor and underprivileged," said a BJP strategist. His point is borne out by 'Mast' who is also BJP's Bhadohi MP: "We distributed 96,000 cooking gas cylinders among women in my parliamentary constituency alone under Ujjwala. It really helped our image among women voters." He credits the BJP's soaring fortunes to the PM's appeal among voters, but baulks at the term 'Modi magic'. "What magic? The term magic means something happened suddenly in a moment. A lot of work has gone into this and the voters are convinced that Modi means business when it comes to delivering on promises," he told WION. Party strategists have called this verdict three days ago and said they either expected to sweep the polls with far higher number of seats than the predicted 190-210, or a crushing defeat with less than 130 seats. "We needed to galvanise voters from other sections who don’t normally vote for us. The non-Yadav OBC (other backward classes) vote and non-Jatav vote needed to come to us in order to record a convincing majority. It was important to retain the 4-8 % new vote banks ," said a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary. It was important to get the caste arithmetic right and ensure a consolidation of votes. "The consolidation of votes was across caste lines, among OBCs and Dalit, in BJP's favour and not along Hindus and Muslims as portrayed by the media. BSP chief Mayawati's Dalit supporters are silent voters. This time they have just quietly voted for the BJP," he said. However, PM Modi's shamshaan and kabristan (cremation ground and graveyard) rhetoric definitely touched a nerve with the predominantly Hindu voters, mainly of whom felt the SP government was busy appeasing the Muslims, leading to a consolidation of the majority vote. "Contrary to the popular theory in the media that the Jats in western UP did not vote for us in the first and second phase, large sections in the community have cast their votes in our favour. In Baghpat assembly seat where 50 per cent of the voters are Jats, the Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal's candidate is trailing behind our BJP man by 50,000 votes. This would not happen without Jat votes," the RSS source said The infighting within the Samajwadi Party family and its consequent tie-up with Congress also worked for the BJP as voters saw the latter as a more viable option that will get things done on the ground. State government in friction with the Modi government have not been able to get much done where Centre's support is required. (WION)

PM Modi, Amit Shah's UP game plan: Focus on farmers, poor and women

In an interview to PTI, BJP president Amit Shah said that there was &quot;no question&quot; of any post-poll alliance with the BSP or any party. He also said the BJP had deliberately not declared its chief ministerial candidate for Uttar Pradesh&nbsp;as it is a part of its poll strategy.

Asked if the BJP would be willing to ally with the BSP or any other party to form a government in the politically crucial state if it fell short of a majority, the BJP president explicitly stated, &quot;Kisi se bhi haath milane ka dur-dur tak koi swaal nahin uthatha (there is no question by far of joining hands with any party).&quot;

A few poll surveys and political experts have forecast a hung assembly in the state where elections are currently being held in seven-phases with the fourth phase set for tomorrow.&nbsp;

In the 2014 general elections, the BJP had won 71 of the 80 Lok Sabha (Lower House) seats, beating the SP-Congress alliance and Mayawati&#39;s BSP quite easily.

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They will ask your religion &amp; caste first, if that doesn&#39;t seem favourable to them, they won&#39;t give you laptop: Amit Shah in Chauri Chaura <a href="https://t.co/zSOVBahTNV">pic.twitter.com/zSOVBahTNV</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/834367588041945088">February 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The BJP president hopes to ride the 2014 wave in Uttar Pradesh, not only this, he feels the BJP will win in Uttarakhand and Goa with &quot;full majority&quot;.

He said it was &quot;difficult to guess&quot; who would win in Punjab, noting that it was a &quot;triangular contest&quot; in the state involving the SAD-BJP, Congress and the AAP.

Akhilesh Yadav slams PM Modi over demonetisation.

Meanwhile, the BSP, SP and the Congress - key parties in the ongoing Uttar Pradesh polls criticised the Modi-led BJP over demonetisation and other issues in various election rallies in the state.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has written a letter to the prime minister questioning him over his 2014 poll promise to bring &quot;acche din&quot; (good days) back.

&nbsp;

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Due to some reasons, I couldn&#39;t be present between all of you this time. Representing you is a matter of pride for me,my family:Sonia Gandhi <a href="https://t.co/DzTqwvfuwG">pic.twitter.com/DzTqwvfuwG</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/834354553692753921">February 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Centre Govt is depriving you (ppl) of welfare programmes deliberately, &amp; I am pained to see this happening: Sonia Gandhi addresses in letter <a href="https://t.co/B3XIIQP3RB">pic.twitter.com/B3XIIQP3RB</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/834355050600361984">February 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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At an election rally in Bahraich district, SP President Akhilesh Yadav said Modi had not released statistics showing that black money, corruption and terrorism had come to an end after demonetisation.

&quot;You had said demonetisation would being an end to black money, corruption and terrorism. Where are the statistics? (Notebandi se aapne jo kaha tha ki kaladhan, corruption aur aatankwad khatam ho jayega, aankadey kahan hai?,&quot; Akhilesh Yadav said.

On the SP&#39;s seat-sharing with the Congress, Akhilesh said, &quot;If friendship is done with a big heart, it stays but if you befriend a miser the bond is unlikely to last.&quot;

After the Congress-SP alliance, the confusion in the minds of the people, has come to an end now,&quot; Akhilesh Yadav said at a rally in Shravasti district.

&nbsp;

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Hum zimmedaari se PM ko kehte hain khao Ganga maiyya ki kasam ki hum Kashi mein 24ghante bijli de rahein hain ki nahi de rahe:Akhilesh Yadav <a href="https://t.co/1TM4d1o2Xv">pic.twitter.com/1TM4d1o2Xv</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/834347017937760256">February 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Reservations will be removed if BJP comes to power: Mayawati

On another front, BSP chief Mayawati said she had been informed by &quot;sources&quot; that the BJP would remove reservations if it came to power in Uttar Pradesh.

&quot;If BJP comes to power in the elections, all reservations will go away, have got information from sources,&quot; Mayawati said at a rally in Faizabad district.

&quot;You can only guess how many Rohit Vemula or Una cases will happen if BJP comes to power in the state,&quot; the BSP chief declared.

She was referring to Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, who spoke up for his community and committed suicide in Karnataka and to the thrashing of Dalits in Gujarat&#39;s Una after being wrongly accused of killing a cow.

&quot;Now the people will refer to the BJP as &#39;party of frauds&#39; instead of the &#39;party of people&#39; not only in Uttar Pradesh but the entire country,&quot; Mayawati said in Faizabad.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

BJP president Amit Shah is confident of his party's win in UP, Uttarakhand and Goa but he is unclear about the outcome in Punjab

In an interview to PTI, BJP president Amit Shah said that there was "no question" of any post-poll alliance with the BSP or any party. He also said the BJP had deliberately not declared its chief ministerial candidate for Uttar Pradesh as it is a part of its poll strategy. Asked if the BJP would be willing to ally with the BSP or any other party to form a government in the politically crucial state if it fell short of a majority, the BJP president explicitly stated, "Kisi se bhi haath milane ka dur-dur tak koi swaal nahin uthatha (there is no question by far of joining hands with any party)." A few poll surveys and political experts have forecast a hung assembly in the state where elections are currently being held in seven-phases with the fourth phase set for tomorrow. In the 2014 general elections, the BJP had won 71 of the 80 Lok Sabha (Lower House) seats, beating the SP-Congress alliance and Mayawati's BSP quite easily. They will ask your religion & caste first, if that doesn't seem favourable to them, they won't give you laptop: Amit Shah in Chauri Chaura pic.twitter.com/zSOVBahTNV — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 22, 2017 × The BJP president hopes to ride the 2014 wave in Uttar Pradesh, not only this, he feels the BJP will win in Uttarakhand and Goa with "full majority". He said it was "difficult to guess" who would win in Punjab, noting that it was a "triangular contest" in the state involving the SAD-BJP, Congress and the AAP. Akhilesh Yadav slams PM Modi over demonetisation. Meanwhile, the BSP, SP and the Congress - key parties in the ongoing Uttar Pradesh polls criticised the Modi-led BJP over demonetisation and other issues in various election rallies in the state. Congress president Sonia Gandhi has written a letter to the prime minister questioning him over his 2014 poll promise to bring "acche din" (good days) back. Due to some reasons, I couldn't be present between all of you this time. Representing you is a matter of pride for me,my family:Sonia Gandhi pic.twitter.com/DzTqwvfuwG — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 22, 2017 × Centre Govt is depriving you (ppl) of welfare programmes deliberately, & I am pained to see this happening: Sonia Gandhi addresses in letter pic.twitter.com/B3XIIQP3RB — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 22, 2017 × At an election rally in Bahraich district, SP President Akhilesh Yadav said Modi had not released statistics showing that black money, corruption and terrorism had come to an end after demonetisation. "You had said demonetisation would being an end to black money, corruption and terrorism. Where are the statistics? (Notebandi se aapne jo kaha tha ki kaladhan, corruption aur aatankwad khatam ho jayega, aankadey kahan hai?," Akhilesh Yadav said. On the SP's seat-sharing with the Congress, Akhilesh said, "If friendship is done with a big heart, it stays but if you befriend a miser the bond is unlikely to last." After the Congress-SP alliance, the confusion in the minds of the people, has come to an end now," Akhilesh Yadav said at a rally in Shravasti district. Hum zimmedaari se PM ko kehte hain khao Ganga maiyya ki kasam ki hum Kashi mein 24ghante bijli de rahein hain ki nahi de rahe:Akhilesh Yadav pic.twitter.com/1TM4d1o2Xv — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 22, 2017 × Reservations will be removed if BJP comes to power: Mayawati On another front, BSP chief Mayawati said she had been informed by "sources" that the BJP would remove reservations if it came to power in Uttar Pradesh. "If BJP comes to power in the elections, all reservations will go away, have got information from sources," Mayawati said at a rally in Faizabad district. "You can only guess how many Rohit Vemula or Una cases will happen if BJP comes to power in the state," the BSP chief declared. She was referring to Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, who spoke up for his community and committed suicide in Karnataka and to the thrashing of Dalits in Gujarat's Una after being wrongly accused of killing a cow. "Now the people will refer to the BJP as 'party of frauds' instead of the 'party of people' not only in Uttar Pradesh but the entire country," Mayawati said in Faizabad. (WION with inputs from agencies)

No question of post-poll alliance with BSP or any party: BJP president Amit Shah

By Amit Shah &amp; Manan Kumar

Amidst the heady mix of galouti kebabs, biryani and politics, Awadh is savouring the attention of every political partiy in the battle for Uttar Pradesh.

It is in this region, most of which goes to the polls in the third phase of the UP election on Sunday, that the BJP is hoping to weaken the Samajwadi Party (SP), which had swept it in 2012, winning 55 of the 69 seats.

As polling neared, all four parties &mdash; SP, BJP, BSP and Congress &mdash; campaigned aggressively in the region, which falls in the central part of the state. &ldquo;All parties were reaching out combatively. They are giving either fuel for motorbikes or Rs 100, or both,&rdquo; said Vinay Yadav, a taxi driver who has been travelling in the region.

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The BJP, which is confident of having &ldquo;done well&rdquo; in the first two phases in the western parts of UP, is pinning its hopes on a ripple effect in the rest of the state. The other calculation of the party is that it has managed to woo the non-Yadav OBCs like the Kurmis, Kushwahas and Mauryas. The region has a high concentration of backward communities, apart from Brahmins and Rajputs, the upper-caste communities that have been the BJP&rsquo;s traditional supporters.

Admitting that Awadh had been a major challenge for the BJP because of the caste composition of the region, a party leader said the scenario had changed after the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 when the OBCs and even some Scheduled Castes voted for it. The BJP is counting on two factors &mdash; Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s rallies and giving tickets to a large number of OBCs. Modi held two rallies in a day, in Barabanki and Hardoi, this week, besides in Kannauj, Dimple Yadav&rsquo;s Lok Sabha seat.

&ldquo;The situation has now changed. We have the support of the OBCs,&rdquo; said state BJP vice-president JPS Rathore.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav faces a bigger challenge in Awadh. He faces the task of retaining the SP&rsquo;s tally of 2012, when it had wiped out the BJP and BSP in the region under the leadership of his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. The SP, whose strongholds go to polls in this phase, had swept it in the last Assembly polls, despite a lower presence of its Yadav support base. BSP had won six seats and BJP five.

The Modi-versus-Akhilesh debate has dominated the election scenario in Awadh, which could turn out to be a make-or-break region for both parties. Modi, who is the BJP&rsquo;s strongest vote-puller in a battle without a chief ministerial face, underlined the fact that he was an MP from the state and described himself as UP&rsquo;s &lsquo;adopted son&rsquo;.

Meanwhile, BSP supremo Mayawati has promised a separate Bundelkhand to dent the SP&rsquo;s bastion. Part of the Bundelkhand region, a parched region that falls at the bottom of all social indicators, overlaps the Assembly constituencies that are going to polls in the third phase. Addressing rallies on Saturday near Unnao and Etawah, Mayawati also raised the pitch of the campaign by declaring that if her party came to power, it will finish the RSS in UP.

(This report first appeared in DNA)

The Awadh region, which goes to the polls today, was swept by the SP in 2012. This time around, the BJP believes things will be different

By Amit Shah & Manan Kumar Amidst the heady mix of galouti kebabs, biryani and politics, Awadh is savouring the attention of every political partiy in the battle for Uttar Pradesh. It is in this region, most of which goes to the polls in the third phase of the UP election on Sunday, that the BJP is hoping to weaken the Samajwadi Party (SP), which had swept it in 2012, winning 55 of the 69 seats. As polling neared, all four parties — SP, BJP, BSP and Congress — campaigned aggressively in the region, which falls in the central part of the state. “All parties were reaching out combatively. They are giving either fuel for motorbikes or Rs 100, or both,” said Vinay Yadav, a taxi driver who has been travelling in the region. The Modi-versus-Akhilesh debate has dominated the election scenario in Awadh, which could turn out to be a make-or-break region for both parties × The BJP, which is confident of having “done well” in the first two phases in the western parts of UP, is pinning its hopes on a ripple effect in the rest of the state. The other calculation of the party is that it has managed to woo the non-Yadav OBCs like the Kurmis, Kushwahas and Mauryas. The region has a high concentration of backward communities, apart from Brahmins and Rajputs, the upper-caste communities that have been the BJP’s traditional supporters. Admitting that Awadh had been a major challenge for the BJP because of the caste composition of the region, a party leader said the scenario had changed after the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 when the OBCs and even some Scheduled Castes voted for it. The BJP is counting on two factors — Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rallies and giving tickets to a large number of OBCs. Modi held two rallies in a day, in Barabanki and Hardoi, this week, besides in Kannauj, Dimple Yadav’s Lok Sabha seat. “The situation has now changed. We have the support of the OBCs,” said state BJP vice-president JPS Rathore. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav faces a bigger challenge in Awadh. He faces the task of retaining the SP’s tally of 2012, when it had wiped out the BJP and BSP in the region under the leadership of his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. The SP, whose strongholds go to polls in this phase, had swept it in the last Assembly polls, despite a lower presence of its Yadav support base. BSP had won six seats and BJP five. The Modi-versus-Akhilesh debate has dominated the election scenario in Awadh, which could turn out to be a make-or-break region for both parties. Modi, who is the BJP’s strongest vote-puller in a battle without a chief ministerial face, underlined the fact that he was an MP from the state and described himself as UP’s ‘adopted son’. Meanwhile, BSP supremo Mayawati has promised a separate Bundelkhand to dent the SP’s bastion. Part of the Bundelkhand region, a parched region that falls at the bottom of all social indicators, overlaps the Assembly constituencies that are going to polls in the third phase. Addressing rallies on Saturday near Unnao and Etawah, Mayawati also raised the pitch of the campaign by declaring that if her party came to power, it will finish the RSS in UP. (This report first appeared in DNA)

UP elections, phase 3: BJP takes battle to Samajwadi Party stronghold

BJP president Amit Shah released the party&#39;s manifesto for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections promising to build the Ram temple at Ayodhya.

&quot;Efforts will be made to ensure that Ram temple is constructed under constitutional provisions,&quot; Amit Shah declared while releasing the BJP manifesto. This means BJP is back to propagating the hindutva agenda even as it tries to push the development card in the elections. The Ram temple is sure to be seized upon by the SP-Congress coalition and also the BSP, possibly at the cost of other major issues.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati (BSP) reacted sharply almost immediately at&nbsp;BJP&#39;s Ram temple promise, declaring&nbsp;&quot;the BJP is trying to mislead the people of Uttar Pradesh&quot;. Political parties across Uttar Pradesh will now try to checkmate the BJP on its Ram temple agenda at a crucial stage in the campaign, ahead of the first phase of voting on 11th February. &nbsp;

The BJP has named the manifesto as &nbsp;&#39;Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra&#39; (pledge for people&#39;s&nbsp;welfare) for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

&quot;BIMARU&#39; (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, UP) states have improved, but not Uttar Pradesh. Centre sanctioned Rs one lakh crore to Uttar Pradesh but no development has occurred, in fact,&nbsp;the law and order is at a new low,&quot; the BJP president added as he released the manifesto.

The document focuses on farmers&#39; welfare, Amit Shah said, adding agricultural loans will be waived once BJP comes to power. &quot;We will provide laptops to all students without any discrimination and provide free WI-Fi to all colleges and universities,&quot; he asserted. The BJP president also said special focus would be given to Bundelkhand for its all round development.

Special Task Force to be set up to put an end to illegal mining in the state, Shah stated.

The BJP in its manifesto has stated that there would no interviews for Class III and IV Uttar Pradesh government jobs to end corruption in recruitment and the party will form teams at district levels to check &quot;exodus&quot; of people due to communal tension.

The party has also promised to set up food processing parks and ensure uninterrupted power at cheaper rates for the poor.

BJP Uttar Pradesh election manifesto highlights:

* Rs 500 crore will be allocated for the Baba Ambedkar 
fund.

*All colleges and universities will have free Wi-Fi.

*Up to 6 lakh loan from permanent houses and toilets. BPL citizens to get 2 lakh life cover.

*24x7 electricity in all houses. PM has said before 2019, all villages will have electricity.

*Villages will be connected with mini-bus services. People will be able to use metro at any time with their families.

*There will be a Bundelkhand and Poorvanchal development board under the directed supervision of the chief minister&#39;s office.

*Redressal system in every district to sort our trader disputes.

*Rs 5,000 for every girl child born in poor families; no age bar for widow pensions which will be Rs 1000.

*The opinion of all women on triple talaq will be taken and placed in front of the Supreme Court. 
&nbsp;

(WION)

&nbsp;

BJP president Amit Shah said his party will form teams at the district level to check 'exodus' of people due to communal tension

BJP president Amit Shah released the party's manifesto for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections promising to build the Ram temple at Ayodhya. "Efforts will be made to ensure that Ram temple is constructed under constitutional provisions," Amit Shah declared while releasing the BJP manifesto. This means BJP is back to propagating the hindutva agenda even as it tries to push the development card in the elections. The Ram temple is sure to be seized upon by the SP-Congress coalition and also the BSP, possibly at the cost of other major issues. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati (BSP) reacted sharply almost immediately at BJP's Ram temple promise, declaring "the BJP is trying to mislead the people of Uttar Pradesh". Political parties across Uttar Pradesh will now try to checkmate the BJP on its Ram temple agenda at a crucial stage in the campaign, ahead of the first phase of voting on 11th February. The BJP has named the manifesto as 'Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra' (pledge for people's welfare) for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. "BIMARU' (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, UP) states have improved, but not Uttar Pradesh. Centre sanctioned Rs one lakh crore to Uttar Pradesh but no development has occurred, in fact, the law and order is at a new low," the BJP president added as he released the manifesto. The document focuses on farmers' welfare, Amit Shah said, adding agricultural loans will be waived once BJP comes to power. "We will provide laptops to all students without any discrimination and provide free WI-Fi to all colleges and universities," he asserted. The BJP president also said special focus would be given to Bundelkhand for its all round development. Special Task Force to be set up to put an end to illegal mining in the state, Shah stated. The BJP in its manifesto has stated that there would no interviews for Class III and IV Uttar Pradesh government jobs to end corruption in recruitment and the party will form teams at district levels to check "exodus" of people due to communal tension. The party has also promised to set up food processing parks and ensure uninterrupted power at cheaper rates for the poor. BJP Uttar Pradesh election manifesto highlights: * Rs 500 crore will be allocated for the Baba Ambedkar fund. *All colleges and universities will have free Wi-Fi. *Up to 6 lakh loan from permanent houses and toilets. BPL citizens to get 2 lakh life cover. *24x7 electricity in all houses. PM has said before 2019, all villages will have electricity. *Villages will be connected with mini-bus services. People will be able to use metro at any time with their families. *There will be a Bundelkhand and Poorvanchal development board under the directed supervision of the chief minister's office. *Redressal system in every district to sort our trader disputes. *Rs 5,000 for every girl child born in poor families; no age bar for widow pensions which will be Rs 1000. *The opinion of all women on triple talaq will be taken and placed in front of the Supreme Court. (WION)

BJP releases Uttar Pradesh election manifesto, promises to build Ram temple at  Ayodhya

BJP today appointed Nityanand Rai and Manoj Tiwari, both first time Lok Sabha members with contrasting background, as chief of its Bihar and Delhi units respectively, a decision seen as part of its effort to reach out to constituencies outside the party&#39;s traditional base in the two places.

Rai (50), a three-time MLA before he was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2014 from Ujiarpur in Bihar, has risen through the ranks, having been in ABVP, the students wing of RSS, and then the BJYM, BJP&#39;s youth wing, before being elected as an MLA for the first time in 2000.

Unlike Rai, Tiwari (43) is a rank outsider to the state put under his charge. He had joined the saffron party just before 2014 Lok Sabha polls. He had earlier contested from Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat on Samajwadi Party ticket in 2009 and lost.

The party top brass believes that Tiwari, a popular figure, especially among the numerically important constituency of migrants from Bihar and eastern UP, will infuse fresh energy and dynamism into the Delhi unit, which is at a low ebb having suffered successive defeats in the last two assembly polls.

A well-known Bhojpuri singer and actor, Tiwari had won from Delhi North-East constituency, which has a large migrant population.

His appointment underlines party&#39;s attempt to reach out to the ever-swelling number of the migrant electors, who mostly voted for AAP in the last assembly polls.

Rai is an organisation man, who enjoys the trust of BJP&#39;s state leadership.

Despite being a Yadav, a loyal support base of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, and thrice having got elected as MLA from Hajipur, which has significant presence of people from the community, Rai stuck with BJP.

In a state dominated by Mandal politics, his appointment highlights BJP&#39;s attempt to reach beyond its traditional support base of upper castes and some sections of OBCs.

Rai replaces Mangal Pandey, while Tiwari takes over from Satish Upadhyay, both Brahmins. Their tenures were long over and new appointments were awaited for the some time.&nbsp;

(PTI)

 
&nbsp;

Manoj Tiwari is a popular figure, especially among the numerically important constituency of migrants from Bihar and eastern UP

BJP today appointed Nityanand Rai and Manoj Tiwari, both first time Lok Sabha members with contrasting background, as chief of its Bihar and Delhi units respectively, a decision seen as part of its effort to reach out to constituencies outside the party's traditional base in the two places. Rai (50), a three-time MLA before he was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2014 from Ujiarpur in Bihar, has risen through the ranks, having been in ABVP, the students wing of RSS, and then the BJYM, BJP's youth wing, before being elected as an MLA for the first time in 2000. Unlike Rai, Tiwari (43) is a rank outsider to the state put under his charge. He had joined the saffron party just before 2014 Lok Sabha polls. He had earlier contested from Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat on Samajwadi Party ticket in 2009 and lost. The party top brass believes that Tiwari, a popular figure, especially among the numerically important constituency of migrants from Bihar and eastern UP, will infuse fresh energy and dynamism into the Delhi unit, which is at a low ebb having suffered successive defeats in the last two assembly polls. A well-known Bhojpuri singer and actor, Tiwari had won from Delhi North-East constituency, which has a large migrant population. His appointment underlines party's attempt to reach out to the ever-swelling number of the migrant electors, who mostly voted for AAP in the last assembly polls. Rai is an organisation man, who enjoys the trust of BJP's state leadership. Despite being a Yadav, a loyal support base of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, and thrice having got elected as MLA from Hajipur, which has significant presence of people from the community, Rai stuck with BJP. In a state dominated by Mandal politics, his appointment highlights BJP's attempt to reach beyond its traditional support base of upper castes and some sections of OBCs. Rai replaces Mangal Pandey, while Tiwari takes over from Satish Upadhyay, both Brahmins. Their tenures were long over and new appointments were awaited for the some time. (PTI)

Actor-turned-politician Manoj Tiwari is the new chief of BJP's Delhi unit

India&#39;s ruling Bhartiya Janata Party&#39;s &nbsp;president Amit Shah on Friday launched a counter-attack on the opposition asking them to clarify whether they are &nbsp;for or against demonisation, saying that he questioned the political leaders&rsquo; commitment to do the same. He asked the opposition to clarify whether they were &quot;for or against black money and terror funded by fake notes&quot;. Shah specifically called out Delhi chief minister &nbsp;Arvind Kejriwal, saying, &ldquo;Arvind Kejriwal, make clear whether you support weeding out black money.&rdquo;

 
Attacking the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who called the demonetisation &ldquo;draconian&rdquo;, the BJP president said, &ldquo;I know Mamata Banerjee opposed the move, but politicians shouldn&rsquo;t join ranks of black marketeers, drug dealers who are upset.&rdquo;&nbsp;

 
However, contrary to this position, back in 2014, when &nbsp;the Congress led-United Progressive Alliance government had called in for demonetisation of currency notes issued before 2005, BJP had called it an&quot;anti-poor&quot; move which would badly affect the illiterate and poor living in remote areas of the country.

 
&quot;The latest gimmick of the finance ministry to demonetise the notes, printed before 2005, is an attempt to obfuscate the issue of black money stashed outside the country... This measure is strongly anti-poor. The &#39;aam aurats&#39; and the &#39;aadmis&#39; - those who are illiterate and have no access to banking facilities will be the ones to be hit by such diversionary measures,&quot;BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi had told the media in 2014.

 
65 per cent of people in India do not have bank accounts and are living in remote areas, they store their money in cash, she had said.

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&ldquo; They will fall victim to middlemen who will scare them that the notes are worthless and charge them hefty fees to convert them. They will also be ripped off by shopkeepers,&quot; the BJP leader had claimed.

Lekhi had went on to accuse the UPA government of not being in a position to measure the correct quantum of black money as those possessing it would convert them into new currency notes.

 
&nbsp;&quot;This policy of Mr P Chidambaram is only meant for the blue blood and not for the sweating, red-blooded, toiling millions. It is not going to affect those who have numbered accounts in Swiss accounts, but will hit those who do not have any bank account even in India.&quot;, she had said.&nbsp;

 
The step is not going to affect those who have their savings in US dollars and other foreign currencies, but those who have saved in rupees, Lekhi had said.

 
It is certain that in times to come, as the debate unfolds further, BJP will have a tough time in responding to those Indians who have been drastically hit by the move as alleged by the opposition parties.&nbsp;

 
(WION) 
&nbsp;

The party had opposed the very same move in January 2014 when a Congress-led government was in power

India's ruling Bhartiya Janata Party's president Amit Shah on Friday launched a counter-attack on the opposition asking them to clarify whether they are for or against demonisation, saying that he questioned the political leaders’ commitment to do the same. He asked the opposition to clarify whether they were "for or against black money and terror funded by fake notes". Shah specifically called out Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying, “Arvind Kejriwal, make clear whether you support weeding out black money.” Attacking the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who called the demonetisation “draconian”, the BJP president said, “I know Mamata Banerjee opposed the move, but politicians shouldn’t join ranks of black marketeers, drug dealers who are upset.” However, contrary to this position, back in 2014, when the Congress led-United Progressive Alliance government had called in for demonetisation of currency notes issued before 2005, BJP had called it an"anti-poor" move which would badly affect the illiterate and poor living in remote areas of the country. "The latest gimmick of the finance ministry to demonetise the notes, printed before 2005, is an attempt to obfuscate the issue of black money stashed outside the country... This measure is strongly anti-poor. The 'aam aurats' and the 'aadmis' - those who are illiterate and have no access to banking facilities will be the ones to be hit by such diversionary measures,"BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi had told the media in 2014. 65 per cent of people in India do not have bank accounts and are living in remote areas, they store their money in cash, she had said. “ They will fall victim to middlemen who will scare them that the notes are worthless and charge them hefty fees to convert them. They will also be ripped off by shopkeepers," the BJP leader had claimed. Lekhi had went on to accuse the UPA government of not being in a position to measure the correct quantum of black money as those possessing it would convert them into new currency notes. "This policy of Mr P Chidambaram is only meant for the blue blood and not for the sweating, red-blooded, toiling millions. It is not going to affect those who have numbered accounts in Swiss accounts, but will hit those who do not have any bank account even in India.", she had said. The step is not going to affect those who have their savings in US dollars and other foreign currencies, but those who have saved in rupees, Lekhi had said. It is certain that in times to come, as the debate unfolds further, BJP will have a tough time in responding to those Indians who have been drastically hit by the move as alleged by the opposition parties. (WION)

Demonetisation: BJP says good for economy now, but had opposed in 2014

Right to expression should not be used as an excuse to criticise the country, Amit Shah, the chief of India&#39;s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said at the India Ideas conclave in Goa today.&nbsp;

In an indirect swipe at the main opposition party, Congress, Shah said that &quot;criticising politicians, the Prime Minister and political parties is part of the democratic tradition, but should not be confused with national pride and honour of the country&quot;. &nbsp;

He said that being critical of the country in the name of freedom of expression is unacceptable. &quot;National pride is integral to the democratic process in India and it must be respected.&quot;

Discussing the nation&#39;s development and political dissent under the larger rubric of &#39;India at 70&#39;, Shah claimed that those who came to power after the birth of the nation &quot;took little pride in their heritage&quot; and the aim of equal engagement was soon replaced with the &quot;politics of appeasement&quot;.&nbsp;

Despite developing over the years, India has not been able to remove the shackles of dynastic politics, he said. &quot;Barring a couple of parties, inner-party democracy is absent from Indian politics and political families run them like personal empires.&quot;

Shah admitted that some good work was done in the past 70 years, but said it did not match up with the potential. &quot;Our leaders failed to resurrect the real identity of India.&quot;

He said that a focus on &quot;unity in diversity&quot; instead of &quot;national integration&quot; had a very different outcome than that planned.&nbsp;

Highlighting the work done by the Narendra Modi government, Shah said that the government&#39;s defence and foreign affairs policies have aligned for the first time and that had not been the case under the Congress-led government.

(WION)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Amit Shah's remarks come against the backdrop of criticism of the government by the Opposition

Right to expression should not be used as an excuse to criticise the country, Amit Shah, the chief of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said at the India Ideas conclave in Goa today. In an indirect swipe at the main opposition party, Congress, Shah said that "criticising politicians, the Prime Minister and political parties is part of the democratic tradition, but should not be confused with national pride and honour of the country". He said that being critical of the country in the name of freedom of expression is unacceptable. "National pride is integral to the democratic process in India and it must be respected." Discussing the nation's development and political dissent under the larger rubric of 'India at 70', Shah claimed that those who came to power after the birth of the nation "took little pride in their heritage" and the aim of equal engagement was soon replaced with the "politics of appeasement". Despite developing over the years, India has not been able to remove the shackles of dynastic politics, he said. "Barring a couple of parties, inner-party democracy is absent from Indian politics and political families run them like personal empires." Shah admitted that some good work was done in the past 70 years, but said it did not match up with the potential. "Our leaders failed to resurrect the real identity of India." He said that a focus on "unity in diversity" instead of "national integration" had a very different outcome than that planned. Highlighting the work done by the Narendra Modi government, Shah said that the government's defence and foreign affairs policies have aligned for the first time and that had not been the case under the Congress-led government. (WION)

Accept criticism against government, not country: India's ruling party chief

There was massive chaos at a programme attended by India&#39;s ruling party BJP President Amit Shah in Surat, Gujarat, on Thursday. 
 
Supporters of&nbsp;Hardik Patel, the face of Patidar reservation protests, damaged&nbsp;furniture and booed&nbsp;speakers including the BJP president. They also repeatedly chanted Patel&#39;s name to demonstrate their support for him. 
 
Chaos prevailed outside the venue as well as in Mota Varraccha area&nbsp;where Patidar community members from the locality hurled stones at the police. 
 
?The function was wound up hastily within minutes, with Patel leaders cutting short their speeches while Shah spoke only for four minutes amid&nbsp;sloganeering. 
 
The event was organised by prominent Patel businessmen in Surat to felicitate BJP leaders of their community in the presence of party chief Amit Shah. 
 
BJP, which is struggling hard to regain the support of numerically strong Patidars in Gujarat after the community led by Patel launched the quota agitation, made this event a prestige issue. 
 
City-based prominent businessmen formed a group called &#39;Patidar Abhivadan Samiti&#39;&nbsp;to honour new state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani, Gujarat&#39;s deputy chief minister Nitin Patel and senior&nbsp;ministers of Patel community. 
 
&quot;This felicitation of Patidar leaders is for the community, is for the state and is for the nation,&quot; said full page advertisements given in vernacular newspapers across the state by the organisation.&nbsp; 
 
The Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) had earlier made its intention clear that it is going to oppose the felicitation programme. But few would have guessed that things would go out of control there. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Amit Shah's speech was curtailed amid vociferous sloganeering by supporters of Hardik Patel, the leader of a reservation agitation in India

There was massive chaos at a programme attended by India's ruling party BJP President Amit Shah in Surat, Gujarat, on Thursday. Supporters of Hardik Patel, the face of Patidar reservation protests, damaged furniture and booed speakers including the BJP president. They also repeatedly chanted Patel's name to demonstrate their support for him. Chaos prevailed outside the venue as well as in Mota Varraccha area where Patidar community members from the locality hurled stones at the police. ?The function was wound up hastily within minutes, with Patel leaders cutting short their speeches while Shah spoke only for four minutes amid sloganeering. The event was organised by prominent Patel businessmen in Surat to felicitate BJP leaders of their community in the presence of party chief Amit Shah. BJP, which is struggling hard to regain the support of numerically strong Patidars in Gujarat after the community led by Patel launched the quota agitation, made this event a prestige issue. City-based prominent businessmen formed a group called 'Patidar Abhivadan Samiti' to honour new state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani, Gujarat's deputy chief minister Nitin Patel and senior ministers of Patel community. "This felicitation of Patidar leaders is for the community, is for the state and is for the nation," said full page advertisements given in vernacular newspapers across the state by the organisation. The Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) had earlier made its intention clear that it is going to oppose the felicitation programme. But few would have guessed that things would go out of control there. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Vandalism, boos mar event attended by India's ruling party president

India&#39;s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah set the election tone in northern state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) as he accused the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of favouring only few sections of the society.&nbsp; 
 
He said the saffron party (BJP) believes in &#39;Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas&#39; (development for all).&nbsp; 
 
Addressing a public rally at UP&#39;s Kakori, Shah also attempted to corner the grand old party Congress and said the nation is lagging behind on the developmental path as one family governed India for 60 years since independence. 
 
&quot;Without Uttar Pradesh&#39;s development, the country&#39;s development is not possible. If the Samajwadi Party or the Bahujan Samaj Party comes to power.can Uttar Pradesh develop? Will you get 24 hours electricity? Will cases like Bulandshahr gangrape case stop? If the Samajwadi Party or Bahujan Samaj Party come to power in Uttar Pradesh, they will work only for a particular community, but the Bharatiya Janata Party believes in &#39;Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas&#39;,&quot; he added. 
 
The BJP chief&#39;s assertion assumes significance as the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh is scheduled to take place next year. All four major parties -- BJP, SP, BSP and Congress -- are eyeing the polls in the state that has an estimated population of around 200 million. The state has 80 parliamentary constituencies, which makes it one of the most politically important state in the country.&nbsp; 
 
Shah arrived here earlier in the day to lead the &#39;Tiranga Yatra&#39; organised by the BJP to pay homage to India&#39;s freedom fighters on Independence Day. 
 
The &#39;Tiranga Yatra&#39; is a part of the Independence Day celebrations, the plans for which were discussed during a party meet held with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union minister M Venkaiah Naidu. 
 
The BJP members of parliament (MP) will carry out the Yatra for a week between August 15 and August 22 and spread the message of harmony to commemorate the 70th anniversary of India`s independence. 
 
The Prime Minister has also asked the BJP MPs to highlight the contributions of freedom fighters and martyrs among school children.&nbsp; 
 
(ANI)&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

The BJP chief's assertion assumes significance in Uttar Pradesh, set to undergo polls next year, as it has 80 parliamentary constituencies

India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah set the election tone in northern state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) as he accused the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of favouring only few sections of the society. He said the saffron party (BJP) believes in 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' (development for all). Addressing a public rally at UP's Kakori, Shah also attempted to corner the grand old party Congress and said the nation is lagging behind on the developmental path as one family governed India for 60 years since independence. "Without Uttar Pradesh's development, the country's development is not possible. If the Samajwadi Party or the Bahujan Samaj Party comes to power.can Uttar Pradesh develop? Will you get 24 hours electricity? Will cases like Bulandshahr gangrape case stop? If the Samajwadi Party or Bahujan Samaj Party come to power in Uttar Pradesh, they will work only for a particular community, but the Bharatiya Janata Party believes in 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'," he added. The BJP chief's assertion assumes significance as the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh is scheduled to take place next year. All four major parties -- BJP, SP, BSP and Congress -- are eyeing the polls in the state that has an estimated population of around 200 million. The state has 80 parliamentary constituencies, which makes it one of the most politically important state in the country. Shah arrived here earlier in the day to lead the 'Tiranga Yatra' organised by the BJP to pay homage to India's freedom fighters on Independence Day. The 'Tiranga Yatra' is a part of the Independence Day celebrations, the plans for which were discussed during a party meet held with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union minister M Venkaiah Naidu. The BJP members of parliament (MP) will carry out the Yatra for a week between August 15 and August 22 and spread the message of harmony to commemorate the 70th anniversary of India`s independence. The Prime Minister has also asked the BJP MPs to highlight the contributions of freedom fighters and martyrs among school children. (ANI)

India's ruling party chief Amit Shah sounds poll bugle in 'politically important' Uttar Pradesh?

Vijay Rupani was elected today as the new chief minister of western Indian state of Guajrat after senior members of India&#39;s ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), including state lawmakers, met national president Amit Shah here.&nbsp; 
 
Rupani has been elected two days after Anandiben Patel stepped down as the chief minister, citing her age as the cause of the resignation. 
 
Nitin Patel, who was speculated to be elected as chief minister, will serve as deputy chief minister of the state. 
 
It&#39;s pertinent to mention Rupani was in charge of &nbsp;transport, water supply, labor and employment in Anandiben&#39;s cabinet.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Vijay Rupani to be the next Chief Minister of Gujarat. Nitin Patel to be the Deputy CM, announces Nitin Gadkari. <a href="https://t.co/Dk95cDhmtU">pic.twitter.com/Dk95cDhmtU</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/761541731850588160">August 5, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Vijay Rupani &amp; Nitin Patel being felicitated by Nitin Gadkari, Amit Shah &amp; Anandiben Patel in Gandhinagar (Gujarat) <a href="https://t.co/F1JZJMNgdn">pic.twitter.com/F1JZJMNgdn</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/761542422207791104">August 5, 2016</a></blockquote>
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(ANI)

Rupani was elected today after former chief minister Anandiben Patel stepped down, citing her age as cause of resignation

Vijay Rupani was elected today as the new chief minister of western Indian state of Guajrat after senior members of India's ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), including state lawmakers, met national president Amit Shah here. Rupani has been elected two days after Anandiben Patel stepped down as the chief minister, citing her age as the cause of the resignation. Nitin Patel, who was speculated to be elected as chief minister, will serve as deputy chief minister of the state. It's pertinent to mention Rupani was in charge of transport, water supply, labor and employment in Anandiben's cabinet. Vijay Rupani to be the next Chief Minister of Gujarat. Nitin Patel to be the Deputy CM, announces Nitin Gadkari. pic.twitter.com/Dk95cDhmtU — ANI (@ANI_news) August 5, 2016 Vijay Rupani & Nitin Patel being felicitated by Nitin Gadkari, Amit Shah & Anandiben Patel in Gandhinagar (Gujarat) pic.twitter.com/F1JZJMNgdn — ANI (@ANI_news) August 5, 2016 (ANI)

Vijay Rupani takes over as Indian state Gujarat's chief minister

Amid speculations that the chief of India&#39;s ruling party, Amit Shah may be asked to take over the reins in India&#39;s western Gujarat state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) central leadership today made it clear that a member of legislative assembly (MLA) would be assigned job, adding two observers are being sent to the state to hold talks with the legislators. 
 
The BJP central leadership during a parliamentary party meeting decided to send senior leaders - Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey - as observers to the state. 
 
Talking to the media after the meeting, union minister M Venkaiah Naidu said a meeting of the Gujarat legislators would be called in which a decision regarding the new chief ministerial candidate would be taken. 
 
&quot;Central leadership Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey will attend the meeting. They will hold talks with the MLAs and others there and together they will decide the chief minister,&quot; he said. 
 
Naidu also made it clear that there was no question of appointing the BJP president as the Gujarat chief minister. 
 
&quot;Amit Shah will be part of the meeting and will consult everyone about selecting the (next) leader.&nbsp;There is no question of Amit Shah, he is the national president,&quot; he said. 
 
The union minister praised Anandiben Patel for her decision to step down as the Gujarat chief minister citing age. 
 
Stating this decision would send a good message to the party workers, Naidu also informed that Anandiben would today submit her resignation to the governor of the state.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The parliamentary board has accepted her wish after discussion. The parliamentary board has praised her for her leadership over all these years in different posts,&quot; he said. 
 
(ANI)&nbsp;

A meeting of legislators would be called in western state of Gujarat to identify Anandiben's successor, said union minister M Venkaih Naidu

Amid speculations that the chief of India's ruling party, Amit Shah may be asked to take over the reins in India's western Gujarat state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) central leadership today made it clear that a member of legislative assembly (MLA) would be assigned job, adding two observers are being sent to the state to hold talks with the legislators. The BJP central leadership during a parliamentary party meeting decided to send senior leaders - Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey - as observers to the state. Talking to the media after the meeting, union minister M Venkaiah Naidu said a meeting of the Gujarat legislators would be called in which a decision regarding the new chief ministerial candidate would be taken. "Central leadership Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey will attend the meeting. They will hold talks with the MLAs and others there and together they will decide the chief minister," he said. Naidu also made it clear that there was no question of appointing the BJP president as the Gujarat chief minister. "Amit Shah will be part of the meeting and will consult everyone about selecting the (next) leader. There is no question of Amit Shah, he is the national president," he said. The union minister praised Anandiben Patel for her decision to step down as the Gujarat chief minister citing age. Stating this decision would send a good message to the party workers, Naidu also informed that Anandiben would today submit her resignation to the governor of the state. "The parliamentary board has accepted her wish after discussion. The parliamentary board has praised her for her leadership over all these years in different posts," he said. (ANI)

'National president' Amit Shah not in Gujarat CM race, clarifies India's ruling party

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India's ruling party chief Amit Shah sounds poll bugle in 'politically important' Uttar Pradesh?

Vijay Rupani takes over as Indian state Gujarat's chief minister

'National president' Amit Shah not in Gujarat CM race, clarifies India's ruling party

'National president' Amit Shah not in Gujarat CM race, clarifies India's ruling party