Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the BJP Parliamentary Party meet directed all the MPs, ministers and workers to spend 72 hours in an area assigned to them by the party. BJP leaders and workers would connect with all the educational institutions around that area as part of the drive thereby connecting the party with &#39;new&#39;&nbsp;India. Sources in the BJP said that this drive will be completed before the government formation day -- May 26.

Sources also said that BJP all members including ministers have been advised by the Prime Minister to give suggestions to improve the functioning of the party and government before May 26.

Modi in his speech also made it clear that that next month would be dedicated to Dr BR Ambedkar. Prime Minister in his speech said that between 6th and 14th of April, BJP would organise social functions in memory of&nbsp;BR Ambedkar. April 6 is the party foundation day of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and April 14 is the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar. In order to connect with the social constituency, every BJP MP would participate in sanitation drive and it would be organised around a polling station connecting the social constituency with the electoral grid.

It is not without significance that after Vemulla controversy, BJP has been extremely careful when it comes to any policy response either on the Dalit issue or the legacy of Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

Modi also urged that party workers should campaign to popularise Diji Dhan and Bhim app which PM described as a new currency. He said that the use of Bhim app would save small enterprises from money lenders and would act as a catalyst for social transformation at the lowest level.

BJP has also decided to organise massive rallies across the country on Ambedkar&#39;s birthday with his photographs. Sources said that every part of the organisation would be exercised to make these rallies successful. 
Sources said that Prime Minister said in the meeting that the perception about the government in the country is changing. PM said, &quot; Earlier the people felt that the government is doing something but now they say that it is a performing government.&quot;

BJP President Amit Shah also addressed the BJP Parliamentary party. He said that the recent elections have released the democracy from the shackles of appeasement, nepotism and casteism. He said that the result of 2017 should not make BJP complacent and they should start preparing for 2019.

BJP also passed a resolution thanking people for giving them a good mandate. The resolution also took a dig at the Opposition as the resolution stated that Opposition should understand the real message of the verdict and will be constructive in the approach. The Parliamentary party resolution also thanked Narendra Modi and Amit Shah for the leadership.

The resolution also stated that though numbers are required to form a government but it is actually run through consensus and BJP is committed to that principle. PM was also thanked for initiatives like surgical strike and demonetisation.&nbsp;

(WION)

Indian PM Modi also hopes for Bhim app to act as a catalyst for social transformation at the lowest level

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the BJP Parliamentary Party meet directed all the MPs, ministers and workers to spend 72 hours in an area assigned to them by the party. BJP leaders and workers would connect with all the educational institutions around that area as part of the drive thereby connecting the party with 'new' India. Sources in the BJP said that this drive will be completed before the government formation day -- May 26. Sources also said that BJP all members including ministers have been advised by the Prime Minister to give suggestions to improve the functioning of the party and government before May 26. Modi in his speech also made it clear that that next month would be dedicated to Dr BR Ambedkar. Prime Minister in his speech said that between 6th and 14th of April, BJP would organise social functions in memory of BR Ambedkar. April 6 is the party foundation day of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and April 14 is the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar. In order to connect with the social constituency, every BJP MP would participate in sanitation drive and it would be organised around a polling station connecting the social constituency with the electoral grid. It is not without significance that after Vemulla controversy, BJP has been extremely careful when it comes to any policy response either on the Dalit issue or the legacy of Bhim Rao Ambedkar. Modi also urged that party workers should campaign to popularise Diji Dhan and Bhim app which PM described as a new currency. He said that the use of Bhim app would save small enterprises from money lenders and would act as a catalyst for social transformation at the lowest level. BJP has also decided to organise massive rallies across the country on Ambedkar's birthday with his photographs. Sources said that every part of the organisation would be exercised to make these rallies successful. Sources said that Prime Minister said in the meeting that the perception about the government in the country is changing. PM said, " Earlier the people felt that the government is doing something but now they say that it is a performing government." BJP President Amit Shah also addressed the BJP Parliamentary party. He said that the recent elections have released the democracy from the shackles of appeasement, nepotism and casteism. He said that the result of 2017 should not make BJP complacent and they should start preparing for 2019. BJP also passed a resolution thanking people for giving them a good mandate. The resolution also took a dig at the Opposition as the resolution stated that Opposition should understand the real message of the verdict and will be constructive in the approach. The Parliamentary party resolution also thanked Narendra Modi and Amit Shah for the leadership. The resolution also stated that though numbers are required to form a government but it is actually run through consensus and BJP is committed to that principle. PM was also thanked for initiatives like surgical strike and demonetisation. (WION)

India: BJP eyes Dalit outreach through Ambedkar birth anniversary events

Manohar Parrikar, who resigned as India&#39;s defence minister to become the next chief minister of Goa, was sworn-in as the next head of India&#39;s tiny western state on Tuesday.

But Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, has come under severe criticism from the Congress who have accused them of &quot;murdering&quot; democracy.

India&#39;s top court on Tuesday&nbsp;allowed Parrikar to be sworn in as the chief minister but asked him to undergo a floor test on Thursday to prove the numbers.

The political churn started soon after the recently-held Goa elections when Congress won 17 Assembly seats as against BJP&#39;s 13. But the BJP outsmarted the Congress by forging post-poll alliances with regional parties and thereby staking their claim on government formation.

The Congress subsequently turned to India&#39;s Supreme Court to intervene in the matter, arguing they have the first right to prove the majority as they were the single-largest party.

To read more about the story, click <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/india-assembly-elections-top-court-orders-floor-test-in-goa-greenlights-parrikars-swearing-in-13353">here</a>.

(WION)

Parrikar took the oath amid protests outside Raj Bhavan

Manohar Parrikar, who resigned as India's defence minister to become the next chief minister of Goa, was sworn-in as the next head of India's tiny western state on Tuesday. But Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, has come under severe criticism from the Congress who have accused them of "murdering" democracy. India's top court on Tuesday allowed Parrikar to be sworn in as the chief minister but asked him to undergo a floor test on Thursday to prove the numbers. The political churn started soon after the recently-held Goa elections when Congress won 17 Assembly seats as against BJP's 13. But the BJP outsmarted the Congress by forging post-poll alliances with regional parties and thereby staking their claim on government formation. The Congress subsequently turned to India's Supreme Court to intervene in the matter, arguing they have the first right to prove the majority as they were the single-largest party. To read more about the story, click here. (WION)

Manohar Parrikar sworn in as Goa chief minister

Riding high on a BJP victory in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the BSE Sensex today touched a two year high and ended at 29442.63, up 496.4 points, and the Nifty crossed the 9000 barrier and closed above it for the first time.

Solid Index of Industrial Production numbers alo propelled the markets to new highs as investors felt confident that the reform agenda will be pushed harder by the BJP government. 
&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Earlier, the Chief Economic Adviser, Arvind Subramanian, said that the election verdict will give the Modi government a &quot;political mandate&quot; to carry out its economic agenda, reported PTI.

&quot;The government now has the political mandate for doing what it wants to do. And that will include how do we further the development process,&quot; Subramanian told PTI on the sidelines of the event.

&quot;What specifically needs to be done, that we&#39;ll see. But I think there is a strong political mandate for the government and the Prime Minister,&quot; he said.

On demonetisation, he said that there are a number of milestones which need to be achieved to call it a success.

The verdict also points to the fact that the government&#39;s demonetisation move received a thumbs-up from the people.&nbsp;

The verdict will help BJP gain in terms of increasing its Rajya Sabha strength and a smooth passage for its economic and social agendas.

(WION with inputs from PTI) &nbsp;

The rally was backed by solid IIP numbers

Riding high on a BJP victory in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the BSE Sensex today touched a two year high and ended at 29442.63, up 496.4 points, and the Nifty crossed the 9000 barrier and closed above it for the first time. Solid Index of Industrial Production numbers alo propelled the markets to new highs as investors felt confident that the reform agenda will be pushed harder by the BJP government. Earlier, the Chief Economic Adviser, Arvind Subramanian, said that the election verdict will give the Modi government a "political mandate" to carry out its economic agenda, reported PTI. "The government now has the political mandate for doing what it wants to do. And that will include how do we further the development process," Subramanian told PTI on the sidelines of the event. "What specifically needs to be done, that we'll see. But I think there is a strong political mandate for the government and the Prime Minister," he said. On demonetisation, he said that there are a number of milestones which need to be achieved to call it a success. The verdict also points to the fact that the government's demonetisation move received a thumbs-up from the people. The verdict will help BJP gain in terms of increasing its Rajya Sabha strength and a smooth passage for its economic and social agendas. (WION with inputs from PTI)

BJP victory in state elections propels Sensex to two-year high

In a bid to &quot;infuse fresh blood&quot; into the upcoming municipal polls, scheduled to be held on April 22, the Delhi BJP has decided to drop all its sitting councillors from the list of candidates.

The announcement was made by the party&#39;s Delhi chief Manoj Tiwari in a press conference here today.

&quot;We have unanimously decided to field fresh faces in the municipal elections. Even family members of the councillors and party leaders will not be given tickets,&quot; he said.

The move is seen as a gamble by the BJP, which has been in power at the civic bodies since 2007, to pre-empt the AAP and Congress from cornering it over charges of corruption against the sitting councillors.

Tiwari said the decision was a step towards realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s vision of a &quot;new India&quot; driven by the power of the youth.

BJP&#39;s Delhi MPs Harsh Vardhan, Maheish Girri, Parvesh Verma and Udit Raj were present at the press conference, ostensibly in a move to project the party&#39;s unity over the decision.

When asked, Tiwari brushed aside speculations that the step may result in infighting and the standing councillors rebelling against the party.

&quot;In BJP, people do not work for posts. Everyone will work together and people will also accept it,&quot; he said.

The Bhojpuri actor-turned-politician also attacked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying the verdicts at Punjab and Goa have &quot;shown AAP the mirror and it will face a similar situation in Delhi.&quot;

The BJP has 153 councillors in the three civic bodies, namely North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC). These bodies constitute 272 seats, with NDMC and SDMC accounting for 104 seats each, while 64 seats fall under EDMC.

(PTI)

The polls are scheduled to be held on April 22, the state election commission announced

In a bid to "infuse fresh blood" into the upcoming municipal polls, scheduled to be held on April 22, the Delhi BJP has decided to drop all its sitting councillors from the list of candidates. The announcement was made by the party's Delhi chief Manoj Tiwari in a press conference here today. "We have unanimously decided to field fresh faces in the municipal elections. Even family members of the councillors and party leaders will not be given tickets," he said. The move is seen as a gamble by the BJP, which has been in power at the civic bodies since 2007, to pre-empt the AAP and Congress from cornering it over charges of corruption against the sitting councillors. Tiwari said the decision was a step towards realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a "new India" driven by the power of the youth. BJP's Delhi MPs Harsh Vardhan, Maheish Girri, Parvesh Verma and Udit Raj were present at the press conference, ostensibly in a move to project the party's unity over the decision. When asked, Tiwari brushed aside speculations that the step may result in infighting and the standing councillors rebelling against the party. "In BJP, people do not work for posts. Everyone will work together and people will also accept it," he said. The Bhojpuri actor-turned-politician also attacked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying the verdicts at Punjab and Goa have "shown AAP the mirror and it will face a similar situation in Delhi." The BJP has 153 councillors in the three civic bodies, namely North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC). These bodies constitute 272 seats, with NDMC and SDMC accounting for 104 seats each, while 64 seats fall under EDMC. (PTI)

Delhi civic polls: BJP drops sitting councillors to avoid possible graft charges

The Sensex&#39;s gains slipped, but the gauge is still trading higher today by 482 points, powered by a huge sweep by the BJP in Uttar Pradesh&nbsp;and Uttarakhand and a higher probability of the party forming government in other states.

The broader Nifty came off from record highs while holding on to the key 9,000 level.

Solid IIP numbers and strong FII inflows bolstered sentiment too.

Barring telecom counters which witnessed profit- booking, buying was led by capital goods, financials, realty, industrials and auto, among others.

The Sensex opened gap-up at 29,437.23 and hovered in a range of 29,561.93 and 29,356.05 before trading at 29,428.40 at 1155 hours, a gain of 482.17 points, or 1.67 per cent.

The NSE 50-share Nifty was also up 146.65 points, or 1.64 per cent, to quote at 9,081.20 at 1155 hours.

Major gainers were ICICI bank (5.82 per cent), L&amp;T (4.17 per cent), HDFC (3.39 per cent), ITC (2.39 per cent) and Asian Paints (2.27 per cent).

Meanwhile, foreign funds bought net Rs 412.14 crore last Friday, as per the provisional figures.

India&#39;s wholesale prices rose a more-than-expected 6.55 per cent year-on-year in February, compared with a 0.85 per cent fall a year ago, driven by fuel and food prices, government data showed on Tuesday.

The data compares with a 5.90 per cent annual rise forecast by economists in a Reuters poll. In January, prices rose a provisional 5.25 per cent, the fastest pace in two-and-a-half years.

Last month, wholesale food prices rose 2.69 per cent year-on-year, compared with a provisional 0.56 per cent fall in January.

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Annual rate of inflation, based on monthly WPI, stood at 6.55% for February, 2017 as compared to 5.25% for previous month.
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/841542031549767680">March 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

Modi&#39;s victory &quot;is a huge confidence boost for reform and is another step on the way to a story that could place him as one of the most successful reformers in history,&quot; said Simon Quijano-Evans, investment strategist at Legal &amp; General Investment Management in London.

The prime minister&#39;s win should bode well for foreign portfolio investment in India.

Foreign investors have already started returning to the country, having bought a net $1.5 billion in equities and $887.3 million in debt in February, following four consecutive months of net sales. They have remained net buyers in March.

But expensive valuations and caution due to an anticipated rate hike by the US&nbsp;Federal Reserve this week could temper gains.

Indian shares are trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.85 over the next 12 months, compared with their five-year historic average of 17.8, according to Thomson Reuters data.

(Agencies)

Investors are betting the victory in UP will embolden the ruling BJP to embark on more reforms including launching the GST

The Sensex's gains slipped, but the gauge is still trading higher today by 482 points, powered by a huge sweep by the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and a higher probability of the party forming government in other states. The broader Nifty came off from record highs while holding on to the key 9,000 level. Solid IIP numbers and strong FII inflows bolstered sentiment too. Barring telecom counters which witnessed profit- booking, buying was led by capital goods, financials, realty, industrials and auto, among others. The Sensex opened gap-up at 29,437.23 and hovered in a range of 29,561.93 and 29,356.05 before trading at 29,428.40 at 1155 hours, a gain of 482.17 points, or 1.67 per cent. The NSE 50-share Nifty was also up 146.65 points, or 1.64 per cent, to quote at 9,081.20 at 1155 hours. Major gainers were ICICI bank (5.82 per cent), L&T (4.17 per cent), HDFC (3.39 per cent), ITC (2.39 per cent) and Asian Paints (2.27 per cent). Meanwhile, foreign funds bought net Rs 412.14 crore last Friday, as per the provisional figures. India's wholesale prices rose a more-than-expected 6.55 per cent year-on-year in February, compared with a 0.85 per cent fall a year ago, driven by fuel and food prices, government data showed on Tuesday. The data compares with a 5.90 per cent annual rise forecast by economists in a Reuters poll. In January, prices rose a provisional 5.25 per cent, the fastest pace in two-and-a-half years. Last month, wholesale food prices rose 2.69 per cent year-on-year, compared with a provisional 0.56 per cent fall in January. Annual rate of inflation, based on monthly WPI, stood at 6.55% for February, 2017 as compared to 5.25% for previous month. — ANI (@ANI_news) March 14, 2017 × Modi's victory "is a huge confidence boost for reform and is another step on the way to a story that could place him as one of the most successful reformers in history," said Simon Quijano-Evans, investment strategist at Legal & General Investment Management in London. The prime minister's win should bode well for foreign portfolio investment in India. Foreign investors have already started returning to the country, having bought a net $1.5 billion in equities and $887.3 million in debt in February, following four consecutive months of net sales. They have remained net buyers in March. But expensive valuations and caution due to an anticipated rate hike by the US Federal Reserve this week could temper gains. Indian shares are trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.85 over the next 12 months, compared with their five-year historic average of 17.8, according to Thomson Reuters data. (Agencies)

BJP's big UP victory boosts Sensex, Nifty

The Congress has approached the Supreme Court to stop Manohar Parrikar from being the next chief minister of India&#39;s western Goa state.

The party, which emerged as the single largest party in the assembly elections in the state, claimed&nbsp;they had&nbsp;the first right to form the government having&nbsp;won more legislative seats than the BJP.

The top court will hear the petition at 11 am today (March 14). 
&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Appealed SC that Parrikar&#39;s appt as Goa CM be quashed,SC admitted petition will be heard at 11am tomorrow: Sunil Kawthankar, Goa Cong Spox <a href="https://t.co/smo77ZcLoQ">pic.twitter.com/smo77ZcLoQ</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/841321718178304000">March 13, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

The BJP yesterday (March 13) said it had the support of 21 MLAs, the exact number needed to prove majority in the 40-member House.

The party&nbsp;had managed to win 13 of the 40 legislative seats, falling eight seats from securing a majority and winning four seats less than the Congress&#39;s 17.

But the BJP&nbsp;forged alliances with&nbsp;Goa Forward Party (GFP) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) --&nbsp;both won three seats each -- and the support of two independent candidates to outmanouvre Congress to reach the majority number.

Congress, which was the single-largest party with 17 seats but short of staking their claim to form the government, has cried hoarse about BJP&#39;s move, accusing them of &quot;murdering&quot; democracy. 
 
The Congress, which until yesterday had failed to muster the numbers, today (March 13) said it has the requisite support of the legislators. 
 
The party&nbsp;on Monday&nbsp;urged Goa Governor Mridula Sinha to invite the Congress to form the next government by virtue of being the single largest party.

In a memorandum submitted to the Governor on Monday night, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) claimed to have the requisite support and that they can prove the same on the floor of the House.

&quot;Any invitation to the BJP to form the government at this stage without first giving an opportunity to the single largest party (Congress) would mitigate against the essential democratic rights of the people of the state who have chosen the Congress as the single largest party in the state,&quot; the memorandum said.

&quot;Despite losing the mandate of the people, our political opponents (BJP) have tried to misrepresent to your good-self that they enjoy the majority support of legislators. This is not only opportunism at its lowest but is also not constitutionally permissible,&quot; Goa CLP Leader Chandrakant Kavlekar stated in the memorandum. 
 
The development comes a day ahead of swearing-in of BJP leader Manohar Parrikar as Chief Minister.&nbsp;

Parrikar, who was India&#39;s defence minister met the Governor on Sunday and staked his claim to form the government. He was appointed chief minister by the Governor the same day.

He has rushed to Goa for his swearing-in ceremony.

India&#39;s finance minister has been given the additional portfolio of defence ministry as the hitherto incumbent has been asked by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s BJP to helm Goa.

A statement from the Rashtrapati Bhavan -- the official of the President of India -- confirmed the development.

&quot;The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has accepted the resignation of Shri (Mr) Manohar Parrikar, from the Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution. Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, the President has directed that Shri Arun Jaitely, Cabinet Minister, shall be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Defence, in addition to his existing portfolios,&rdquo; the press release stated.

&ldquo;I have tendered my resignation as defence minister and sent it to the Prime Minister&rsquo;s Office (PMO)&rdquo; Parrikar&nbsp;told PTI.The swearing-in ceremony will take place tomorrow evening (March 14) as the Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, managed to cobble up an alliance with regional outfits to stake their claim.

For Arun Jaitley, this is the second time he has taken over the defence ministry. He was the defence minister from May 26 to November 9, shortly after Modi swept to power in 2014.

Goa Governor Mridul Sinha, meanwhile, has given Parrikar 15 days&#39; time to confirm coalition support.

&quot;Governor Mridula Sinha has appointed Manohar Parrikar, the Leader of the Goa BJP legislature party, as the chief minister of Goa,&quot; Rupesh Kumar Thakur, Secretary to Governor stated in a press note issued on Sunday night.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

The party claimed?they had?the first right to form the government in Goa having?won more legislative seats than the BJP

The Congress has approached the Supreme Court to stop Manohar Parrikar from being the next chief minister of India's western Goa state. The party, which emerged as the single largest party in the assembly elections in the state, claimed they had the first right to form the government having won more legislative seats than the BJP. The top court will hear the petition at 11 am today (March 14). Appealed SC that Parrikar's appt as Goa CM be quashed,SC admitted petition will be heard at 11am tomorrow: Sunil Kawthankar, Goa Cong Spox pic.twitter.com/smo77ZcLoQ — ANI (@ANI_news) March 13, 2017 × The BJP yesterday (March 13) said it had the support of 21 MLAs, the exact number needed to prove majority in the 40-member House. The party had managed to win 13 of the 40 legislative seats, falling eight seats from securing a majority and winning four seats less than the Congress's 17. But the BJP forged alliances with Goa Forward Party (GFP) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) -- both won three seats each -- and the support of two independent candidates to outmanouvre Congress to reach the majority number. Congress, which was the single-largest party with 17 seats but short of staking their claim to form the government, has cried hoarse about BJP's move, accusing them of "murdering" democracy. The Congress, which until yesterday had failed to muster the numbers, today (March 13) said it has the requisite support of the legislators. The party on Monday urged Goa Governor Mridula Sinha to invite the Congress to form the next government by virtue of being the single largest party. In a memorandum submitted to the Governor on Monday night, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) claimed to have the requisite support and that they can prove the same on the floor of the House. "Any invitation to the BJP to form the government at this stage without first giving an opportunity to the single largest party (Congress) would mitigate against the essential democratic rights of the people of the state who have chosen the Congress as the single largest party in the state," the memorandum said. "Despite losing the mandate of the people, our political opponents (BJP) have tried to misrepresent to your good-self that they enjoy the majority support of legislators. This is not only opportunism at its lowest but is also not constitutionally permissible," Goa CLP Leader Chandrakant Kavlekar stated in the memorandum. The development comes a day ahead of swearing-in of BJP leader Manohar Parrikar as Chief Minister. Parrikar, who was India's defence minister met the Governor on Sunday and staked his claim to form the government. He was appointed chief minister by the Governor the same day. He has rushed to Goa for his swearing-in ceremony. India's finance minister has been given the additional portfolio of defence ministry as the hitherto incumbent has been asked by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP to helm Goa. A statement from the Rashtrapati Bhavan -- the official of the President of India -- confirmed the development. "The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has accepted the resignation of Shri (Mr) Manohar Parrikar, from the Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution. Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, the President has directed that Shri Arun Jaitely, Cabinet Minister, shall be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Defence, in addition to his existing portfolios,” the press release stated. “I have tendered my resignation as defence minister and sent it to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)” Parrikar told PTI.The swearing-in ceremony will take place tomorrow evening (March 14) as the Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, managed to cobble up an alliance with regional outfits to stake their claim. For Arun Jaitley, this is the second time he has taken over the defence ministry. He was the defence minister from May 26 to November 9, shortly after Modi swept to power in 2014. Goa Governor Mridul Sinha, meanwhile, has given Parrikar 15 days' time to confirm coalition support. "Governor Mridula Sinha has appointed Manohar Parrikar, the Leader of the Goa BJP legislature party, as the chief minister of Goa," Rupesh Kumar Thakur, Secretary to Governor stated in a press note issued on Sunday night. (WION with inputs from PTI)

India: Supreme Court to hear Congress petition against BJP govt formation in Goa

In the wake of the recent debate on the formation of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -&nbsp;dominated government in Goa and Manipur, the Congress party branded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP ministers as &#39;power-hungry&#39;&nbsp;politicians, going against the will of the locals.

With regards to Manohar Parrikar being appointed as the new chief minister of Goa, Congress leader Rizwan Arshad claimed that the appointment is against the will of residents in Goa.

Speaking to ANI, Arshad questioned Parrikar regarding why he did not contest the elections if he desired to be the chief minister, adding that the BJP is forcefully entering the political scenario in Goa.

&quot;Parrikar is not the chosen candidate for CM in the eyes of locals in Goa. The recent events are very unfortunate for the democracy,&quot; said Arshad.

With regards to Manipur, Arshad accused the Modi Government of misuse of power, further stating that independent MLAs were &#39;abducted by CISF&#39;.

Arshad also claimed that the recent attack on Kannada writer Yogesh Master has been fueled by right-wing organisations that are being supported by Prime Minister Modi.

&quot;These organisations are against liberalist ideology. The Congress Government in Karnataka will not let the miscreants walk free,&quot; he added.Commenting on India`s relations with Pakistan, Arshad stated that Prime Minister Modi&#39;s actions and words look &#39;out of sync&#39;, since there has been no clarity on the matter so far.

Meanwhile, the Congress moved the Supreme Court against Goa Governor&#39;s decision to invite Parrikar to form government in the state, despite the BJP emerging as the second largest party.

The Congress claimed that the Governor should have invited them to form government, as they are the single largest party with 17 seats.

The petition for urgent hearing was mentioned before Chief Justice of India JS&nbsp;Khehar, and is scheduled to take place later today.

(ANI)&nbsp;

Congress branded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP ministers as 'power-hungry'?politicians, going against the will of the locals

In the wake of the recent debate on the formation of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - dominated government in Goa and Manipur, the Congress party branded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP ministers as 'power-hungry' politicians, going against the will of the locals. With regards to Manohar Parrikar being appointed as the new chief minister of Goa, Congress leader Rizwan Arshad claimed that the appointment is against the will of residents in Goa. Speaking to ANI, Arshad questioned Parrikar regarding why he did not contest the elections if he desired to be the chief minister, adding that the BJP is forcefully entering the political scenario in Goa. "Parrikar is not the chosen candidate for CM in the eyes of locals in Goa. The recent events are very unfortunate for the democracy," said Arshad. With regards to Manipur, Arshad accused the Modi Government of misuse of power, further stating that independent MLAs were 'abducted by CISF'. Arshad also claimed that the recent attack on Kannada writer Yogesh Master has been fueled by right-wing organisations that are being supported by Prime Minister Modi. "These organisations are against liberalist ideology. The Congress Government in Karnataka will not let the miscreants walk free," he added.Commenting on India`s relations with Pakistan, Arshad stated that Prime Minister Modi's actions and words look 'out of sync', since there has been no clarity on the matter so far. Meanwhile, the Congress moved the Supreme Court against Goa Governor's decision to invite Parrikar to form government in the state, despite the BJP emerging as the second largest party. The Congress claimed that the Governor should have invited them to form government, as they are the single largest party with 17 seats. The petition for urgent hearing was mentioned before Chief Justice of India JS Khehar, and is scheduled to take place later today. (ANI)

India: Congress slams BJP for 'backdoor entry' in Goa, Manipur

Shortly after the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, three-time chief minister of a Congress state told me that the Gandhis have become a liability for the Congress. What sounded shocking to me then seems like a cold reality today. Post 2012, every election where Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi campaigned intensively has been lost by the party. The Congress has only been able to retain or regain those states where the state leadership has been strong. This development has been co-terminus with the rise of Modi&rsquo;s brand of politics and Rahul&rsquo;s elevation in the Congress Party. The rise of the BJP also became the rise of Narendra Modi which not only electorally marginalised the Congress but also damaged the Gandhi brand. His campaign model ran down Rahul Gandhi hence his capacity to attract and electrify the voters.

This happened when Narendra Modi had more political baggage than the young Rahul Gandhi. Despite the disadvantage he faced, Modi managed to turn it around. He did this through opportunities inadvertently handed down to him by the Opposition and by projecting himself as an outsider to the corrupt world of the Delhi Durbar. In the process, Rahul Gandhi was successfully projected as a lazy leader who was a product of power and pelf in front of an aspirational India which he has not been able to shake off till date.

Rahul Gandhi not only squandered away the opportunity to understand the humbling process of government work but also proved organisationally inept. Not only did his Youth Congress programme come under tremendous criticism but his transition, forced by his mother Sonia Gandhi, created deep fissures in the party. Married to the defeat of 2014 and 2017, one can safely say that Rahul Gandhi today is turning into a brand liability for the Congress as he fails to draw the voters out on his own account. The truth is that the dynasty is in decline. The truth is that majority of Indians aren&rsquo;t taking Rahul Gandhi seriously. It is failing to connect to a new India on its own accord. It is a difficult truth but stares the Congress in its face and it should worry everyone in the Congress a lot.

The sum and total of five polls is that Narendra Modi today stands as the only pan Indian leader who possesses the ability to move and mobilise multiple social constituencies. Even if concession is given to Rahul Gandhi that the Congress wrested a couple of states, its overall vote share continues to decline. Rahul&#39;s victories never gave him the legitimacy of a mass leader as people gave credit to the state leaders. This time, the family bastion in Uttar Pradesh (UP) was again swept away despite the alliance whereas all seats in Varanasi went into the BJP&rsquo;s pocket indicating that even the home turf of the Gandhis is in tatters.

To top it up is the issue of perception that no leader comes close to Modi. This image has been buffeted further by the economically-contested demonetisation which he used to the party&rsquo;s political advantage in Uttar Pradesh. This not only enhanced his stature but also made all adversaries look small, limited and regional in nature.

The UP results also made Rahul Gandhi fall into the trap of sectional politics. In the 2012 elections, &nbsp;he spoke about the issue of backward Muslims which failed miserably. This time also the same mistake was repeated, but in a different avatar.

Despite appealing to the developmental issues, the dog whisper campaign of the SP-Congress was that with the Muslim Yadav combine with the Congress, the upper-caste vote would do well. This was politically countered by the majority discrimination campaign by BJP which was spearheaded by the prime minister himself. Not only did it derail the alliance, but it also created a united Hindu vote which should worry Congress a lot.

Bluntly putting it, PM Modi has become the biggest Hindu mascot who makes his intention of not running after the minority votes very clear to the electorate. To say that the post-Godhra baggage of the PM has been forgotten by India as he speaks more on development would be to fool oneself. Modi represents a skillful combination of Hindutva and the right-of-center economy of the world. So, to say that the UP results showcase booth-management skills or caste management would be to fool oneself. The vote represents a majority vote against a minority veto which has resurfaced in a much more powerful manner after the 1990s. This is the reason why not a single Muslim candidate was fielded by the BJP in UP and similarly in Assam, where the Muslim population touches 30 per cent of the total votes. This is not limited to India. Through the world, a churn exists where the majority not only asserts itself but also wears its cultural and religious symbols dynamically in the political field.

It is in this contrast that Rahul Gandhi comes across as a perpetually struggling leader who has neither defined his idea nor politics. It is this reality that Rahul Gandhi needs to deal with. It will not resolve itself by visiting temples or talking about Saivism in public because it doesn&rsquo;t look organic.

Congress under Rahul Gandhi can either continue to fight the BJP to preserve its past and the family or can call for internal elections to embrace fresh leadership. Who knows that a tough fight to take over the party might reinvent Rahul Gandhi himself. It did wonders to Sonia Gandhi when she was challenged by Jitendra Prasad. It gave her the legitimacy in front of workers and from there she went on to challenge the BJP. She challenged them state by state and in the process rebuilt a broken party.

The Congress will have to walk the same road again but will have to start the process by addressing the issue of the family first. There is not much of a choice. Fix it or replace it with an outsider. 
 
(WION)

&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

A three-time chief minister of a Congress state told me in 2014 that the Gandhis have become a liability for the Congress

Shortly after the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, three-time chief minister of a Congress state told me that the Gandhis have become a liability for the Congress. What sounded shocking to me then seems like a cold reality today. Post 2012, every election where Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi campaigned intensively has been lost by the party. The Congress has only been able to retain or regain those states where the state leadership has been strong. This development has been co-terminus with the rise of Modi’s brand of politics and Rahul’s elevation in the Congress Party. The rise of the BJP also became the rise of Narendra Modi which not only electorally marginalised the Congress but also damaged the Gandhi brand. His campaign model ran down Rahul Gandhi hence his capacity to attract and electrify the voters. This happened when Narendra Modi had more political baggage than the young Rahul Gandhi. Despite the disadvantage he faced, Modi managed to turn it around. He did this through opportunities inadvertently handed down to him by the Opposition and by projecting himself as an outsider to the corrupt world of the Delhi Durbar. In the process, Rahul Gandhi was successfully projected as a lazy leader who was a product of power and pelf in front of an aspirational India which he has not been able to shake off till date. Rahul Gandhi not only squandered away the opportunity to understand the humbling process of government work but also proved organisationally inept. Not only did his Youth Congress programme come under tremendous criticism but his transition, forced by his mother Sonia Gandhi, created deep fissures in the party. Married to the defeat of 2014 and 2017, one can safely say that Rahul Gandhi today is turning into a brand liability for the Congress as he fails to draw the voters out on his own account. The truth is that the dynasty is in decline. The truth is that majority of Indians aren’t taking Rahul Gandhi seriously. It is failing to connect to a new India on its own accord. It is a difficult truth but stares the Congress in its face and it should worry everyone in the Congress a lot. The sum and total of five polls is that Narendra Modi today stands as the only pan Indian leader who possesses the ability to move and mobilise multiple social constituencies. Even if concession is given to Rahul Gandhi that the Congress wrested a couple of states, its overall vote share continues to decline. Rahul's victories never gave him the legitimacy of a mass leader as people gave credit to the state leaders. This time, the family bastion in Uttar Pradesh (UP) was again swept away despite the alliance whereas all seats in Varanasi went into the BJP’s pocket indicating that even the home turf of the Gandhis is in tatters. To top it up is the issue of perception that no leader comes close to Modi. This image has been buffeted further by the economically-contested demonetisation which he used to the party’s political advantage in Uttar Pradesh. This not only enhanced his stature but also made all adversaries look small, limited and regional in nature. The UP results also made Rahul Gandhi fall into the trap of sectional politics. In the 2012 elections, he spoke about the issue of backward Muslims which failed miserably. This time also the same mistake was repeated, but in a different avatar. Despite appealing to the developmental issues, the dog whisper campaign of the SP-Congress was that with the Muslim Yadav combine with the Congress, the upper-caste vote would do well. This was politically countered by the majority discrimination campaign by BJP which was spearheaded by the prime minister himself. Not only did it derail the alliance, but it also created a united Hindu vote which should worry Congress a lot. Bluntly putting it, PM Modi has become the biggest Hindu mascot who makes his intention of not running after the minority votes very clear to the electorate. To say that the post-Godhra baggage of the PM has been forgotten by India as he speaks more on development would be to fool oneself. Modi represents a skillful combination of Hindutva and the right-of-center economy of the world. So, to say that the UP results showcase booth-management skills or caste management would be to fool oneself. The vote represents a majority vote against a minority veto which has resurfaced in a much more powerful manner after the 1990s. This is the reason why not a single Muslim candidate was fielded by the BJP in UP and similarly in Assam, where the Muslim population touches 30 per cent of the total votes. This is not limited to India. Through the world, a churn exists where the majority not only asserts itself but also wears its cultural and religious symbols dynamically in the political field. It is in this contrast that Rahul Gandhi comes across as a perpetually struggling leader who has neither defined his idea nor politics. It is this reality that Rahul Gandhi needs to deal with. It will not resolve itself by visiting temples or talking about Saivism in public because it doesn’t look organic. Congress under Rahul Gandhi can either continue to fight the BJP to preserve its past and the family or can call for internal elections to embrace fresh leadership. Who knows that a tough fight to take over the party might reinvent Rahul Gandhi himself. It did wonders to Sonia Gandhi when she was challenged by Jitendra Prasad. It gave her the legitimacy in front of workers and from there she went on to challenge the BJP. She challenged them state by state and in the process rebuilt a broken party. The Congress will have to walk the same road again but will have to start the process by addressing the issue of the family first. There is not much of a choice. Fix it or replace it with an outsider. (WION)

The rise of Modi and the fall of Rahul Gandhi

The BJP&#39;s Parliamentary Board has authorised party president&nbsp;Amit Shah to take the final call about who will be the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Uttarakhand.

The party&#39;s Parliamentary Board Secretary JP Nadda said Amit Shah has been authorised to take the final decision after the observers appointed by the party submitted their reports.

Venkaiah Naidu and Bhupendra Yadav will be observers for Uttar Pradesh while Narendra Tomar and Saroj Pandey will be the observers for Uttarakhand, the Parliamentary Board Secretary said.&nbsp;

Piyush Goyal and Vinay Sahasrabuddhe are observers for Manipur, the Union Minister added.

Amit Shah had said yesterday that the&nbsp;chief ministers would be chosen on the basis of merit and capability. 
 
The party has performed well in the assembly polls of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.

The BJP had not announced a chief ministerial candidate for both Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

In Uttar Pradesh, there are four leaders who are in the reckoning to be the next chief minister.&nbsp;

State party chief Keshav Maurya, right-wing lawmaker Yogi Adityanath and Union minister Manoj Sinha are some of the those in fray. India&#39;s interior minister Rajnath Singh&#39;s name has been mentioned as well but people close to him say he is not keen on helming the state.

In Uttarakhand, Satpal Maharaj, Devendra Rawat and Prakash Pant are the frontrunners to become the chief minister.

While these leaders are touted to be the top contenders for the CM&rsquo;s post in UP, the suspense can be put to an end only by an announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has a penchant to spring surprises.

Earlier Sunday,&nbsp;Prime Minister Modi delivered his victory speech to party workers emphasising that the massive&nbsp;mandate is&nbsp;to serve the people and laying the foundation for a new India. He also said that the government will not discriminate and work for all irresepective of whether they voted for the BJP or not.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Naye Hindustan ke nayi neev ke roop mein dekh raha hoon, in paanch rajyon ke chunaav ko: PM Modi at BJP HQ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElectionResults?src=hash">#ElectionResults</a> <a href="https://t.co/ds8aW1A5cQ">pic.twitter.com/ds8aW1A5cQ</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/840916433756348418">March 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Vote diya na diya wo chunaav nateejon tak theek hai, sarkaar sabki hoti hai, sabke liye hoti hai, sath chalne ke liye hoti hai: PM Modi <a href="https://t.co/P6uJQN4u8H">pic.twitter.com/P6uJQN4u8H</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/840922874349203456">March 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The Prime Minister said that he recognises the potential of the poor and he understands their power. He also invoked the memory of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, whose idea of Antyodaya (uplifting the weaker sections of society), the Prime Minsiter said, should be the guiding light for the new government. &nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Gareeb mein saamarth mai dekh paata hoon, unki shakti ko pehchaan paata hoon: PM Modi at BJP HQ in Delhi <a href="https://t.co/pvwv6SHZB1">pic.twitter.com/pvwv6SHZB1</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/840918157690785796">March 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
These elections are an emotional issue for us. They come when we mark the centenary celebrations of Pandit Deen Dayal Ji: PM Modi <a href="https://t.co/GWDlVFJNOt">pic.twitter.com/GWDlVFJNOt</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/840918568699023360">March 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

He also said that the burden on the middle class should be&nbsp;reduced so that they can shine.&nbsp;

Terming the victory as historic, Modi added that with every election,&nbsp;support for the BJP is increasing .

Earlier, the Prime Minister arrived at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters in New Delhi on Sunday evening following a &quot;victory walk&quot; to celebrate the party&#39;s landslide win in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand polls.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at BJP HQ in Delhi amid loud &#39;Modi Modi&#39; chants <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElectionResults?src=hash">#ElectionResults</a> <a href="https://t.co/PguigLCp3l">pic.twitter.com/PguigLCp3l</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/840908435927400448">March 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

 
(WION with inputs from ANI)

BJP president Amit Shah will decide the names of the chief ministers in states where the party has won

The BJP's Parliamentary Board has authorised party president Amit Shah to take the final call about who will be the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Uttarakhand. The party's Parliamentary Board Secretary JP Nadda said Amit Shah has been authorised to take the final decision after the observers appointed by the party submitted their reports. Venkaiah Naidu and Bhupendra Yadav will be observers for Uttar Pradesh while Narendra Tomar and Saroj Pandey will be the observers for Uttarakhand, the Parliamentary Board Secretary said. Piyush Goyal and Vinay Sahasrabuddhe are observers for Manipur, the Union Minister added. Amit Shah had said yesterday that the chief ministers would be chosen on the basis of merit and capability. The party has performed well in the assembly polls of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. The BJP had not announced a chief ministerial candidate for both Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. In Uttar Pradesh, there are four leaders who are in the reckoning to be the next chief minister. State party chief Keshav Maurya, right-wing lawmaker Yogi Adityanath and Union minister Manoj Sinha are some of the those in fray. India's interior minister Rajnath Singh's name has been mentioned as well but people close to him say he is not keen on helming the state. In Uttarakhand, Satpal Maharaj, Devendra Rawat and Prakash Pant are the frontrunners to become the chief minister. While these leaders are touted to be the top contenders for the CM’s post in UP, the suspense can be put to an end only by an announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has a penchant to spring surprises. Earlier Sunday, Prime Minister Modi delivered his victory speech to party workers emphasising that the massive mandate is to serve the people and laying the foundation for a new India. He also said that the government will not discriminate and work for all irresepective of whether they voted for the BJP or not. Naye Hindustan ke nayi neev ke roop mein dekh raha hoon, in paanch rajyon ke chunaav ko: PM Modi at BJP HQ #ElectionResults pic.twitter.com/ds8aW1A5cQ — ANI (@ANI_news) March 12, 2017 × Vote diya na diya wo chunaav nateejon tak theek hai, sarkaar sabki hoti hai, sabke liye hoti hai, sath chalne ke liye hoti hai: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/P6uJQN4u8H — ANI (@ANI_news) March 12, 2017 × The Prime Minister said that he recognises the potential of the poor and he understands their power. He also invoked the memory of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, whose idea of Antyodaya (uplifting the weaker sections of society), the Prime Minsiter said, should be the guiding light for the new government. Gareeb mein saamarth mai dekh paata hoon, unki shakti ko pehchaan paata hoon: PM Modi at BJP HQ in Delhi pic.twitter.com/pvwv6SHZB1 — ANI (@ANI_news) March 12, 2017 × These elections are an emotional issue for us. They come when we mark the centenary celebrations of Pandit Deen Dayal Ji: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/GWDlVFJNOt — ANI (@ANI_news) March 12, 2017 × He also said that the burden on the middle class should be reduced so that they can shine. Terming the victory as historic, Modi added that with every election, support for the BJP is increasing . Earlier, the Prime Minister arrived at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters in New Delhi on Sunday evening following a "victory walk" to celebrate the party's landslide win in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at BJP HQ in Delhi amid loud 'Modi Modi' chants #ElectionResults pic.twitter.com/PguigLCp3l — ANI (@ANI_news) March 12, 2017 × (WION with inputs from ANI)

BJP's Parliamentary Board authorises Amit Shah to decide chief ministers of UP, Uttarakhand, Manipur

The Bharatiya Janata P&nbsp;chances of forming the next government in Manipur brightened today as the National People&#39;s Party and the LJP formally extended their support.

Flanked by NPP and LJP leaders and their winning candidates, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav told a press conference, &quot;We have been able to come to an understanding with the NPP and the Lok Janshakti Party in our bid to form the government in Manipur.&quot;

The NPP and the LJP, both NDA constituents at the Centre, have won four seats and one seat, respectively, which will add up to 26 with BJP&#39;s 21, five short of the magic figure of 31 to form the government.

Madhav said that as per an &quot;understanding&quot; with another NDA partner Naga People&#39;s Front, which has won four seats, the number would go up to 30 and the support of one more MLA would be &quot;secured&quot;.

He said that yesterday the NPF had issued a press statement wherein it said it was willing to form a non-Congress government in Manipur.

The NPP&#39;s Conrad Sangma said that the popular verdict was for a change in Manipur.

Asked who would be the chief minister in the event of the BJP forming a coalition government, Madhav said that the party leadership would decide soon.

(PTI)

The NPP and the LJP have won four seats and one seat, respectively, which will add up to 26 with BJP's 21

The Bharatiya Janata P chances of forming the next government in Manipur brightened today as the National People's Party and the LJP formally extended their support. Flanked by NPP and LJP leaders and their winning candidates, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav told a press conference, "We have been able to come to an understanding with the NPP and the Lok Janshakti Party in our bid to form the government in Manipur." The NPP and the LJP, both NDA constituents at the Centre, have won four seats and one seat, respectively, which will add up to 26 with BJP's 21, five short of the magic figure of 31 to form the government. Madhav said that as per an "understanding" with another NDA partner Naga People's Front, which has won four seats, the number would go up to 30 and the support of one more MLA would be "secured". He said that yesterday the NPF had issued a press statement wherein it said it was willing to form a non-Congress government in Manipur. The NPP's Conrad Sangma said that the popular verdict was for a change in Manipur. Asked who would be the chief minister in the event of the BJP forming a coalition government, Madhav said that the party leadership would decide soon. (PTI)

India: NPP, LJP extend support to BJP in Manipur

Sensing his party&#39;s drive for votes in India&#39;s most politically prized state had stalled, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared his schedule and thrust himself into the heart of the battle.

&quot;Our election campaign has hit a roadblock,&quot; Modi told campaign managers and two federal ministers in Delhi last month, a week before the sixth of seven phases of voting was to begin in Uttar Pradesh.

&quot;I don&#39;t want to feel that I could have pushed myself a little more,&quot; Modi was quoted as saying by a close aide who attended the meeting.

For three full days the leader of the world&#39;s largest democracy camped out in the holy city of Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency, walking the ancient streets and stopping at Hindu temples to seek blessings, despite warnings from aides about his security and the risk to his reputation had his party come up short.

On Saturday the gamble paid off: Modi&#39;s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) scored a thumping victory in Uttar Pradesh, home to one in six Indians, winning the biggest majority in the state for any party since 1977.

The triumph vindicates Modi&#39;s decision to turn the campaign into a referendum on his own performance after his shock decision last November to abolish high-denomination banknotes, a move he framed as a fight for the poor against the corrupt rich.

&quot;We were always nervous that overexposing the prime minister in the final stages of the election could make us look desperate,&quot; said Keshav Prasad Maurya, the BJP&#39;s state leader in Uttar Pradesh.

As it turned out, Modi&#39;s victory confounded even the most bullish voter surveys. The BJP won 312 of the 403 seats in the state assembly and, with 39.7 per cent of the vote, almost matched its showing in Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 general election, when it claimed the biggest parliamentary majority in three decades.

&quot;Modi&#39;s magic has destroyed the opposition and silenced sceptics in the party,&quot; Maurya told Reuters on Saturday, as the scale of the victory became clear.

Two-term Modi

The win clears a path to victory for Modi at a 2019 general election, and gives him a free hand to consolidate his grip over a state that sends the highest number of federal lawmakers to parliament.

That has raised hopes among investors that the BJP will embark on a round of new reforms to boost growth in Asia&#39;s third-largest economy, and try to tackle the corruption and red tape that has long undermined India&#39;s potential.

Economists now expect Modi to launch initiatives aimed at flushing out ill-gotten gains from real estate, gold and campaign finance.

But they caution that his biggest task remains transforming India&#39;s economy into one that creates enough jobs for an emerging generation that is desperate to give up life on the farm for a more prosperous future.

&quot;Jobs is the biggest risk,&quot; said Rajiv Kumar, an economist at the Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research. &quot;That&#39;s where he has to focus very hard and it could mean reforms as radical as demonetisation.&quot;

Modi&#39;s BJP now heads the government in states where more than half of Indians live, while the Congress party, which has ruled India for most of the 70 years since independence, leads in regions covering less than 8 percent of the population.

Success will increase the pressure on Modi to provide for an increasingly aspirational nation of 1.3 billion people, half of whom are aged 25 or under.

&quot;He has to do a very delicate tightrope walk between being reformist and populist,&quot; said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a journalist and biographer of Modi. &quot;The problem in India is that people think reforms are pro-rich.&quot;

Communal tone

Modi relied on his own charisma to clinch crucial votes in poor and agrarian Uttar Pradesh, but his campaign manager Amit Shah also takes credit for fielding the right candidates in a region where many people vote along caste and religious lines.

Critics accuse Shah and Modi of &quot;social engineering&quot; and of switching to a more communally divisive tone to fire up their Hindu base as voting, staggered over the course of a month, progressed.

Shah vowed to construct a Hindu temple on a razed mosque site and ban the slaughter of cows, worshipped by millions of Hindus.

On the campaign trail, too, Modi played up religious divisions by asking why the state government ensured there were no power cuts in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan but not during the Hindu festival of Diwali.

Still, the BJP likely collected minority votes, including Muslim women whom he courted by questioning an Islamic practice that allows men to divorce their wives with three simple words.

&quot;The results prove that Muslims and backward caste groups voted for the BJP,&quot; said RK&nbsp;Mishra, a political analyst in Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh.

(Reuters)

The BJP won 312 of the 403 seats in the state assembly and, with 39.7% votes, almost matched its showing in UP in the 2014 general elections

Sensing his party's drive for votes in India's most politically prized state had stalled, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared his schedule and thrust himself into the heart of the battle. "Our election campaign has hit a roadblock," Modi told campaign managers and two federal ministers in Delhi last month, a week before the sixth of seven phases of voting was to begin in Uttar Pradesh. "I don't want to feel that I could have pushed myself a little more," Modi was quoted as saying by a close aide who attended the meeting. For three full days the leader of the world's largest democracy camped out in the holy city of Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency, walking the ancient streets and stopping at Hindu temples to seek blessings, despite warnings from aides about his security and the risk to his reputation had his party come up short. On Saturday the gamble paid off: Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) scored a thumping victory in Uttar Pradesh, home to one in six Indians, winning the biggest majority in the state for any party since 1977. The triumph vindicates Modi's decision to turn the campaign into a referendum on his own performance after his shock decision last November to abolish high-denomination banknotes, a move he framed as a fight for the poor against the corrupt rich. "We were always nervous that overexposing the prime minister in the final stages of the election could make us look desperate," said Keshav Prasad Maurya, the BJP's state leader in Uttar Pradesh. As it turned out, Modi's victory confounded even the most bullish voter surveys. The BJP won 312 of the 403 seats in the state assembly and, with 39.7 per cent of the vote, almost matched its showing in Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 general election, when it claimed the biggest parliamentary majority in three decades. "Modi's magic has destroyed the opposition and silenced sceptics in the party," Maurya told Reuters on Saturday, as the scale of the victory became clear. Two-term Modi The win clears a path to victory for Modi at a 2019 general election, and gives him a free hand to consolidate his grip over a state that sends the highest number of federal lawmakers to parliament. That has raised hopes among investors that the BJP will embark on a round of new reforms to boost growth in Asia's third-largest economy, and try to tackle the corruption and red tape that has long undermined India's potential. Economists now expect Modi to launch initiatives aimed at flushing out ill-gotten gains from real estate, gold and campaign finance. But they caution that his biggest task remains transforming India's economy into one that creates enough jobs for an emerging generation that is desperate to give up life on the farm for a more prosperous future. "Jobs is the biggest risk," said Rajiv Kumar, an economist at the Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research. "That's where he has to focus very hard and it could mean reforms as radical as demonetisation." Modi's BJP now heads the government in states where more than half of Indians live, while the Congress party, which has ruled India for most of the 70 years since independence, leads in regions covering less than 8 percent of the population. Success will increase the pressure on Modi to provide for an increasingly aspirational nation of 1.3 billion people, half of whom are aged 25 or under. "He has to do a very delicate tightrope walk between being reformist and populist," said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a journalist and biographer of Modi. "The problem in India is that people think reforms are pro-rich." Communal tone Modi relied on his own charisma to clinch crucial votes in poor and agrarian Uttar Pradesh, but his campaign manager Amit Shah also takes credit for fielding the right candidates in a region where many people vote along caste and religious lines. Critics accuse Shah and Modi of "social engineering" and of switching to a more communally divisive tone to fire up their Hindu base as voting, staggered over the course of a month, progressed. Shah vowed to construct a Hindu temple on a razed mosque site and ban the slaughter of cows, worshipped by millions of Hindus. On the campaign trail, too, Modi played up religious divisions by asking why the state government ensured there were no power cuts in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan but not during the Hindu festival of Diwali. Still, the BJP likely collected minority votes, including Muslim women whom he courted by questioning an Islamic practice that allows men to divorce their wives with three simple words. "The results prove that Muslims and backward caste groups voted for the BJP," said RK Mishra, a political analyst in Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh. (Reuters)

India Assembly Elections: Modi's one-man show triumphs again in Uttar Pradesh

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is looking for a wider space than its traditional core vote. It is emerging as the national alternative to the Congress party in its pre-1967 avatar with space for all religions and communities, believes Muralidhar Rao, BJP general secretary, and one of the prominent party strategists from Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s team. Rao made his beginning with the BJP&#39;s youth wing&nbsp;ABVP and went on to work with the RSS&#39;s Swadeshi Jagaran Manch. 
 
He told WION that the BJP has a non-sectarian agenda which will get clearer with time.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q: Will the BJP win in Uttar Pradesh elections?&nbsp;

A: As election reactions started coming in, people have started accepting that BJP is ahead in UP. Those who don&rsquo;t accept the BJP are saying that it will be a hung assembly and the BJP will emerge as the number one party. These are not people in tune with the ground reality of UP.&nbsp;

Modi&#39;s leadership and honesty is trusted by everybody&nbsp;in UP. You will not see this kind of trust, especially among the socially deprived sections, for other political parties. Modiji is a big asset for BJP in UP polls. People feel that under Modiji&#39;s leadership, Uttar Pradesh will get them the change he is known for. A number of new vote banks that supported us in the 2014 Parliamentary elections stayed with us in this election.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;So you are saying that Modi&#39;s charisma is going to work its magic in the assembly polls and the national agenda will be repeated in this election, too?&nbsp;

A: Absolutely, Modiji&#39;s image (of delivering on development) is relevant as far as Uttar Pradesh is concerned. Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party chief) has a problem. The voter has rejected Congress and its politics in this state. What is the signal you deliver when you join hands with them? status quo? What is the political alternative that you are offering to the voters? It is all right that they are against the BJP, but there was an alternative space that was emerging. Now that has been destroyed by joining hands with Congress. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q: How did you tackle the negative impact of demonetisation?&nbsp;

A: Common people faced some problems during demonetisation and the Opposition tried to turn it into a political issue. It was definitely an issue for the public. But the people also felt that the PM wanted some change in the country. Who is affected by black money? It is the poor and they understood its impact well. They felt that even if they were facing some trouble, it was an attempt by Modi to improve things. The poor and marginalised supported us then and they have also accepted it as a policy. There is no negative impact and in fact it will work for us in this election.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;How many seats do you expect to notch up?&nbsp;

A: We will secure enough seats to independently form the government. The voters will give a decisive mandate.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;Is there a communal polarisation of votes given the statements made by the PM on graveyard and cremation grounds?&nbsp;

A: The issues raised by the PM were not ideological, theological or an interpretation of a religion. It is a practical issue. If people find a resonance with that statement, it will be in places where discrimination has taken place. Otherwise, they will not accept it. It is a grassroots issue and people will take a call in their villages (if this applied to them).&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;For a very long time, both Congress and BJP have been out of power in UP. If BJP wins, you will have to start&nbsp;from&nbsp;scratch when it comes to creating a leadership on the ground. How will you handle that?&nbsp;

A: The kind of victory we got in the parliamentary polls enabled us to start preparing our leaders&nbsp;in the state from 2014 and people are now increasingly recognising them. The BJP also has the experience of forging a fresh pool of leaders, like in Haryana, Assam and Maharashtra. So a new leadership will emerge out of new sections of society and regions.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;A BJP win in UP will have an effect on the country&#39;s politics, but that will create a vacuum in the opposition space. What kind of impact do you foresee if Congress is wiped out in this election?&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
A: The non-BJP opposition has a problem that Congress is shrinking in its identity as a national party. Those practising alternative politics do not have leaders or organisational structure with a pan-India mandate. That is a problem. They don&rsquo;t have a face or party that has a presence in every district of the country.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;The BJP has been working on forming a presence on the ground for years. For example, in the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, you have been working for the past 10 years... 
&nbsp; 
A: Today the BJP is taking the proportions of the pre-1967 Congress that was spread all over the country. We have won in Assam and won the Panchayat elections in Orissa. Our chances of winning in places where we are considered weak &ndash; Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana or Andhra Pradesh &ndash; will increase tremendously.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;How big is Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh&#39;s (RSS) role in this? It is said that the RSS is present even in places that have no BJP cadre, for decades...&nbsp;

A: The BJP always benefits from RSS presence. In places where you want to expand the party&#39;s work or want a team to work on local issues, RSS always offers us talent. Now the BJP is also making internal efforts for training and creating leadership and our own ability to build on our capacity has increased phenomenally.&nbsp;

Q:&nbsp;Are the BJP and RSS working in co-ordination, or is PM Narendra Modi maintaining his individuality?&nbsp;

A: The RSS does not have anything to do with this. Modiji is a BJP leader from the early days of its inception in 1980... &nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;He is supposed to have a mind of his own as was seen in Gujarat...&nbsp;

A: Working in an organisation does not mean that a prominent member cannot have his independent thought&nbsp;process.&nbsp;Everyone brings their strong points to the table. Consultation is ingrained in BJP leadership. Team functioning is the core of BJP activity, so I don&rsquo;t think there is ever a problem of consultation.&nbsp;

Q:&nbsp;Like the BJP, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) is also trying to expand its base in universities across the country where it hasn&rsquo;t been very strong. There is a situation of confrontation, in places like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Hyderabad University and recently in Delhi University (DU). There are reports of skirmishes from Maharashtra as well...&nbsp;

A: The ABVP has expanded as a nationalist students&#39; movement many years ago. The Communist movement is not something that is present all over the country, nor is this confrontation a pan-Indian experience. There are some pockets where the Communist work and they are used to Congress patronage. Today they are trying to make this confrontation (with the Right wing) an issue in an organised manner. It&#39;s not as if it is an exceptional resistance movement. The kind of issues they are raising, they are merely trying to brew conducive political circumstances. And people understand this...&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;The students&#39; wings of neither Congress, nor Aam Aadmi Party are confronting the ABVP. What is the reason?&nbsp;

A: The Congress students&#39; movement is not very strong anywhere in the country...&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;It is strong in DU...&nbsp;

A: In DU, the resistance to ABVP is from ultra-Left, Left groups. This is not new and has been going on forever...&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;Are the NSUI and AAP students&#39; group skirting this confrontation because they don&rsquo;t want to openly go against the Nationalist agenda the ABVP is espousing?&nbsp;

A: Anyone seen as supporting separatists, terrorists or pro-Pakistan elements will have to pay a political price...&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;The BJP is emerging in Kerala as a factor for the first time and the RSS is giving you a lot of back-up on the ground. Both the RSS and the BJP are nationalist in their ideology. Why don&rsquo;t you devise a strategy to take the Muslims along?&nbsp;

A: Muslims considering the BJP as an enemy is not good for either. And the BJP is not keen on playing communal politics. Our opponents spread this sentiment that we are anti-Muslim. In a lot of places, the Muslims believe them. It is our duty to remove that misgiving as much as it is theirs. I don&rsquo;t think the situation will be the same after two years. Earlier, the Christians did not support us in a lot of places, but now they are accepting the BJP in a lot of places like in Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. It&#39;s not as if all the Hindus supported the BJP earlier. Voting on the basis of religion is not something that will go on for long. As people&#39;s trust in BJP grows...&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;Will the BJP expand its agenda?&nbsp;

A: The BJP does have a non-sectarian agenda and people will be convinced with time...

(WION)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Rao told WION the BJP is not anti-Muslim and will occupy Congress space as a national party

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is looking for a wider space than its traditional core vote. It is emerging as the national alternative to the Congress party in its pre-1967 avatar with space for all religions and communities, believes Muralidhar Rao, BJP general secretary, and one of the prominent party strategists from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's team. Rao made his beginning with the BJP's youth wing ABVP and went on to work with the RSS's Swadeshi Jagaran Manch. He told WION that the BJP has a non-sectarian agenda which will get clearer with time. Q: Will the BJP win in Uttar Pradesh elections? A: As election reactions started coming in, people have started accepting that BJP is ahead in UP. Those who don’t accept the BJP are saying that it will be a hung assembly and the BJP will emerge as the number one party. These are not people in tune with the ground reality of UP. Modi's leadership and honesty is trusted by everybody in UP. You will not see this kind of trust, especially among the socially deprived sections, for other political parties. Modiji is a big asset for BJP in UP polls. People feel that under Modiji's leadership, Uttar Pradesh will get them the change he is known for. A number of new vote banks that supported us in the 2014 Parliamentary elections stayed with us in this election. Q: So you are saying that Modi's charisma is going to work its magic in the assembly polls and the national agenda will be repeated in this election, too? A: Absolutely, Modiji's image (of delivering on development) is relevant as far as Uttar Pradesh is concerned. Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party chief) has a problem. The voter has rejected Congress and its politics in this state. What is the signal you deliver when you join hands with them? status quo? What is the political alternative that you are offering to the voters? It is all right that they are against the BJP, but there was an alternative space that was emerging. Now that has been destroyed by joining hands with Congress. Q: How did you tackle the negative impact of demonetisation? A: Common people faced some problems during demonetisation and the Opposition tried to turn it into a political issue. It was definitely an issue for the public. But the people also felt that the PM wanted some change in the country. Who is affected by black money? It is the poor and they understood its impact well. They felt that even if they were facing some trouble, it was an attempt by Modi to improve things. The poor and marginalised supported us then and they have also accepted it as a policy. There is no negative impact and in fact it will work for us in this election. Q: How many seats do you expect to notch up? A: We will secure enough seats to independently form the government. The voters will give a decisive mandate. Q: Is there a communal polarisation of votes given the statements made by the PM on graveyard and cremation grounds? A: The issues raised by the PM were not ideological, theological or an interpretation of a religion. It is a practical issue. If people find a resonance with that statement, it will be in places where discrimination has taken place. Otherwise, they will not accept it. It is a grassroots issue and people will take a call in their villages (if this applied to them). Q: For a very long time, both Congress and BJP have been out of power in UP. If BJP wins, you will have to start from scratch when it comes to creating a leadership on the ground. How will you handle that? A: The kind of victory we got in the parliamentary polls enabled us to start preparing our leaders in the state from 2014 and people are now increasingly recognising them. The BJP also has the experience of forging a fresh pool of leaders, like in Haryana, Assam and Maharashtra. So a new leadership will emerge out of new sections of society and regions. Q: A BJP win in UP will have an effect on the country's politics, but that will create a vacuum in the opposition space. What kind of impact do you foresee if Congress is wiped out in this election? A: The non-BJP opposition has a problem that Congress is shrinking in its identity as a national party. Those practising alternative politics do not have leaders or organisational structure with a pan-India mandate. That is a problem. They don’t have a face or party that has a presence in every district of the country. Q: The BJP has been working on forming a presence on the ground for years. For example, in the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, you have been working for the past 10 years... A: Today the BJP is taking the proportions of the pre-1967 Congress that was spread all over the country. We have won in Assam and won the Panchayat elections in Orissa. Our chances of winning in places where we are considered weak – Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana or Andhra Pradesh – will increase tremendously. Q: How big is Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) role in this? It is said that the RSS is present even in places that have no BJP cadre, for decades... A: The BJP always benefits from RSS presence. In places where you want to expand the party's work or want a team to work on local issues, RSS always offers us talent. Now the BJP is also making internal efforts for training and creating leadership and our own ability to build on our capacity has increased phenomenally. Q: Are the BJP and RSS working in co-ordination, or is PM Narendra Modi maintaining his individuality? A: The RSS does not have anything to do with this. Modiji is a BJP leader from the early days of its inception in 1980... Q: He is supposed to have a mind of his own as was seen in Gujarat... A: Working in an organisation does not mean that a prominent member cannot have his independent thought process. Everyone brings their strong points to the table. Consultation is ingrained in BJP leadership. Team functioning is the core of BJP activity, so I don’t think there is ever a problem of consultation. Q: Like the BJP, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) is also trying to expand its base in universities across the country where it hasn’t been very strong. There is a situation of confrontation, in places like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Hyderabad University and recently in Delhi University (DU). There are reports of skirmishes from Maharashtra as well... A: The ABVP has expanded as a nationalist students' movement many years ago. The Communist movement is not something that is present all over the country, nor is this confrontation a pan-Indian experience. There are some pockets where the Communist work and they are used to Congress patronage. Today they are trying to make this confrontation (with the Right wing) an issue in an organised manner. It's not as if it is an exceptional resistance movement. The kind of issues they are raising, they are merely trying to brew conducive political circumstances. And people understand this... Q: The students' wings of neither Congress, nor Aam Aadmi Party are confronting the ABVP. What is the reason? A: The Congress students' movement is not very strong anywhere in the country... Q: It is strong in DU... A: In DU, the resistance to ABVP is from ultra-Left, Left groups. This is not new and has been going on forever... Q: Are the NSUI and AAP students' group skirting this confrontation because they don’t want to openly go against the Nationalist agenda the ABVP is espousing? A: Anyone seen as supporting separatists, terrorists or pro-Pakistan elements will have to pay a political price... Q: The BJP is emerging in Kerala as a factor for the first time and the RSS is giving you a lot of back-up on the ground. Both the RSS and the BJP are nationalist in their ideology. Why don’t you devise a strategy to take the Muslims along? A: Muslims considering the BJP as an enemy is not good for either. And the BJP is not keen on playing communal politics. Our opponents spread this sentiment that we are anti-Muslim. In a lot of places, the Muslims believe them. It is our duty to remove that misgiving as much as it is theirs. I don’t think the situation will be the same after two years. Earlier, the Christians did not support us in a lot of places, but now they are accepting the BJP in a lot of places like in Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. It's not as if all the Hindus supported the BJP earlier. Voting on the basis of religion is not something that will go on for long. As people's trust in BJP grows... Q: Will the BJP expand its agenda? A: The BJP does have a non-sectarian agenda and people will be convinced with time... (WION)

Exclusive: BJP only national party, has non-sectarian agenda, says general secretary Muralidhar Rao

The Bharatiya&nbsp;Janta Party (BJP) won 56 seats in Uttarakhand,&nbsp;almost completely wiping out&nbsp;the Congress which won just 11 seats and Others won 2 seats. The BJP wave has been&nbsp;clearly evident in Uttarakhand.&nbsp;

BJP leaders attributed the victory&nbsp;to the Narendra Modi wave and a strong anti-incumbency against Harish Rawat who lost both the seats he contested.

Even as results poured in, Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat resigned after losing both Assembly seats to BJP candidates in the state.

Rawat lost the Haridwar (Rural) seat to BJP&#39;s Yatishwaranand by over 12,000 votes and also lost the Kichcha seat by less than 100 votes to Rajesh Shukla of the BJP.&nbsp;

Earlier, counting of votes began in Uttarakhand this morning with the Congress taking an early lead in 14 constituencies, BJP led&nbsp;in 13 constituencies with&nbsp;Others leading in 2 seats.

In early rounds, chief minister Harish Rawat was&nbsp;leading in Haridwar Rural constituency, however, he soon started trailing and eventually lost to&nbsp;BJP&#39;s Yatishwaranand.

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Chief Minister Harish Rawat leading from Haridwar Rural seat <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElectionResults?src=hash">#ElectionResults</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Uttarakhand?src=hash">#Uttarakhand</a> <a href="https://t.co/KhcPDIl3za">pic.twitter.com/KhcPDIl3za</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/840408637088514048">March 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

 
The victory margin between the Congress and BJP this time is massive. The parties were neck and neck in the last assembly polls with BJP winning only one seat less than Congress which formed government with the help of the six-member PDF.&nbsp;

A number of Harish Rawat&#39;s cabinet colleagues including S S Negi, Dinesh Aggarwal, Mantri Prasad Naithani, Dinesh Dhanai, Harish Chandra Durgapal and Navprabhat lost their seats.

Almost all former Congress rebel MLAs fielded by BJP won their seats including Sobodh Uniyal from Narendranagar, Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion from Khanpur, Yashpal Arya from Bajpur, Rekha Arya from Someshwar, Umesh Sharma Kau from Raipur, and Pradeep Batra from Roorkee. 
 
Pradesh BJP president Ajay Bhatt who lost from Ranikhet, attributed his party&#39;s win to the corruption during the Congress rule.

&quot;People were sick of the rule of corruption, fear and loot and voted for Narendra Modi&#39;s and Amit Shah&#39;s all-inclusive development agenda,&quot; Ajay Bhatt said in a statement.

 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

BJP won 56 Assembly constituencies with the Congress taking just 13 seats

The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) won 56 seats in Uttarakhand, almost completely wiping out the Congress which won just 11 seats and Others won 2 seats. The BJP wave has been clearly evident in Uttarakhand. BJP leaders attributed the victory to the Narendra Modi wave and a strong anti-incumbency against Harish Rawat who lost both the seats he contested. Even as results poured in, Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat resigned after losing both Assembly seats to BJP candidates in the state. Rawat lost the Haridwar (Rural) seat to BJP's Yatishwaranand by over 12,000 votes and also lost the Kichcha seat by less than 100 votes to Rajesh Shukla of the BJP. Earlier, counting of votes began in Uttarakhand this morning with the Congress taking an early lead in 14 constituencies, BJP led in 13 constituencies with Others leading in 2 seats. In early rounds, chief minister Harish Rawat was leading in Haridwar Rural constituency, however, he soon started trailing and eventually lost to BJP's Yatishwaranand. Chief Minister Harish Rawat leading from Haridwar Rural seat #ElectionResults #Uttarakhand pic.twitter.com/KhcPDIl3za — ANI (@ANI_news) March 11, 2017 × The victory margin between the Congress and BJP this time is massive. The parties were neck and neck in the last assembly polls with BJP winning only one seat less than Congress which formed government with the help of the six-member PDF. A number of Harish Rawat's cabinet colleagues including S S Negi, Dinesh Aggarwal, Mantri Prasad Naithani, Dinesh Dhanai, Harish Chandra Durgapal and Navprabhat lost their seats. Almost all former Congress rebel MLAs fielded by BJP won their seats including Sobodh Uniyal from Narendranagar, Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion from Khanpur, Yashpal Arya from Bajpur, Rekha Arya from Someshwar, Umesh Sharma Kau from Raipur, and Pradeep Batra from Roorkee. Pradesh BJP president Ajay Bhatt who lost from Ranikhet, attributed his party's win to the corruption during the Congress rule. "People were sick of the rule of corruption, fear and loot and voted for Narendra Modi's and Amit Shah's all-inclusive development agenda," Ajay Bhatt said in a statement. (WION with inputs from agencies)

BJP trumps Congress in Uttarakhand, CM Harish Rawat resigns

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav&#39;s assertion that he could align with Mayawati&#39;s BSP has created a political firestorm with the BJP declaring that the chief minister has already &quot;conceded defeat&quot;&nbsp;

Union minister Kiren Rijiju said, &quot;Counting se pehle hee haar maan liya (he has conceded defeat even before counting). What should I say on this?&quot;

Speaking to BBC radio Hindi yesterday Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had said he wanted to keep the BJP out in Uttar Pradesh for that he was ready to align with Samajwadi Party&#39;s long-time rival Mayawati, the chief of Bahujan Samaj Party.

<h3><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/india-assembly-elections-2017-exit-polls-bjp-has-advantage-in-3-states-13234">Also </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/india-assembly-elections-2017-exit-polls-bjp-has-advantage-in-3-states-13234">Read:</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/india-assembly-elections-2017-exit-polls-bjp-has-advantage-in-3-states-13234">&nbsp;India Assembly Elections 2017 Exit Polls: BJP has advantage in 3 states</a></h3>

&nbsp;

The seven-phase Uttar Pradesh elections ended on March 8, the results are due to be declared tomorrow. <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/india-assembly-elections-2017-exit-polls-bjp-has-advantage-in-3-states-13234">Most exit polls have put the BJP ahead in Uttar Pradesh with the SP-Congress alliance </a>set to finish a distant second but Mayawati&#39;s BSP who is expected to finish third could end up as a &#39;kingmaker&#39; if either the BJP or the SP-Congress fail to get the required 202 seats&nbsp;in the 403 member House.

<h3><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/muslims-understand-majority-govt-can-be-formed-without-their-support-but-be-careful-about-splitting-up-13223">Also Read:&nbsp;&#39;Muslims understand majority govt can be formed without their support... but be careful about splitting UP&#39;</a></h3>

&nbsp;

(WION)

Union minister Kiren Rijiju said UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav "has conceded defeat even before counting".

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's assertion that he could align with Mayawati's BSP has created a political firestorm with the BJP declaring that the chief minister has already "conceded defeat" Union minister Kiren Rijiju said, "Counting se pehle hee haar maan liya (he has conceded defeat even before counting). What should I say on this?" Speaking to BBC radio Hindi yesterday Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had said he wanted to keep the BJP out in Uttar Pradesh for that he was ready to align with Samajwadi Party's long-time rival Mayawati, the chief of Bahujan Samaj Party. Also Read: India Assembly Elections 2017 Exit Polls: BJP has advantage in 3 states The seven-phase Uttar Pradesh elections ended on March 8, the results are due to be declared tomorrow. Most exit polls have put the BJP ahead in Uttar Pradesh with the SP-Congress alliance set to finish a distant second but Mayawati's BSP who is expected to finish third could end up as a 'kingmaker' if either the BJP or the SP-Congress fail to get the required 202 seats in the 403 member House. Also Read: 'Muslims understand majority govt can be formed without their support... but be careful about splitting UP' (WION)

Akhilesh's tie-up with Mayawati? BJP says UP chief minister has already conceded defeat

Voting in Uttar Pradesh&#39;s Alapur constituency&nbsp;in Ambedkar Nagar district is underway.&nbsp;

The election&nbsp;in this constituency was to happen in the fifth phase on February 27 but&nbsp;was&nbsp;deferred due to the death of&nbsp;the Samajwadi Party candidate Chandrashekhar Kanaujia.

Voting has also started&nbsp;in Uttarakhand&#39;s Karnaprayag constituency, which was postponed after the BSP candidate from the seat Kuldeep Singh Kanwasi died in a road accident.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Uttarakhand: Polling underway in Karnaprayag, currently held by Congress&#39;s AP Maikhuri, BSP&#39;s Kanwasi&#39;s widow Jyoti &amp; BJP&#39;s SS Negi in fray <a href="https://t.co/ZHPr5CkKpi">pic.twitter.com/ZHPr5CkKpi</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/839717779825553408">March 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Elections to the last phase ended yesterday in Uttar Pradesh.

Results of the assembly elections in five states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur, Goa&nbsp;and Uttarakhand&nbsp;will be announced on March 11.

(WION with inputs from ANI) &nbsp;

The voting in these two constituencies was postponed after deaths of two candidates

Voting in Uttar Pradesh's Alapur constituency in Ambedkar Nagar district is underway. The election in this constituency was to happen in the fifth phase on February 27 but was deferred due to the death of the Samajwadi Party candidate Chandrashekhar Kanaujia. Voting has also started in Uttarakhand's Karnaprayag constituency, which was postponed after the BSP candidate from the seat Kuldeep Singh Kanwasi died in a road accident. Uttarakhand: Polling underway in Karnaprayag, currently held by Congress's AP Maikhuri, BSP's Kanwasi's widow Jyoti & BJP's SS Negi in fray pic.twitter.com/ZHPr5CkKpi — ANI (@ANI_news) March 9, 2017 × Elections to the last phase ended yesterday in Uttar Pradesh. Results of the assembly elections in five states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur, Goa and Uttarakhand will be announced on March 11. (WION with inputs from ANI)

Voting underway in Alapur of Uttar Pradesh, Karnaprayag of Uttarakhand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned for the BJP for the second consecutive day in his constituency Varanasi on Sunday.

The prime minister embarked on a roadshow through the Muslim-dominated interiors of the city before ending his tour at the Kashi Vidyapeeth (University) where he addressed an election rally. 
 
PM Modi said development of Purvanchal (eastern Uttar Pradesh) was high on the priority of the central government, and criticised successive state governments for not doing anything to develop the region.

&quot;There is fertile land and hard working people but there is no good government,&quot; he said&nbsp;while addressing&nbsp;a huge gathering at the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth.

The prime minister said that the central government was ready to provide the required funds for development of the region but the state government must be able to properly account for the expenses. 
 
PM Modi also blamed&nbsp;previous governments for the lack of development of the the historical city of Banaras (Varanasi). He said the city needed a modern makeover and &quot;it is my dream to achieve this&quot;.

&quot;Earlier governments did only tidbits (of development work) for Banaras with an eye on short-term electoral gains. But these tidbits won&#39;t help Banaras. The city needs a complete, modern makeover and it is my dream to turn this city into a modern world-class city,&quot; said Modi.

He said that if earlier governments had given proper attention, Kashi (another older name for Varanasi) could have become a tourist hot spot.

&quot;People would have yearned to visit Banaras at least once,&quot; he said.

Invoking Mark Twain, the PM said the city of Varanasi was older than history itself.

&quot;Banaras is not a city, it is a living heritage. Every Indian considers Banaras as his own,&quot; he said.

He accused the BSP, Congress and the SP of rallying against the BJP after demonetisation of high value currency notes in November last year. He&nbsp;also assured the people that the honest would not be harrassed by tax authorities during his governance.

The prime minister also reached out to small traders who are in significant numbers in Varanasi. He said they would not be touched by his government&#39;s drive against corruption as the politicians and &#39;babus&#39; have looted the country all these years.&nbsp; 
 
PM Modi&nbsp;hit out at the Congress for emptying the exchequer through a series of scams including the 2G, coal scam, and AgustaWestland chopper scam.

Accusing the Congress of &quot;robbing&quot; the country for 70 years, PM Modi&nbsp;said it was time the party &quot;gave back&quot; to the people of the country.

&quot;I have been elected not to maintain status quo but to weed out corruption from the system and punish the guilty,&quot; he said.

&quot;Our motto is inclusive development but the Congress, SP and the BSP have a different culture of politics that relies on development for a few,&quot; the PM&nbsp;said.

He targeted the Opposition once more for politicising the surgical strikes against Pakistani militants across the Line of Control by asking for proof.

&quot;It is sad that those driven by politics wanted proof of surgical strikes, they asked so many died but did any of our men die,&quot; PM Modi said.

He also attacked the Samajwadi Party for the poor condition of the roads in the state.

&quot;Tourism is important for Varanasi. But see what the government has done to the roads of this place. What will the tourists feel. We wanted to build roads on different stretches. But the work is slow, the state government has no intention to build roads,&quot; PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister attacked the Congress on the distribution of gas cylinders and said his government had&nbsp;taken the&nbsp;initiative to provide clean fuel to millions of poor households. Under the scheme, 55 lakh connections had&nbsp;already been given in the state.

He also ignored the ruling Samajwadi Party government of ignoring the development-related initiatives of the central government.

&quot;30 lakh families in UP need houses, Centre asked the state for their list but they&#39;re sleeping; they couldn&#39;t make a list how will &nbsp;they make&nbsp;houses,&quot; Modi said.

Narendra Modi also took potshots at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi as &quot;delicate&quot; people incapable of taking hard decisions while pitching himself as a grassroots leader who can develop the state.

&quot;They are such delicate people who cannot take hard decisions. They think what if they lose what they got. I have not got anything in inheritance.

&quot;Whatever I have got is due to the blessing of the people of Kashi. I can take hard decisions to rid the country of its problems. I have the courage to do so,&quot; the Prime Minister said. 
 
The second day of the roadshow commenced late afternoon from the city&#39;s Pandeypur Chauraha (crossroad) with the PM&#39;s supporters chanting &quot;Modi Modi&quot; and &quot;Vande Mataram&quot; before concluding at the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth university.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<center><twitterwidget class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" data-tweet-id="838388381218443265" id="twitter-widget-0" style="position: static; visibility: visible; display: block; transform: rotate(0deg); max-width: 100%; width: 500px; min-width: 220px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"></twitterwidget><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<center><twitterwidget class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" data-tweet-id="838380183015026688" id="twitter-widget-1" style="position: static; visibility: visible; display: block; transform: rotate(0deg); max-width: 100%; width: 500px; min-width: 220px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"></twitterwidget><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<center><twitterwidget class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" data-tweet-id="838376952364953600" id="twitter-widget-2" style="position: static; visibility: visible; display: block; transform: rotate(0deg); max-width: 100%; width: 500px; min-width: 220px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"></twitterwidget><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<center><twitterwidget class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" data-tweet-id="838348049743249412" id="twitter-widget-3" style="position: static; visibility: visible; display: block; transform: rotate(0deg); max-width: 100%; width: 500px; min-width: 220px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"></twitterwidget><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<center><twitterwidget class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" data-tweet-id="838355216844062721" id="twitter-widget-4" style="position: static; visibility: visible; display: block; transform: rotate(0deg); max-width: 100%; width: 500px; min-width: 220px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"></twitterwidget><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<center><twitterwidget class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" data-tweet-id="838359224728109056" id="twitter-widget-5" style="position: static; visibility: visible; display: block; transform: rotate(0deg); max-width: 100%; width: 500px; min-width: 220px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"></twitterwidget><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<center><twitterwidget class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" data-tweet-id="838342960462893056" id="twitter-widget-6" style="position: static; visibility: visible; display: block; transform: rotate(0deg); max-width: 100%; width: 500px; min-width: 220px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"></twitterwidget><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

In the 2012 Assembly elections, the BJP had won three of the five assembly seats from Varanasi. The Samajwadi Party had won the remaining two.

Yesterday, at an election rally in neighbouring Jaunpur district, PM Modi said he had made Varanasi his &quot;Karya Kshetra&quot; (area of development), claiming that the area had lost its shine under the Samajwadi Party government.

The prime minister had also slammed Opposition parties for politicising the Indian Army&#39;s surgical strikes across the Line of Control in Pakistan last year. The prime minister claimed that the Congress government had ignored the Army&#39;s demand for One Rank One Pension (OROP) for 40 years.

He had also offered at the city&#39;s famous Kashi Vishwanath and Kaal Bhairav temples.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will address three rallies in Sonbhadra, Mirzapur and Jaunpur.

The seventh-phase of Assembly polls will be held&nbsp;on March 8, in which as many as 46 constituencies covering seven districts of Uttar Pradesh will cast their vote.

&nbsp;(WION with inputs from ANI)&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

The prime minister blamed the previous governments for the lack of development of the region

Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned for the BJP for the second consecutive day in his constituency Varanasi on Sunday. The prime minister embarked on a roadshow through the Muslim-dominated interiors of the city before ending his tour at the Kashi Vidyapeeth (University) where he addressed an election rally. PM Modi said development of Purvanchal (eastern Uttar Pradesh) was high on the priority of the central government, and criticised successive state governments for not doing anything to develop the region. "There is fertile land and hard working people but there is no good government," he said while addressing a huge gathering at the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth. The prime minister said that the central government was ready to provide the required funds for development of the region but the state government must be able to properly account for the expenses. PM Modi also blamed previous governments for the lack of development of the the historical city of Banaras (Varanasi). He said the city needed a modern makeover and "it is my dream to achieve this". "Earlier governments did only tidbits (of development work) for Banaras with an eye on short-term electoral gains. But these tidbits won't help Banaras. The city needs a complete, modern makeover and it is my dream to turn this city into a modern world-class city," said Modi. He said that if earlier governments had given proper attention, Kashi (another older name for Varanasi) could have become a tourist hot spot. "People would have yearned to visit Banaras at least once," he said. Invoking Mark Twain, the PM said the city of Varanasi was older than history itself. "Banaras is not a city, it is a living heritage. Every Indian considers Banaras as his own," he said. He accused the BSP, Congress and the SP of rallying against the BJP after demonetisation of high value currency notes in November last year. He also assured the people that the honest would not be harrassed by tax authorities during his governance. The prime minister also reached out to small traders who are in significant numbers in Varanasi. He said they would not be touched by his government's drive against corruption as the politicians and 'babus' have looted the country all these years. PM Modi hit out at the Congress for emptying the exchequer through a series of scams including the 2G, coal scam, and AgustaWestland chopper scam. Accusing the Congress of "robbing" the country for 70 years, PM Modi said it was time the party "gave back" to the people of the country. "I have been elected not to maintain status quo but to weed out corruption from the system and punish the guilty," he said. "Our motto is inclusive development but the Congress, SP and the BSP have a different culture of politics that relies on development for a few," the PM said. He targeted the Opposition once more for politicising the surgical strikes against Pakistani militants across the Line of Control by asking for proof. "It is sad that those driven by politics wanted proof of surgical strikes, they asked so many died but did any of our men die," PM Modi said. He also attacked the Samajwadi Party for the poor condition of the roads in the state. "Tourism is important for Varanasi. But see what the government has done to the roads of this place. What will the tourists feel. We wanted to build roads on different stretches. But the work is slow, the state government has no intention to build roads," PM Modi said. The Prime Minister attacked the Congress on the distribution of gas cylinders and said his government had taken the initiative to provide clean fuel to millions of poor households. Under the scheme, 55 lakh connections had already been given in the state. He also ignored the ruling Samajwadi Party government of ignoring the development-related initiatives of the central government. "30 lakh families in UP need houses, Centre asked the state for their list but they're sleeping; they couldn't make a list how will they make houses," Modi said. Narendra Modi also took potshots at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi as "delicate" people incapable of taking hard decisions while pitching himself as a grassroots leader who can develop the state. "They are such delicate people who cannot take hard decisions. They think what if they lose what they got. I have not got anything in inheritance. "Whatever I have got is due to the blessing of the people of Kashi. I can take hard decisions to rid the country of its problems. I have the courage to do so," the Prime Minister said. The second day of the roadshow commenced late afternoon from the city's Pandeypur Chauraha (crossroad) with the PM's supporters chanting "Modi Modi" and "Vande Mataram" before concluding at the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth university. × × × × × × × In the 2012 Assembly elections, the BJP had won three of the five assembly seats from Varanasi. The Samajwadi Party had won the remaining two. Yesterday, at an election rally in neighbouring Jaunpur district, PM Modi said he had made Varanasi his "Karya Kshetra" (area of development), claiming that the area had lost its shine under the Samajwadi Party government. The prime minister had also slammed Opposition parties for politicising the Indian Army's surgical strikes across the Line of Control in Pakistan last year. The prime minister claimed that the Congress government had ignored the Army's demand for One Rank One Pension (OROP) for 40 years. He had also offered at the city's famous Kashi Vishwanath and Kaal Bhairav temples. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will address three rallies in Sonbhadra, Mirzapur and Jaunpur. The seventh-phase of Assembly polls will be held on March 8, in which as many as 46 constituencies covering seven districts of Uttar Pradesh will cast their vote. (WION with inputs from ANI)

Indian PM Modi pitches for development of 'Purvanchal' on Day 2 of Varanasi campaign

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday said it is opting out of the contest for the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor in the Mumbai civic body polls.&nbsp;

In a major victory for the Shiv Sena, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who announced the news, said the party will not serve as the Opposition in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The announcement comes as a U-turn by the BJP which had earlier broken its alliance with the Shiv Sena, accusing it of corruption in the Mumbai civic body.

Devendra Fadnavis said the BJP will support Shiv Sena for the sake of development, an indicator of an alliance between the parties for governing the civic body.

&quot;At the end of the day Shiv Sena did win by more seats than us, so we respect the mandate of the people. We will not contest for Mayor or Deputy Mayor, nor will we play the role of Opposition in BMC. BJP will support Shiv Sena for the sake of development, and we won&#39;t compromise on transparency,&quot; the chief minister said.

He added that the decision was taken by the leaders of the party after a cabinet meeting at the chief minister&#39;s residence in Mumbai.

After Fadnavis&#39;s announcement, it is clear that the BJP will not cast its vote in the election for the mayor&#39;s post which will be held on March 8.&nbsp;

Sena`s candidate for Mayor is Vishvanath Mahadeshwar and Hareshwar Worlikar is Deputy Mayor nominee.

The results of BMC Elections were declared on February 23. The Shiv Sena had won 84 seats, BJP 82 seats, Congress 31 seats, Samajwadi Party - 6, AIMIM - 3 seats, ABS - 1, and others - 5.

BJP&#39;s announcement comes as an olive branch to Shiv Sena. Ties between both parties were severely strained, even before the BMC polls.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from ANI)&nbsp;

BJP's announcement comes as an olive branch to Shiv Sena, indicating the possibility of a patch-up between the former allies

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday said it is opting out of the contest for the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor in the Mumbai civic body polls. In a major victory for the Shiv Sena, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who announced the news, said the party will not serve as the Opposition in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The announcement comes as a U-turn by the BJP which had earlier broken its alliance with the Shiv Sena, accusing it of corruption in the Mumbai civic body. Devendra Fadnavis said the BJP will support Shiv Sena for the sake of development, an indicator of an alliance between the parties for governing the civic body. "At the end of the day Shiv Sena did win by more seats than us, so we respect the mandate of the people. We will not contest for Mayor or Deputy Mayor, nor will we play the role of Opposition in BMC. BJP will support Shiv Sena for the sake of development, and we won't compromise on transparency," the chief minister said. He added that the decision was taken by the leaders of the party after a cabinet meeting at the chief minister's residence in Mumbai. After Fadnavis's announcement, it is clear that the BJP will not cast its vote in the election for the mayor's post which will be held on March 8. Sena`s candidate for Mayor is Vishvanath Mahadeshwar and Hareshwar Worlikar is Deputy Mayor nominee. The results of BMC Elections were declared on February 23. The Shiv Sena had won 84 seats, BJP 82 seats, Congress 31 seats, Samajwadi Party - 6, AIMIM - 3 seats, ABS - 1, and others - 5. BJP's announcement comes as an olive branch to Shiv Sena. Ties between both parties were severely strained, even before the BMC polls. (WION with inputs from ANI)

Mumbai civic body polls: BJP pulls out of Mayor race, says will support Shiv Sena

Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shazia Ilmi on Wednesday claimed that she was not allowed to speak at a seminar on &quot;triple talaq&quot; at the Jamia Millia Islamia University because she belongs to the BJP. &nbsp;&nbsp;

&quot;I was invited to speak and was one of the participants in a panel discussion and it was to be on triple talaq. It is a very important issue on that we had to debate, but there was a lot of pressure on the organisers. They felt if Shazia will speak then it would lead to some kind of disturbance in the campus,&quot; Ilmi told ANI.

Highlighting the hypocrisy in the political narrative and discrimination, Ilmi said that she was barred from speaking at the university because of her being a part of the BJP.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>I have never ever caused any disturbance. I have always spoken against violence and led a very successful Anna Hazare campaign. How can they blame me as I have no track records of violence? Just because I am in BJP and there is open discrimination, I was not allowed to speak</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=I have never ever caused any disturbance. I have always spoken against violence and led a very successful Anna Hazare campaign. How can they blame me as I have no track records of violence? Just because I am in BJP and there is open discrimination, I was not allowed to speak" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

&quot;I have never ever caused any disturbance. I have always spoken against violence and led a very successful Anna Hazare campaign. How can they blame me as I have no track records of violence? Just because I am in BJP and there is open discrimination, I was not allowed to speak,&quot; Ilmi further said.

&quot;Because we are part of a party, because we call the bluff of Communist and call Congress corrupt, we have to face this harassment,&quot; she added.

As per reports, protests erupted in Jamia University after the organisers rescheduled the event and also changed the list of speakers removing Ilmi.

Ilmi was scheduled to attend a seminar at the college organised to discuss the controversial issue of &quot;triple talaq&quot; on February 16.

The incident came to light at a time when assault on freedom of speech is coming under spotlight in the national capital where two incidents - Delhi University&#39;s Ramjas College row and Gurmehar Kaur controversy, triggered a stir.

(WION with inputs from ANI)

Ilmi was to speak at a seminar on 'triple talaq'

Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shazia Ilmi on Wednesday claimed that she was not allowed to speak at a seminar on "triple talaq" at the Jamia Millia Islamia University because she belongs to the BJP. "I was invited to speak and was one of the participants in a panel discussion and it was to be on triple talaq. It is a very important issue on that we had to debate, but there was a lot of pressure on the organisers. They felt if Shazia will speak then it would lead to some kind of disturbance in the campus," Ilmi told ANI. Highlighting the hypocrisy in the political narrative and discrimination, Ilmi said that she was barred from speaking at the university because of her being a part of the BJP. I have never ever caused any disturbance. I have always spoken against violence and led a very successful Anna Hazare campaign. How can they blame me as I have no track records of violence? Just because I am in BJP and there is open discrimination, I was not allowed to speak × "I have never ever caused any disturbance. I have always spoken against violence and led a very successful Anna Hazare campaign. How can they blame me as I have no track records of violence? Just because I am in BJP and there is open discrimination, I was not allowed to speak," Ilmi further said. "Because we are part of a party, because we call the bluff of Communist and call Congress corrupt, we have to face this harassment," she added. As per reports, protests erupted in Jamia University after the organisers rescheduled the event and also changed the list of speakers removing Ilmi. Ilmi was scheduled to attend a seminar at the college organised to discuss the controversial issue of "triple talaq" on February 16. The incident came to light at a time when assault on freedom of speech is coming under spotlight in the national capital where two incidents - Delhi University's Ramjas College row and Gurmehar Kaur controversy, triggered a stir. (WION with inputs from ANI)

Shazia Ilmi: Was not allowed to speak at Jamia because I'm from BJP

Sensing defeat, the SP and the BSP have launched a new game plan for a fractured mandate in Uttar Pradesh so that they can have bargaining power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today.

&quot;The SP and the BSP, after the third phase of polling, have realised that they have no chance of winning and so they have launched a new game, a new technique...even if we are defeated or our seats decrease, no one should get majority,&quot; he said at an election rally in this eastern UP town.

&quot;I want to tell the leaders of the SP and the BSP to try whatever means they can to defeat the BJP, there is no problem with it...but do not play with the future of UP. It has suffered a lot in the past,&quot; Modi said in his over hour-long speech.

&quot;You (SP, BSP) might be thinking that in case of a hung House, you will get a chance to bargain but the people of UP have shown you in the Lok Sabha polls, by ensuring a full majority to BJP, and in these elections, they will ensure that BJP wins with a huge margin,&quot; Modi said.

The prime minister said it is the right of the SP, the Congress and the BSP in democracy to try to win elections by doing whatever they want against the BJP.

&quot;When the polls were announced and the SP got afraid that they will not win, in a hurry they went and sat in the lap of the Congress...boarded a sinking ship. They got encouraged by media coverage and got intoxicated and thought they will befool the people,&quot; Modi said.

However, public knows how to differentiate milk from water, he said.

On the hype on the SP-Congress alliance, Modi said soon after entering into an understanding they were claiming they will get a two-thirds majority and there were also reports that &quot;certain people&quot; will come out for campaigning.

&quot;But soon after the first two phases, those very people decided to stay away from campaigning and those who were claiming a two-thirds majority came with folded hands asking for another chance to correct their mistakes,&quot; Modi said.

Pointing out that his party believes in taking its allies along even if it got full majority on its own, the PM said all its alliance partners will be made part of BJP government in UP if it comes to power, even though on its own.

&quot;The ship of the Samajwadis has sunk...BSP is not able to do anyhing...Bhatija (Akhilesh) is thinking as to how to save himself, while Bua (Mayawati) is worried thinking what the bhatija has done...,&quot; he said.

Noting that the country was being hailed all over the world today because it got a full majority government at the Centre after 30 years, Modi said when he, as the PM, shakes hand with world leaders they see &quot;125 crore Hindustanis&quot; in him.

He called for a full majority to his party in the polls so that UP is also hailed across the country.

Speaking about the &quot;backwardness&quot; of eastern UP, Modi said that with fertile land, enough water, labourious people and dreams of youths, it can be made the &#39;aan, baan and shaan&#39; (pride of place) of the country.

&quot;It is not as if leaders sitting in Delhi are not aware of the situation here but they don&#39;t have any concern...there cannot be a bigger crime...the Congress has committed a big crime as also the SP and the BSP and they all needed to be punished,&quot; Modi said.

&quot;During Pandit Nehru&#39;s time, when local MP from Ghazipur Vishvanathji spoke about the plight of the region...about poverty and starvation, the entire Parliament was teary-eyed ...what he said no one will believe...there are people living in dismal state and poor families washed cowdung to retrieve foodgrains for filling their stomach,&quot; Modi said.

Pandit Nehru had set up the Patel committee for developing eastern UP and a report was given during his (Nehru&#39;s) time itself. &quot;50 years have passed, see the criminal mindset, it has been lying in a box,&quot; he said, adding the report has now been taken out and work has started on its recommendation. &quot;After result on March 11, we will celebrate Holi of victory,&quot; Modi said.

Unleashing fresh attack on CM Akhilesh Yadav on the Fasal Bima Yojna, Modi said those who talk about &#39;kaam bolta hai&#39; managed &quot;only 14 per cent success&quot; in implementing the scheme and asked if it was not a crime against the farmers and should the state government not be punished for it? &quot;What is the crime of farmers, why are you so angry and harming them by not buying foodgrains at the support price?...

who is against the farmers and is only serving their interest by spewing venom of casteism...they will not be pardoned by the youths of UP,&quot; Modi said.

Alleging discrimination in power supply, he said, &quot;Your CM is brazenly claiming that you are getting it...you are fortunate that polling will take place here at a later date and so you are getting power...where it is over, the power supply has been cut...here the same thing will be done after March 4...is this not betrayal and a lie?&quot; &quot;He has so much ego that he is out to befool people by spreading lies,&quot; he said, adding if the CM had development in his mind he would have also known about 2,700-km long Kandala-Gorakhpur gas pipeline worth Rs 5,000 crore which will also bring industry and development in this region.

He claimed that Centre was ready to give power at a low rate &quot;but the state did not take it...only half of the funds for the purpose has been spent...such a government does not have the right to be in power for even a day&quot;.

Recalling the donkey remark, Modi said, &quot;Akhilesh says he has talked about donkeys in fun...when Sheila Dikshit talked about her leader, I also thought it was out of fun...I want to ask whether the bad state of police thanas, people being stabbed and land being grabbed are also part of fun.&quot; Referring to BSP fielding gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari from the Mau Sadar seat, Modi said when any muscle man is sent to jail here he &quot;goes in smiling as they get perfect arrangements for their stay and security in jails&quot;.

&quot;Give my message to all those who have evaded jails till now and those who are taking food for those inside that times have changed and after the results are announced on March 11, jails will be made jails in true sense and it will be seen how they have fun,&quot; Modi asserted.

Targeting BSP supremo Mayawati, he asked whether making tall claims on law and order and then giving tickets to musclemen is not making a mockery of democracy. Citing &#39;Bahubali&#39; film, Modi referred to a character in it &#39;Katappa&#39; and hinted at a man standing with a stick on the dais calling it the stick of law and and promised guarantee of security under a BJP government in the state. He said: &quot;&ldquo;Katappa killed Baahubali in the movie Baahubali&rdquo;. &ldquo;In a movie, a character called Baahubali was killed by Katappa in the end, after March 11 police&rsquo;s baton will take care of them like Kattappa did.&quot;

(PTI)

Says the SP and BSP's new gameplan is to ensure no one gets a majority

Sensing defeat, the SP and the BSP have launched a new game plan for a fractured mandate in Uttar Pradesh so that they can have bargaining power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today. "The SP and the BSP, after the third phase of polling, have realised that they have no chance of winning and so they have launched a new game, a new technique...even if we are defeated or our seats decrease, no one should get majority," he said at an election rally in this eastern UP town. "I want to tell the leaders of the SP and the BSP to try whatever means they can to defeat the BJP, there is no problem with it...but do not play with the future of UP. It has suffered a lot in the past," Modi said in his over hour-long speech. "You (SP, BSP) might be thinking that in case of a hung House, you will get a chance to bargain but the people of UP have shown you in the Lok Sabha polls, by ensuring a full majority to BJP, and in these elections, they will ensure that BJP wins with a huge margin," Modi said. The prime minister said it is the right of the SP, the Congress and the BSP in democracy to try to win elections by doing whatever they want against the BJP. "When the polls were announced and the SP got afraid that they will not win, in a hurry they went and sat in the lap of the Congress...boarded a sinking ship. They got encouraged by media coverage and got intoxicated and thought they will befool the people," Modi said. However, public knows how to differentiate milk from water, he said. On the hype on the SP-Congress alliance, Modi said soon after entering into an understanding they were claiming they will get a two-thirds majority and there were also reports that "certain people" will come out for campaigning. "But soon after the first two phases, those very people decided to stay away from campaigning and those who were claiming a two-thirds majority came with folded hands asking for another chance to correct their mistakes," Modi said. Pointing out that his party believes in taking its allies along even if it got full majority on its own, the PM said all its alliance partners will be made part of BJP government in UP if it comes to power, even though on its own. "The ship of the Samajwadis has sunk...BSP is not able to do anyhing...Bhatija (Akhilesh) is thinking as to how to save himself, while Bua (Mayawati) is worried thinking what the bhatija has done...," he said. Noting that the country was being hailed all over the world today because it got a full majority government at the Centre after 30 years, Modi said when he, as the PM, shakes hand with world leaders they see "125 crore Hindustanis" in him. He called for a full majority to his party in the polls so that UP is also hailed across the country. Speaking about the "backwardness" of eastern UP, Modi said that with fertile land, enough water, labourious people and dreams of youths, it can be made the 'aan, baan and shaan' (pride of place) of the country. "It is not as if leaders sitting in Delhi are not aware of the situation here but they don't have any concern...there cannot be a bigger crime...the Congress has committed a big crime as also the SP and the BSP and they all needed to be punished," Modi said. "During Pandit Nehru's time, when local MP from Ghazipur Vishvanathji spoke about the plight of the region...about poverty and starvation, the entire Parliament was teary-eyed ...what he said no one will believe...there are people living in dismal state and poor families washed cowdung to retrieve foodgrains for filling their stomach," Modi said. Pandit Nehru had set up the Patel committee for developing eastern UP and a report was given during his (Nehru's) time itself. "50 years have passed, see the criminal mindset, it has been lying in a box," he said, adding the report has now been taken out and work has started on its recommendation. "After result on March 11, we will celebrate Holi of victory," Modi said. Unleashing fresh attack on CM Akhilesh Yadav on the Fasal Bima Yojna, Modi said those who talk about 'kaam bolta hai' managed "only 14 per cent success" in implementing the scheme and asked if it was not a crime against the farmers and should the state government not be punished for it? "What is the crime of farmers, why are you so angry and harming them by not buying foodgrains at the support price?... who is against the farmers and is only serving their interest by spewing venom of casteism...they will not be pardoned by the youths of UP," Modi said. Alleging discrimination in power supply, he said, "Your CM is brazenly claiming that you are getting it...you are fortunate that polling will take place here at a later date and so you are getting power...where it is over, the power supply has been cut...here the same thing will be done after March 4...is this not betrayal and a lie?" "He has so much ego that he is out to befool people by spreading lies," he said, adding if the CM had development in his mind he would have also known about 2,700-km long Kandala-Gorakhpur gas pipeline worth Rs 5,000 crore which will also bring industry and development in this region. He claimed that Centre was ready to give power at a low rate "but the state did not take it...only half of the funds for the purpose has been spent...such a government does not have the right to be in power for even a day". Recalling the donkey remark, Modi said, "Akhilesh says he has talked about donkeys in fun...when Sheila Dikshit talked about her leader, I also thought it was out of fun...I want to ask whether the bad state of police thanas, people being stabbed and land being grabbed are also part of fun." Referring to BSP fielding gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari from the Mau Sadar seat, Modi said when any muscle man is sent to jail here he "goes in smiling as they get perfect arrangements for their stay and security in jails". "Give my message to all those who have evaded jails till now and those who are taking food for those inside that times have changed and after the results are announced on March 11, jails will be made jails in true sense and it will be seen how they have fun," Modi asserted. Targeting BSP supremo Mayawati, he asked whether making tall claims on law and order and then giving tickets to musclemen is not making a mockery of democracy. Citing 'Bahubali' film, Modi referred to a character in it 'Katappa' and hinted at a man standing with a stick on the dais calling it the stick of law and and promised guarantee of security under a BJP government in the state. He said: "“Katappa killed Baahubali in the movie Baahubali”. “In a movie, a character called Baahubali was killed by Katappa in the end, after March 11 police’s baton will take care of them like Kattappa did." (PTI)

A sign of nervousness? PM Modi speaks of fractured mandate in UP

The fifth phase of Uttar Pradesh state elections took place on Monday, with voting taking place in 51 constituencies across 11 districts.

A little over 57&nbsp;per cent of 1.81 crore voters (18.1 million), including 84 lakh (8.4 million) women, cast their ballot on Monday, up by a tiny fraction from 57.09 per cent&nbsp;voter turnout in the previous election in 2012.

The Nehru-Gandhi pocket borough of Amethi was one of the districts that went to polls on Monday.

Controversial minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati (SP) faced off with Amita Singh of Congress and Garima Singh of BJP in Amethi, which is represented by Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha.

Amita is the wife of Congress leader Sanjay Singh, who belongs to the erstwhile royal family of Amethi,&nbsp;while Garima is his estranged spouse, making the contest a &quot;rani&nbsp;(queen) versus rani&quot; affair.

The districts that went to polls in this phase are Balrampur, Gonda, Faizabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Bahraich, Shravasti, Basti, Siddharth Nagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, Amethi and Sultanpur.

For free and fair polls, 1,442 sector magistrates, 180 zonal magistrates and 170 static magistrates were deployed besides police and general observers, PTI reported.

Gonda is close to Nepal and so are Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur and Sidhharth Nagar districts, adjacent to the Terai region in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Central forces remained on high alert in these areas to ensure that no mischief monger transgressed into the Indian territory.

In his speech in Gonda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had referred to the Kanpur train tragedy in which 150 people were killed and said the accident was due to a &quot;conspiracy&quot; and the perpetrators carried it out &quot;sitting across the border&quot;.

The Election Commission of India announced a new date of voting&nbsp;on March 9 for the Alapur constituency&nbsp;due to the death of Samajwadi Party candidate Chandrashekhar Kanaujia, according to PTI.

A total of 607 candidates were in the fray for this phase of the contest.

The ruling Samajwadi Party had won 37 seats out of 52 (total seats in this phase including Alapur) in 2012. While BJP and Congress won five seats each, BSP had won three and Peace Party two.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Polling took place in 51 constituencies including the Nehru-Gandhi pocket borough of Amethi

The fifth phase of Uttar Pradesh state elections took place on Monday, with voting taking place in 51 constituencies across 11 districts. A little over 57 per cent of 1.81 crore voters (18.1 million), including 84 lakh (8.4 million) women, cast their ballot on Monday, up by a tiny fraction from 57.09 per cent voter turnout in the previous election in 2012. The Nehru-Gandhi pocket borough of Amethi was one of the districts that went to polls on Monday. Controversial minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati (SP) faced off with Amita Singh of Congress and Garima Singh of BJP in Amethi, which is represented by Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha. Amita is the wife of Congress leader Sanjay Singh, who belongs to the erstwhile royal family of Amethi, while Garima is his estranged spouse, making the contest a "rani (queen) versus rani" affair. The districts that went to polls in this phase are Balrampur, Gonda, Faizabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Bahraich, Shravasti, Basti, Siddharth Nagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, Amethi and Sultanpur. For free and fair polls, 1,442 sector magistrates, 180 zonal magistrates and 170 static magistrates were deployed besides police and general observers, PTI reported. Gonda is close to Nepal and so are Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur and Sidhharth Nagar districts, adjacent to the Terai region in the foothills of the Himalayas. Central forces remained on high alert in these areas to ensure that no mischief monger transgressed into the Indian territory. In his speech in Gonda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had referred to the Kanpur train tragedy in which 150 people were killed and said the accident was due to a "conspiracy" and the perpetrators carried it out "sitting across the border". The Election Commission of India announced a new date of voting on March 9 for the Alapur constituency due to the death of Samajwadi Party candidate Chandrashekhar Kanaujia, according to PTI. A total of 607 candidates were in the fray for this phase of the contest. The ruling Samajwadi Party had won 37 seats out of 52 (total seats in this phase including Alapur) in 2012. While BJP and Congress won five seats each, BSP had won three and Peace Party two. (WION with inputs from agencies)

UP assembly elections: Over 57% polling recorded in fifth phase

Prime Minister Narendra Modi out-campaigned all-comers in the 2014 general election but, as he faces his biggest mid-term test, he is up against a rival determined to beat him at his own game.

In Uttar Pradesh his opponent, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, has been repackaged as a youthful and media-savvy go-getter who seeks to steal a unique selling point of Modi&#39;s - development.

&quot;I am taking it a bit beyond Modi: I work,&quot; Yadav told Reuters in an interview in Lucknow, capital of the state of 220 million that is holding the biggest democratic election anywhere in the world this year.

&quot;My work speaks for itself. Modi&#39;s empty promises do not,&quot; said the 43-year-old leader of the Samajwadi, or Socialist, Party.

Yadav entered the vast election, being held over the course of a month, as a narrow favourite: He had just emerged from a power struggle with his domineering father and struck a pre-poll alliance with the Indian National Congress.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>While Modi excels as a stump speaker who can deliver an hour-long address without notes, Akhilesh has sought to connect with the youth vote via new media, taking personal control over his social media accounts and doing a Facebook Live with a TV journalist</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=While Modi excels as a stump speaker who can deliver an hour-long address without notes, Akhilesh has sought to connect with the youth vote via new media, taking personal control over his social media accounts and doing a Facebook Live with a TV journalist" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

While Modi excels as a stump speaker who can deliver an hour-long address without notes, Akhilesh has sought to connect with the youth vote via new media, taking personal control over his social media accounts and doing a Facebook Live with one of India&#39;s best-known TV journalists.

He has even climbed on a bicycle - his party&#39;s symbol - for another prime-time interview that gave him a chance to showcase the newly landscaped riverfront in the state capital.

Yadav&#39;s campaign has been backed by his wife Dimple, a member of parliament, who has courted women voters and helped create an image as a political &#39;power couple&#39;.

Throughout, Yadav has stayed firmly on message. Asked about endemic crime, he says he has set up a new police hotline that is ensuring quicker response times.

On developing his poor state where incomes average less than $750 a year, he highlights his achievements in building an expressway to Agra, site of the Taj Mahal, and a new city metro in Lucknow.

Winning and losing

Yadav became the youngest-ever chief minister of Uttar Pradesh with a slim mandate, winning just 29 percent in the 2012 state poll.

But in the general election two years later he was swept away by a Modi &#39;wave&#39; as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 42 percent of the vote in the battleground state.

Yadav, who received a university education in Australia yet became typecast as the ineffectual scion of a political patriarch, decided he needed a makeover.

&quot;It was at this point Yadav took a cue from Modi&#39;s image as a technology-loving modern man,&quot; said R.K. Mishra, an independent political analyst in Lucknow.

Yadav commissioned the construction of a mansion behind his old party headquarters to operate as his campaign &quot;war room&quot;.

He met two dozen Indian and international political scientists, and roped in Harvard graduates and marketing gurus from Mumbai. They set up a big data operation - cloning the backroom setup used by Modi in his own rise to national power.

&quot;The recruitment brief was clear: Everyone working in the war room should be in their thirties and have family in Uttar Pradesh,&quot; said Aashish Yadav, a campaign manager who previously worked at BBC Media Action, a development charity.

Aashish Yadav manages a team of 100 young men and women who compose jingles as well as messages that are circulated via WhatsApp and community radio services. &quot;Modi&#39;s campaign looks jaded compared to our blitzkrieg,&quot; said Aashish.

Gangster rule

It&#39;s been a tough sell for a party that under founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh&#39;s father, was criticised for breakdown of law and order. Many resented corruption that favoured the Yadav community - a &quot;backward&quot; caste that makes up 9 percent of the population of Uttar Pradesh.

&quot;Akhilesh had to dismantle the existing perception about himself and his party,&quot; said one close aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

By teaming up with Rahul Gandhi of Congress - another forty-something politician - Yadav hopes to prevail in the three-cornered contest with the BJP and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) led by Mayawati, a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

&quot;There is a great deal of ease between the two leaders and this is making Modi nervous,&quot; said an aide to Gandhi, who is the son, grandson and great grandson of Indian prime ministers.

Pre-election polls put the Yadav-Gandhi alliance and the BJP in a close race, but no surveys are allowed during voting held over seven stages. Results are due on March 11.

Gandhi and Yadav have both turned for advice to Prashant Kishor, the strategist who stage-managed Modi&#39;s triumphant 2014 march on New Delhi.

Kishor later switched sides to help a similar opposition alliance defeat the BJP in Bihar, another big northern state, in late 2015. He now divides his time between advising Congress and Samajwadi.

The BJP&#39;s state leader in Uttar Pradesh, Keshav Prasad Maurya, dismisses the alliance as a fiasco and called the war room a poor imitation.

&quot;Yadav and Gandhi both lack imagination,&quot; he told Reuters. &quot;Being Modi is different from being like Modi.&quot;&nbsp;

(Reuters)

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister is seeking to steal a unique selling point of Modi's -- development

Prime Minister Narendra Modi out-campaigned all-comers in the 2014 general election but, as he faces his biggest mid-term test, he is up against a rival determined to beat him at his own game. In Uttar Pradesh his opponent, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, has been repackaged as a youthful and media-savvy go-getter who seeks to steal a unique selling point of Modi's - development. "I am taking it a bit beyond Modi: I work," Yadav told Reuters in an interview in Lucknow, capital of the state of 220 million that is holding the biggest democratic election anywhere in the world this year. "My work speaks for itself. Modi's empty promises do not," said the 43-year-old leader of the Samajwadi, or Socialist, Party. Yadav entered the vast election, being held over the course of a month, as a narrow favourite: He had just emerged from a power struggle with his domineering father and struck a pre-poll alliance with the Indian National Congress. While Modi excels as a stump speaker who can deliver an hour-long address without notes, Akhilesh has sought to connect with the youth vote via new media, taking personal control over his social media accounts and doing a Facebook Live with a TV journalist × While Modi excels as a stump speaker who can deliver an hour-long address without notes, Akhilesh has sought to connect with the youth vote via new media, taking personal control over his social media accounts and doing a Facebook Live with one of India's best-known TV journalists. He has even climbed on a bicycle - his party's symbol - for another prime-time interview that gave him a chance to showcase the newly landscaped riverfront in the state capital. Yadav's campaign has been backed by his wife Dimple, a member of parliament, who has courted women voters and helped create an image as a political 'power couple'. Throughout, Yadav has stayed firmly on message. Asked about endemic crime, he says he has set up a new police hotline that is ensuring quicker response times. On developing his poor state where incomes average less than $750 a year, he highlights his achievements in building an expressway to Agra, site of the Taj Mahal, and a new city metro in Lucknow. Winning and losing Yadav became the youngest-ever chief minister of Uttar Pradesh with a slim mandate, winning just 29 percent in the 2012 state poll. But in the general election two years later he was swept away by a Modi 'wave' as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 42 percent of the vote in the battleground state. Yadav, who received a university education in Australia yet became typecast as the ineffectual scion of a political patriarch, decided he needed a makeover. "It was at this point Yadav took a cue from Modi's image as a technology-loving modern man," said R.K. Mishra, an independent political analyst in Lucknow. Yadav commissioned the construction of a mansion behind his old party headquarters to operate as his campaign "war room". He met two dozen Indian and international political scientists, and roped in Harvard graduates and marketing gurus from Mumbai. They set up a big data operation - cloning the backroom setup used by Modi in his own rise to national power. "The recruitment brief was clear: Everyone working in the war room should be in their thirties and have family in Uttar Pradesh," said Aashish Yadav, a campaign manager who previously worked at BBC Media Action, a development charity. Aashish Yadav manages a team of 100 young men and women who compose jingles as well as messages that are circulated via WhatsApp and community radio services. "Modi's campaign looks jaded compared to our blitzkrieg," said Aashish. Gangster rule It's been a tough sell for a party that under founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh's father, was criticised for breakdown of law and order. Many resented corruption that favoured the Yadav community - a "backward" caste that makes up 9 percent of the population of Uttar Pradesh. "Akhilesh had to dismantle the existing perception about himself and his party," said one close aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity. By teaming up with Rahul Gandhi of Congress - another forty-something politician - Yadav hopes to prevail in the three-cornered contest with the BJP and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) led by Mayawati, a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. "There is a great deal of ease between the two leaders and this is making Modi nervous," said an aide to Gandhi, who is the son, grandson and great grandson of Indian prime ministers. Pre-election polls put the Yadav-Gandhi alliance and the BJP in a close race, but no surveys are allowed during voting held over seven stages. Results are due on March 11. Gandhi and Yadav have both turned for advice to Prashant Kishor, the strategist who stage-managed Modi's triumphant 2014 march on New Delhi. Kishor later switched sides to help a similar opposition alliance defeat the BJP in Bihar, another big northern state, in late 2015. He now divides his time between advising Congress and Samajwadi. The BJP's state leader in Uttar Pradesh, Keshav Prasad Maurya, dismisses the alliance as a fiasco and called the war room a poor imitation. "Yadav and Gandhi both lack imagination," he told Reuters. "Being Modi is different from being like Modi." (Reuters)

UP elections: Akhilesh takes Modi on at his own game

In an exclusive interview with WION&#39;s Kartikeya Sharma, Kiren Rijiju, minister for state in the central government blamed the Congress party for the current turmoil in the state. He accused the party of tarnishing the BJP&#39;s image by saying it was trying to alter Manipur&#39;s border with Nagaland. 
&nbsp; 
Q: Why are BJP leaders at pains to explain that the Nagaland peace accord will not lead to territorial realignment of Manipur?

A: Why should we mix up issues. Problems of Manipur are different and the state is reeling under tremendous pressure because of various forces and is working like an obstacle to the path of development. Manipur has the potential but the root cause of its problem is the Congress Party. Whether it is the Naga issue or local issues, Congress has created it. We have to start afresh.

&nbsp; 
Q: How do you express the anxiety in Manipur&rsquo;s civil society on Nagalim?

A: It is because Congress Party has launched a malicious campaign that BJP is going to alter the boundary with Manipur. The talks with the Nagas have been taking place from a long time. There are other stake holders also and it cannot be linked with Manipur state elections. They are creating false alarm to divert the attention of the people of Manipur from lack development.

&nbsp; 
Q: Then what is the truth of the Naga accord? North East Chief Ministers met the President and said that they were not taken into confidence?

A: On the day of the signing of the framework agreement, all the Congress chief ministers congratulated. After three days Sonia Gandhi called up the chief ministers asking them as to why are they congratulating the BJP government. She asked them to oppose it. This is on official record. Congress chief ministers had tweeted congratulating us. Suddenly after three days, Congress President made the call?

Q: Are you saying that Sonia Gandhi churned a political turmoil?

A: It is absolutely visible. I&rsquo;m not saying it. It is on record. You see the statements and tweets. After three days, they took a U-turn. It was childish.

Q: New districts were created by Ibobi Singh (Manipur chief minister) before the elections and the blockade happened. But the feeling is also there that Centre didn&#39;t do enough to ameliorate the condition?

A: This is totally unbecoming on part of the Congress chief minister. When he signed the letter in 2011, we were not part of it. Then P Chidambaram was the home minister. He came to Manipur and the Chief Minister Ibobi Singh said that new districts wouldn&rsquo;t be formed till all communities were on board. Then he created the district. He created the problem. Why did he give this commitment earlier? He is responsible for the present situation.

Q: If your government comes to power then how will you address this issue?

A: This is an administrative matter. We will look at them after formation of the government.

(WION) 
&nbsp;

&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Kiren Rijiju accused the party of tarnishing the BJP's image by saying it was trying to alter Manipur's border with Nagaland

In an exclusive interview with WION's Kartikeya Sharma, Kiren Rijiju, minister for state in the central government blamed the Congress party for the current turmoil in the state. He accused the party of tarnishing the BJP's image by saying it was trying to alter Manipur's border with Nagaland. Q: Why are BJP leaders at pains to explain that the Nagaland peace accord will not lead to territorial realignment of Manipur? A: Why should we mix up issues. Problems of Manipur are different and the state is reeling under tremendous pressure because of various forces and is working like an obstacle to the path of development. Manipur has the potential but the root cause of its problem is the Congress Party. Whether it is the Naga issue or local issues, Congress has created it. We have to start afresh. Q: How do you express the anxiety in Manipur’s civil society on Nagalim? A: It is because Congress Party has launched a malicious campaign that BJP is going to alter the boundary with Manipur. The talks with the Nagas have been taking place from a long time. There are other stake holders also and it cannot be linked with Manipur state elections. They are creating false alarm to divert the attention of the people of Manipur from lack development. Q: Then what is the truth of the Naga accord? North East Chief Ministers met the President and said that they were not taken into confidence? A: On the day of the signing of the framework agreement, all the Congress chief ministers congratulated. After three days Sonia Gandhi called up the chief ministers asking them as to why are they congratulating the BJP government. She asked them to oppose it. This is on official record. Congress chief ministers had tweeted congratulating us. Suddenly after three days, Congress President made the call? Q: Are you saying that Sonia Gandhi churned a political turmoil? A: It is absolutely visible. I’m not saying it. It is on record. You see the statements and tweets. After three days, they took a U-turn. It was childish. Q: New districts were created by Ibobi Singh (Manipur chief minister) before the elections and the blockade happened. But the feeling is also there that Centre didn't do enough to ameliorate the condition? A: This is totally unbecoming on part of the Congress chief minister. When he signed the letter in 2011, we were not part of it. Then P Chidambaram was the home minister. He came to Manipur and the Chief Minister Ibobi Singh said that new districts wouldn’t be formed till all communities were on board. Then he created the district. He created the problem. Why did he give this commitment earlier? He is responsible for the present situation. Q: If your government comes to power then how will you address this issue? A: This is an administrative matter. We will look at them after formation of the government. (WION)

Exclusive - Sonia Gandhi had asked chief ministers to oppose Nagaland peace accord: BJP

Police said they have recovered a hand grenade and a bomb from separate places in Manipur, a day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s visit to the northeastern state to address an election rally.

The Prime Minister will address a rally at Langjing Achouba ground in Imphal West district in support of BJP candidates in the ensuing Assembly polls. Police have intensified frisking all over the state capital to ensure that there was no loophole in the security arrangements for the prime minister&#39;s visit. State police commandos under the supervision of Additional SP S Ibomcha and led by DSP Thankhochon and OC Thaingampou carried out search operations and house-to-house verification at Taobungkhok Awang Leikai.

A Chinese-made hand grenade was found near the gate of BJP candidate Soibam Subhachandra&#39;s residence at Ningombam Leikai in Imphal West district, 9 km away from the Achouba ground, while another bomb was found in front of another BJP worker O Sunil&#39;s residence in Thoubal district, 40 km away from the rally venue.

State police commandos under the supervision of Additional SP S Ibomcha and led by DSP Thankhochon and OC Thaingampou carried out search operations and house-to-house verification at Taobungkhok Awang Leikai.

Two powerful blasts had occurred during India&#39;s Republic Day on January 26 in Manipur in Imphal East and West district. However, there were no casualties. Militant groups had called for a boycott of Republic Day celebrations at that time.

This time however with the prime minister&#39;s visit just 24 hours away, security forces in the state are on high alert.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the Centre has decided to deploy an additional 30 companies of central paramilitary forces in Manipur for smooth conduct of the state assembly election. Polling for the 60-seat Manipur assembly will take place in two phases on March 4 and March 8.

The Chief Secretary said the &quot;state is ready for elections&quot;. Manipur will witness the highest central forces deployment for the upcoming two-phase elections.

(PTI with agency inputs)

A Chinese-made hand grenade was found near the gate of BJP candidate Soibam Subhachandra's residence in Imphal

Police said they have recovered a hand grenade and a bomb from separate places in Manipur, a day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the northeastern state to address an election rally. The Prime Minister will address a rally at Langjing Achouba ground in Imphal West district in support of BJP candidates in the ensuing Assembly polls. Police have intensified frisking all over the state capital to ensure that there was no loophole in the security arrangements for the prime minister's visit. State police commandos under the supervision of Additional SP S Ibomcha and led by DSP Thankhochon and OC Thaingampou carried out search operations and house-to-house verification at Taobungkhok Awang Leikai. A Chinese-made hand grenade was found near the gate of BJP candidate Soibam Subhachandra's residence at Ningombam Leikai in Imphal West district, 9 km away from the Achouba ground, while another bomb was found in front of another BJP worker O Sunil's residence in Thoubal district, 40 km away from the rally venue. State police commandos under the supervision of Additional SP S Ibomcha and led by DSP Thankhochon and OC Thaingampou carried out search operations and house-to-house verification at Taobungkhok Awang Leikai. Two powerful blasts had occurred during India's Republic Day on January 26 in Manipur in Imphal East and West district. However, there were no casualties. Militant groups had called for a boycott of Republic Day celebrations at that time. This time however with the prime minister's visit just 24 hours away, security forces in the state are on high alert. Meanwhile, the Centre has decided to deploy an additional 30 companies of central paramilitary forces in Manipur for smooth conduct of the state assembly election. Polling for the 60-seat Manipur assembly will take place in two phases on March 4 and March 8. The Chief Secretary said the "state is ready for elections". Manipur will witness the highest central forces deployment for the upcoming two-phase elections. (PTI with agency inputs)

Bombs found ahead of Modi's election rally in Manipur

The fourth phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections for 53 constituencies spanning 12 districts is underway.

The voter turnout till 1&nbsp;pm&nbsp;was 39 per cent, according to ANI.

The economically backward and water-scarce&nbsp;region of Bundelkhand will be voting in this phase of elections as well.&nbsp;

Other districts, where polling is going on amid tight security are Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, Allahabad, Jalaun, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Mahoba, Banda, Hamirpur, Chitrakoot and Fatehpur.

Security had been beefed up across inter-district and inter-state borders in view of the polls.

A total of 680 candidates are in the fray with many heavyweights like Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, who&nbsp;is contesting from his traditional Kunda constituency in Pratapgarh district.&nbsp;

Aditi Singh of the Congress is contesting from the Rae Bareli constituency whereas Utkarsh Maurya, son of BSP turncoat Swami Prasad Maurya, is fighting from Unchahar constituency.&nbsp;

Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh assembly, Gaya Charan Dinkar, is contesting from Naraini in Banda.

Senior SP leader Reoti Raman Singh&#39;s son Ujjwal Raman Singh is in the race from Karchana seat in Allahabad.

A total of 1.84 crore voters will exercise their franchise in this phase of elections.

Elections for UP legislative assembly are being held in seven phases with three more -- February 27, March 4 and 8 -- to follow after today&#39;s polling. The results will be out on March 11.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

The water-scarce?region of Bundelkhand will be voting in this phase of elections

The fourth phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections for 53 constituencies spanning 12 districts is underway. The voter turnout till 1 pm was 39 per cent, according to ANI. The economically backward and water-scarce region of Bundelkhand will be voting in this phase of elections as well. Other districts, where polling is going on amid tight security are Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, Allahabad, Jalaun, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Mahoba, Banda, Hamirpur, Chitrakoot and Fatehpur. Security had been beefed up across inter-district and inter-state borders in view of the polls. A total of 680 candidates are in the fray with many heavyweights like Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, who is contesting from his traditional Kunda constituency in Pratapgarh district. Aditi Singh of the Congress is contesting from the Rae Bareli constituency whereas Utkarsh Maurya, son of BSP turncoat Swami Prasad Maurya, is fighting from Unchahar constituency. Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh assembly, Gaya Charan Dinkar, is contesting from Naraini in Banda. Senior SP leader Reoti Raman Singh's son Ujjwal Raman Singh is in the race from Karchana seat in Allahabad. A total of 1.84 crore voters will exercise their franchise in this phase of elections. Elections for UP legislative assembly are being held in seven phases with three more -- February 27, March 4 and 8 -- to follow after today's polling. The results will be out on March 11. (WION with inputs from agencies)

UP assembly elections: 39% polling reported till 1 pm as voting underway in fourth phase

The Shiv Sena has edged out rival BJP in the Mumbai civic body polls. The Shiv Sena has won 84 BMC wards followed by&nbsp;BJP with&nbsp;82&nbsp;wards,&nbsp;Congress has won 31 wards, NCP has won 9 , MNS has won 7, MIM has won a single ward only with others and ABS winning one ward each respectively.&nbsp;Both parties are, however,&nbsp;well short of the magic figure of 114 needed to control the civic body. 
 
Results were&nbsp;declared for&nbsp;all 227 wards this evening.

The hung verdict will reset the political calculations as no party is in the position to rule the country&#39;s richest civic body on its own and alliance seems inevitable, PTI reported. However, it is not yet clear whether the saffron allies, who share power both in Maharashtra and at the Centre, will get back together or new combinations will emerge.

Even though the Shiv Sena has won marginally more wards than its rival BJP, but it is the ruling BJP in the state which is celebrating as it has seen its tally jump three-fold, according to reports.

Both parties fought the BMC polls separately even though they are allies in the state legislature. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has been at loggerheads with BJP chief minister&nbsp;Devendra Fadnavis over several issues and has threatened to quit the coalition which is barely holding ground in the western state of Maharashtra.&nbsp; 
 
The Sena has controlled the BMC for the last two decades with the BJP remaining a junior partner. Sena&#39;s gamble to go alone in its bastion appeared to have failed to pay off.

Thanking the voters, an elated Fadnavis said, &quot;Our victory is the result of people&#39;s acceptance of our agenda of transparency,&quot; and indicated that his party&#39;s core committee would explore the options before it.

Asked about the future course of action, Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray said, &quot;What is the hurry? Wait for some time. We have not yet decided if an alliance has to be made or not. We will do so soon.&quot;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
BJP&#39;s Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar declares party&#39;s win on 81 seats and claims support of 4 other corporators. (File pic) <a href="https://t.co/Y3JMrbTfVc">pic.twitter.com/Y3JMrbTfVc</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/834714366771658752">February 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Shiv Sena supporters celebrate outside Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray&#39;s residence &#39;Matoshree&#39; in Mumbai <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BMCPolls2017?src=hash">#BMCPolls2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/wJ7pnpjvoa">pic.twitter.com/wJ7pnpjvoa</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/834721762185064448">February 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="videos-block">
<div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sWw94aBzK9g"></iframe></div>
</div>

<div class="media-description">
The Shiv Sena and the BJP have won big in the 10 municipal corporations and 25 zilla parishad that went to polls in Maharashtra, while the NCP, Congress and the MNS faced crushing defeats (WION)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Earlier this morning, counting of votes for 10 civic bodies, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) got&nbsp;underway.&nbsp;Votes were&nbsp;also being counted for 25 zila parishads (District Councils) and 283 panchayat samitis (Block Panchayats) across Maharashtra.

Shiv Sena set the pace early leading&nbsp;in 93 BMC wards followed by&nbsp;BJP in 70&nbsp;wards,&nbsp;Congress in 22 wards and MNS in 10 and other parties in 19, according to reports.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BMCPolls2017?src=hash">#BMCPolls2017</a>: Shiv Sena leading on 85 wards, BJP on 52 wards, Congress on 16 wards, MNS on 9 wards, NCP on 6 wards and others on 5 <a href="https://t.co/InodoBUq5e">pic.twitter.com/InodoBUq5e</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/834657716077424640">February 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Shiv Sena&#39;s Shraddha Jadhav, who was mayor of Mumbai city, won for the sixth consecutive time in ward number 202, according to a tweet from ANI. 
&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
I accept the decision of people of Mumbai. I will keep working for the party: Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam on his resignation <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BMCPolls?src=hash">#BMCPolls</a> <a href="https://t.co/Sa6XF3nGsF">pic.twitter.com/Sa6XF3nGsF</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/834709746305208320">February 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Sanjay Nirupam&nbsp;has offered his resignation from the post of the chairman of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee.

The elections witnessed a bitter battle between the two estranged allies, Shiv Sena and the BJP.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MaharashtraCivicpolls?src=hash">#MaharashtraCivicpolls</a>: Pankaja Munde takes responsibility after BJP lost 8 out of 10 seats in Parli; Offers resignation. <a href="https://t.co/ru7jJcYppH">pic.twitter.com/ru7jJcYppH</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/834711113103060992">February 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

The fight is mainly to get control of the cash-rich BMC which has 227 members.&nbsp;

Both Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray have led their respective parties from the front.

The results of these local body elections can impact the future of the alliance between the two parties in the state assembly.&nbsp;The elections has seen 56 per cent polling.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

The BMC polls witnessed a close contest between the Shiv Sena and the BJP, which won 84 and 82 wards

The Shiv Sena has edged out rival BJP in the Mumbai civic body polls. The Shiv Sena has won 84 BMC wards followed by BJP with 82 wards, Congress has won 31 wards, NCP has won 9 , MNS has won 7, MIM has won a single ward only with others and ABS winning one ward each respectively. Both parties are, however, well short of the magic figure of 114 needed to control the civic body. Results were declared for all 227 wards this evening. The hung verdict will reset the political calculations as no party is in the position to rule the country's richest civic body on its own and alliance seems inevitable, PTI reported. However, it is not yet clear whether the saffron allies, who share power both in Maharashtra and at the Centre, will get back together or new combinations will emerge. Even though the Shiv Sena has won marginally more wards than its rival BJP, but it is the ruling BJP in the state which is celebrating as it has seen its tally jump three-fold, according to reports. Both parties fought the BMC polls separately even though they are allies in the state legislature. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has been at loggerheads with BJP chief minister Devendra Fadnavis over several issues and has threatened to quit the coalition which is barely holding ground in the western state of Maharashtra. The Sena has controlled the BMC for the last two decades with the BJP remaining a junior partner. Sena's gamble to go alone in its bastion appeared to have failed to pay off. Thanking the voters, an elated Fadnavis said, "Our victory is the result of people's acceptance of our agenda of transparency," and indicated that his party's core committee would explore the options before it. Asked about the future course of action, Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray said, "What is the hurry? Wait for some time. We have not yet decided if an alliance has to be made or not. We will do so soon." BJP's Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar declares party's win on 81 seats and claims support of 4 other corporators. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/Y3JMrbTfVc — ANI (@ANI_news) February 23, 2017 × Shiv Sena supporters celebrate outside Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray's residence 'Matoshree' in Mumbai #BMCPolls2017 pic.twitter.com/wJ7pnpjvoa — ANI (@ANI_news) February 23, 2017 × The Shiv Sena and the BJP have won big in the 10 municipal corporations and 25 zilla parishad that went to polls in Maharashtra, while the NCP, Congress and the MNS faced crushing defeats (WION) × Earlier this morning, counting of votes for 10 civic bodies, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) got underway. Votes were also being counted for 25 zila parishads (District Councils) and 283 panchayat samitis (Block Panchayats) across Maharashtra. Shiv Sena set the pace early leading in 93 BMC wards followed by BJP in 70 wards, Congress in 22 wards and MNS in 10 and other parties in 19, according to reports. #BMCPolls2017: Shiv Sena leading on 85 wards, BJP on 52 wards, Congress on 16 wards, MNS on 9 wards, NCP on 6 wards and others on 5 pic.twitter.com/InodoBUq5e — ANI (@ANI_news) February 23, 2017 × Shiv Sena's Shraddha Jadhav, who was mayor of Mumbai city, won for the sixth consecutive time in ward number 202, according to a tweet from ANI. I accept the decision of people of Mumbai. I will keep working for the party: Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam on his resignation #BMCPolls pic.twitter.com/Sa6XF3nGsF — ANI (@ANI_news) February 23, 2017 × Sanjay Nirupam has offered his resignation from the post of the chairman of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee. The elections witnessed a bitter battle between the two estranged allies, Shiv Sena and the BJP. #MaharashtraCivicpolls: Pankaja Munde takes responsibility after BJP lost 8 out of 10 seats in Parli; Offers resignation. pic.twitter.com/ru7jJcYppH — ANI (@ANI_news) February 23, 2017 × The fight is mainly to get control of the cash-rich BMC which has 227 members. Both Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray have led their respective parties from the front. The results of these local body elections can impact the future of the alliance between the two parties in the state assembly. The elections has seen 56 per cent polling. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Mumbai civic body polls: Shiv Sena on top, BJP makes big gains

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.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

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;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

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;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

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 Kanchan Srivastava

The fate of all the political parties involved and 17,000 plus candidates will be decided on Tuesday as 10 big cities and several districts across Maharashtra conduct local body elections, which are being considered mini-Assembly polls. The results will be announced on February 23.

The multi-cornered fight, involving four major political parties, has made this contest all the more curious. A handful of votes could be a game-changer for all the stakeholders.

Though the stakes are high for all the parties, they are most crucial for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for several reasons.

Incidentally, it is not just the reins of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) that have been made a &quot;prestige issue&quot; by the BJP post its break-up with the Shiv Sena. Indeed, the fate of the Fadnavis government itself hangs in the balance. With 122 MLAs, the BJP government is surviving with the support of Shiv Sena in the 288-member House. To get rid of this dependence, the BJP badly needs to expand its base across the state before the next Assembly polls, which is two-and-a-half years away.

Perhaps that is why Fadnavis carefully made the election campaign personality-driven, pitting himself against Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Fadnavis has held dozens of rallies across Mumbai and other parts of the state without a break in the past two weeks, trading jibes with the Sena chief at every opportunity and from every stage.

While Thackeray is yet to join Twitter, Fadnavis has extensively used it in these elections by propagating his poll plank &quot;Transparency in BMC&quot; and taking pot-shots at the Sena. &quot;Civic elections were never so high-profile in Maharashtra,&quot; admits political analyst Prof Sudha Mohan of Mumbai University.

Deliberate or not, Fadnavis&#39; stand of leading the civic body elections from the front has made the contest look like a fight between the two &quot;allies-cum-foes&quot;, where other players are sidelined.&nbsp;

The pollsters believe Fadnavis&#39; aggressive campaign might work in Mumbai where BJP relies heavily on migrant population from Gujarat and northern states. His series of campaigns might also help the BJP retain Nagpur, Amravati and Akola corporations. However, demonetisation and farmer issues might haunt Fadnavis in rest of Maharashtra, analysts say.

Relying on Fadnavis&#39; campaign and clean image, BJP is confident of winning six out of 10 corporations, including Mumbai, Nashik and Pune, and two-third of the Zilla Parishad where elections held last week.

For its part, Shiv Sena has led a positive campaign projecting its good work in Mumbai and Thane corporations. It hopes to come back in both the civic bodies and expects to expand its base in some of the Zilla Parishads.

To achieve the target, the party has shed its old image of being a hardline party and sought to become a &#39;secular&#39; one.

Sena started campaign when other parties were still figuring out their strategy. However, the Economic Survey Report, which ranked the BMC as number 1 civic body in India in transparency, came as a morale booster for the party.

The Opposition Congress and the NCP are fighting to retain whatever base they have in Mumbai, Pune and other parts of the state. Congress had 52 seats and NCP 14 in the outgoing BMC house, but infighting in Congress and lack of good leaders in the NCP might dent their base further, say observers.

Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam rejects the pollsters and claim, &quot;Congress would surprise everyone in Mumbai when results are out.&quot;

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik also claims that NCP will retain two corporations &mdash;Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad &mdash; and would emerge as the largest in Akola. &quot;NCP will win most of the Zilla Parishads too. People are fed up with Fadnavis&#39; lies and inefficiency,&quot; he said.

According to political pundits, the MNS, Samajwadi Party and MIM, are unlikely to put up a good performance because of the polarisation of votes among four major parties.

(This report first appeared in DNA)

<div style="position:relative;height:0;padding-bottom:56.3%"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RPHIawfkCdQ?ecver=2" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;left:0" width="639"></iframe></div>

The BJP & Shiv Sena -- allies in the assembly -- are fighting each other in these polls

By Kanchan Srivastava The fate of all the political parties involved and 17,000 plus candidates will be decided on Tuesday as 10 big cities and several districts across Maharashtra conduct local body elections, which are being considered mini-Assembly polls. The results will be announced on February 23. The multi-cornered fight, involving four major political parties, has made this contest all the more curious. A handful of votes could be a game-changer for all the stakeholders. Though the stakes are high for all the parties, they are most crucial for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for several reasons. Incidentally, it is not just the reins of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) that have been made a "prestige issue" by the BJP post its break-up with the Shiv Sena. Indeed, the fate of the Fadnavis government itself hangs in the balance. With 122 MLAs, the BJP government is surviving with the support of Shiv Sena in the 288-member House. To get rid of this dependence, the BJP badly needs to expand its base across the state before the next Assembly polls, which is two-and-a-half years away. Perhaps that is why Fadnavis carefully made the election campaign personality-driven, pitting himself against Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. Fadnavis has held dozens of rallies across Mumbai and other parts of the state without a break in the past two weeks, trading jibes with the Sena chief at every opportunity and from every stage. While Thackeray is yet to join Twitter, Fadnavis has extensively used it in these elections by propagating his poll plank "Transparency in BMC" and taking pot-shots at the Sena. "Civic elections were never so high-profile in Maharashtra," admits political analyst Prof Sudha Mohan of Mumbai University. Deliberate or not, Fadnavis' stand of leading the civic body elections from the front has made the contest look like a fight between the two "allies-cum-foes", where other players are sidelined. The pollsters believe Fadnavis' aggressive campaign might work in Mumbai where BJP relies heavily on migrant population from Gujarat and northern states. His series of campaigns might also help the BJP retain Nagpur, Amravati and Akola corporations. However, demonetisation and farmer issues might haunt Fadnavis in rest of Maharashtra, analysts say. Relying on Fadnavis' campaign and clean image, BJP is confident of winning six out of 10 corporations, including Mumbai, Nashik and Pune, and two-third of the Zilla Parishad where elections held last week. For its part, Shiv Sena has led a positive campaign projecting its good work in Mumbai and Thane corporations. It hopes to come back in both the civic bodies and expects to expand its base in some of the Zilla Parishads. To achieve the target, the party has shed its old image of being a hardline party and sought to become a 'secular' one. Sena started campaign when other parties were still figuring out their strategy. However, the Economic Survey Report, which ranked the BMC as number 1 civic body in India in transparency, came as a morale booster for the party. The Opposition Congress and the NCP are fighting to retain whatever base they have in Mumbai, Pune and other parts of the state. Congress had 52 seats and NCP 14 in the outgoing BMC house, but infighting in Congress and lack of good leaders in the NCP might dent their base further, say observers. Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam rejects the pollsters and claim, "Congress would surprise everyone in Mumbai when results are out." NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik also claims that NCP will retain two corporations —Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad — and would emerge as the largest in Akola. "NCP will win most of the Zilla Parishads too. People are fed up with Fadnavis' lies and inefficiency," he said. According to political pundits, the MNS, Samajwadi Party and MIM, are unlikely to put up a good performance because of the polarisation of votes among four major parties. (This report first appeared in DNA)

Maharashtra holds local body elections, stakes high for all parties involved

WION: Uttar Pradesh has given Prime Ministers to both BJP and Congress but BJP in this election has failed to nominate a face for the position of the chief minister. Why?

Uma Bharti: We didn&rsquo;t give a face in 1991 but came to power in UP. We also didn&rsquo;t give a face in Haryana and Khattar became the chief minister. This was part of a strategy. We weren&rsquo;t short of faces but decided to do so because of certain reasons.

WION: But BJP did make Modi, Shivraj and Raman Singh faces. They were projected as chief ministers?

Bharti: Yes, we did. We did announce the names but in some places we didn&rsquo;t.

WION: Why should BJP be voted to power?

Bharti: BJP is the only party which has commitment itself towards work and nation. We have thought and ideology and that is why we should be voted to power.

WION: Dimple Yadav and Priyanka Gandhi attacked the Prime Minister. Priyanka said that demonetisation hurt women?

Bharti: Women have not complained and women are with the Prime Minister. Those who lost black money didn&rsquo;t say a word and people who were poor had no issues. They&nbsp;believed that the money deposited in the banks would be put to good use.

WION: The Prime Minister is being called an outsider by the Samajwadi Party and the&nbsp;Congress in the UP elections?

Bharti: It shouldn&rsquo;t be said at all. Sonia Gandhi herself is from Italy. So the&nbsp;Congress doesn&rsquo;t deserve the right to say anything on this matter. Have they gone into a coma and forgotten that their mother has come from Italy? UP accepted her and people of Rae Bareilly give them lots of votes. Has this been forgotten?

WION: What is your take on &quot;UP ke ladke&quot; as a campaign tag line?

Bharti: What had Mulayum Singh said when he was asked about an incident of crime against women? He said that sometimes boys can make mistakes. So whenever Akhilesh would use the tag line UP ke Ladke it would hurt his image. They should be talking about development.

WION: Is the Congress-SP alliance a formidable combination?

Bharti: No it is not a formidable combination. It is the other way round. Two things have hurt Akhilesh Yadav. First was to expel Mulayum Singh from the party and let me re-emphasise the point that the people of India do not take Rahul Gandhi seriously and anyone who stands besides Rahul Gandhi will also not be taken seriously. Rahul is to be blamed for it.

WION: Why isn&rsquo;t Rahul Gandhi taken seriously?

Bharti: It is because of the things Rahul Gandhi says and things he does. Suit Boot ka chor, displaying his torn kurta, tearing of Manmohan Singh&rsquo;s cabinet decision are a couple of examples. He was your Prime Minister. He should have spoken to the Prime Minister in private if he felt that the decision was wrong. Talking about factory for potatoes or sleeping in the Parliament or saying things which don&rsquo;t make sense and when an answer is available then to either boycott the Parliament or leave the House without listening has affected&nbsp;his stature. Despite the fact that Sonia Gandhi is from Italy is taken more seriously, she comes across as a serious person. But in the case of Rahul Gandhi, whoever stands next to him will come across as a political lightweight.

WION: In UP your party has spoken about the Romeo squad. Is it correct?

Bharti: This depends on the present circumstances. Those who misbehave with women also violate the law. Girl also have the right to self defence.

WION: You have been a chief minister. If everyone takes law and order in their own hands then what will happen?

Bharti: If someone misbehaves with your sister then what will you do? Wouldn&rsquo;t you give him a tight slap? These are natural responses. Put yourself in that position.

 
 
 
&nbsp;

India's minister for water affairs speaks to WION on UP elections, Rahul Gandhi, Romeo squad and more

WION: Uttar Pradesh has given Prime Ministers to both BJP and Congress but BJP in this election has failed to nominate a face for the position of the chief minister. Why? Uma Bharti: We didn’t give a face in 1991 but came to power in UP. We also didn’t give a face in Haryana and Khattar became the chief minister. This was part of a strategy. We weren’t short of faces but decided to do so because of certain reasons. WION: But BJP did make Modi, Shivraj and Raman Singh faces. They were projected as chief ministers? Bharti: Yes, we did. We did announce the names but in some places we didn’t. WION: Why should BJP be voted to power? Bharti: BJP is the only party which has commitment itself towards work and nation. We have thought and ideology and that is why we should be voted to power. WION: Dimple Yadav and Priyanka Gandhi attacked the Prime Minister. Priyanka said that demonetisation hurt women? Bharti: Women have not complained and women are with the Prime Minister. Those who lost black money didn’t say a word and people who were poor had no issues. They believed that the money deposited in the banks would be put to good use. WION: The Prime Minister is being called an outsider by the Samajwadi Party and the Congress in the UP elections? Bharti: It shouldn’t be said at all. Sonia Gandhi herself is from Italy. So the Congress doesn’t deserve the right to say anything on this matter. Have they gone into a coma and forgotten that their mother has come from Italy? UP accepted her and people of Rae Bareilly give them lots of votes. Has this been forgotten? WION: What is your take on "UP ke ladke" as a campaign tag line? Bharti: What had Mulayum Singh said when he was asked about an incident of crime against women? He said that sometimes boys can make mistakes. So whenever Akhilesh would use the tag line UP ke Ladke it would hurt his image. They should be talking about development. WION: Is the Congress-SP alliance a formidable combination? Bharti: No it is not a formidable combination. It is the other way round. Two things have hurt Akhilesh Yadav. First was to expel Mulayum Singh from the party and let me re-emphasise the point that the people of India do not take Rahul Gandhi seriously and anyone who stands besides Rahul Gandhi will also not be taken seriously. Rahul is to be blamed for it. WION: Why isn’t Rahul Gandhi taken seriously? Bharti: It is because of the things Rahul Gandhi says and things he does. Suit Boot ka chor, displaying his torn kurta, tearing of Manmohan Singh’s cabinet decision are a couple of examples. He was your Prime Minister. He should have spoken to the Prime Minister in private if he felt that the decision was wrong. Talking about factory for potatoes or sleeping in the Parliament or saying things which don’t make sense and when an answer is available then to either boycott the Parliament or leave the House without listening has affected his stature. Despite the fact that Sonia Gandhi is from Italy is taken more seriously, she comes across as a serious person. But in the case of Rahul Gandhi, whoever stands next to him will come across as a political lightweight. WION: In UP your party has spoken about the Romeo squad. Is it correct? Bharti: This depends on the present circumstances. Those who misbehave with women also violate the law. Girl also have the right to self defence. WION: You have been a chief minister. If everyone takes law and order in their own hands then what will happen? Bharti: If someone misbehaves with your sister then what will you do? Wouldn’t you give him a tight slap? These are natural responses. Put yourself in that position.

Akhilesh Yadav made the mistake of standing beside Rahul Gandhi, he will be taken lightly: Uma Bharti

The BJP on Saturday targeted Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav for campaigning on behalf of criminals in the state.

The party targeted Priyanka Gandhi for campaigning for the Congress-SP alliance in Rae Bareli. It said it was unfortunate that she was seeking votes for those accused of &quot;rape and murder&quot;.

&quot;It is unfortunate that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra sought votes for someone who is accused of a heinous crime like rape. She chose to keep mum on the allegation. She and Rahul Gandhi are not with the people of Uttar Pradesh but with those accused of rape and murder and those who protect them,&quot; BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.

He was referring&nbsp;to the accusation of rape against Gayatri Prajapati, a minister in the SP government who is contesting the polls from Amethi, and the murder charge against another SP nominee Arun Verma. A police complaint was registered against Gayatri Prajapati on Saturday in a gang-rape and sexual harassment case on the order of India&#39;s top court.

&quot;Akhilesh Yadav was the one who went around campaigning in the state with one hand on Gayatri Prajapati&#39;s shoulders. People of Uttar Pradesh are now looking for answers over women&#39;s safety from him. It&#39;s shocking that those who have untoward intentions against women are the very ministers being protected by Akhilesh,&quot; BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain told ANI.

Mayawati attacks SP over law and order situation

BSP chief Mayawati also held Akhilesh Yadav responsible for the &quot;bad shape of law-and-order&quot; in the state at a poll rally in the state.

She also claimed that SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav&#39;s brother Shivpal Yadav was &quot;working internally&quot; to &quot;cut the votes&quot; of that party.

Mayawati criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for &quot;overburdening&quot; the population as a result of their policy of demonetisation for countering black money in the economy.

&quot;The people of Uttar Pradesh have made up their minds not to elect the adopted son (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) but their own daughter (Mayawati) in this election,&quot; Mayawati said at a poll meeting in Jhansi.

Taking a dig at Indian prime minister Narendra Modi&#39;s &quot;adopted son&quot; remark, BSP chief Mayawati said she was sure the people of Uttar Pradesh would ensure the victory of their &quot;own daughter&quot; rather than the &quot;adopted son&quot;.aimed that the people of Uttar Pradesh as well as the rest of the country were &quot;fed up&quot; with the almost three years of the Modi government at the Centre.

Opposition wary of SP-Congress alliance: Akhilesh Yadav

Akhilesh Yadav claimed today that the&nbsp;Opposition parties were so disturbed over SP-Congress alliance that the tie-up was&nbsp;their only talking point during their poll campaigns.

&quot;Ever since Congress has come with us, they (opposition parties) are not able to understand which way this path will lead them to...They are talking only on SP and Congress and nothing else,&quot; the Uttar Pradesh chief minister&nbsp;told an election meeting in the state&#39;s Banda city.

He also said that PM Modi was wrongly claiming that the SP government had not undertaken any measures for the development of the state.

Citing&nbsp;the development works incuding the building of roads carried out by him, Akhilesh&nbsp;appealed to voters to compare the work undertaken by his government with those of chief ministers in the past.

He also criticised the BSP for fooling the people with claims that they would not build any more memorials and statues.&nbsp;He was&nbsp;reference was to stone statues built by Mayawati during her tenure as chief minister.

&quot;Who will believe them? She (Mayawati) says she will sit in the opposition (if she does not get majority)...She has celebrated &#39;raksha bandhan&#39; earlier too with BJP...May be my &#39;buaji&#39; (aunt) can side with them once again,&quot; he said while referring to Mayawati.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

The party was referring to Samajwadi Party and Congress' support for Gayatri Prajapati, a minister accused of rape

The BJP on Saturday targeted Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav for campaigning on behalf of criminals in the state. The party targeted Priyanka Gandhi for campaigning for the Congress-SP alliance in Rae Bareli. It said it was unfortunate that she was seeking votes for those accused of "rape and murder". "It is unfortunate that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra sought votes for someone who is accused of a heinous crime like rape. She chose to keep mum on the allegation. She and Rahul Gandhi are not with the people of Uttar Pradesh but with those accused of rape and murder and those who protect them," BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said. He was referring to the accusation of rape against Gayatri Prajapati, a minister in the SP government who is contesting the polls from Amethi, and the murder charge against another SP nominee Arun Verma. A police complaint was registered against Gayatri Prajapati on Saturday in a gang-rape and sexual harassment case on the order of India's top court. "Akhilesh Yadav was the one who went around campaigning in the state with one hand on Gayatri Prajapati's shoulders. People of Uttar Pradesh are now looking for answers over women's safety from him. It's shocking that those who have untoward intentions against women are the very ministers being protected by Akhilesh," BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain told ANI. Mayawati attacks SP over law and order situation BSP chief Mayawati also held Akhilesh Yadav responsible for the "bad shape of law-and-order" in the state at a poll rally in the state. She also claimed that SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's brother Shivpal Yadav was "working internally" to "cut the votes" of that party. Mayawati criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "overburdening" the population as a result of their policy of demonetisation for countering black money in the economy. "The people of Uttar Pradesh have made up their minds not to elect the adopted son (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) but their own daughter (Mayawati) in this election," Mayawati said at a poll meeting in Jhansi. Taking a dig at Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's "adopted son" remark, BSP chief Mayawati said she was sure the people of Uttar Pradesh would ensure the victory of their "own daughter" rather than the "adopted son".aimed that the people of Uttar Pradesh as well as the rest of the country were "fed up" with the almost three years of the Modi government at the Centre. Opposition wary of SP-Congress alliance: Akhilesh Yadav Akhilesh Yadav claimed today that the Opposition parties were so disturbed over SP-Congress alliance that the tie-up was their only talking point during their poll campaigns. "Ever since Congress has come with us, they (opposition parties) are not able to understand which way this path will lead them to...They are talking only on SP and Congress and nothing else," the Uttar Pradesh chief minister told an election meeting in the state's Banda city. He also said that PM Modi was wrongly claiming that the SP government had not undertaken any measures for the development of the state. Citing the development works incuding the building of roads carried out by him, Akhilesh appealed to voters to compare the work undertaken by his government with those of chief ministers in the past. He also criticised the BSP for fooling the people with claims that they would not build any more memorials and statues. He was reference was to stone statues built by Mayawati during her tenure as chief minister. "Who will believe them? She (Mayawati) says she will sit in the opposition (if she does not get majority)...She has celebrated 'raksha bandhan' earlier too with BJP...May be my 'buaji' (aunt) can side with them once again," he said while referring to Mayawati. (WION with inputs from agencies)

UP election round-up: BJP slams Priyanka, Akhilesh for backing 'criminals'

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed Uttar Pradesh&#39;s ruling Samajwadi Party and the Opposition parties -- the Congress and the BSP -- for the lack of development in the state.

At an election rally in the state&#39;s Barabanki district, PM Modi claimed that in spite of the central government providing funds for farmers, the state government had not done any work in their favour. He said that Uttar Pradesh (UP) can develop only when the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress would be removed from the state.

&quot;Uttar Pradesh will progress only when the SP, BSP and Congress are removed. I urge people in UP to elect a BJP government devoted to development,&quot; he said while addressing a rally.

Till the time you will not punish SP, BSP and Congress, Uttar Pradesh will not change,&quot; he added.

Asserting confidence of achieving favourable mandate, Prime Minister Modi said an environment of contempt against the SP, BSP and Congress can be seen in Uttar Pradesh.

&quot;Our government is for the poor, the underprivileged, the marginalised, the farmers. You can change the situation by placing your finger on the right symbol,&quot; he said.

The PM also took pot shots at chief minister Akhilesh Yadav&#39;s government at another election rally in Hardoi district, alleging that police stations in the state had become the SP&#39;s office. He also vowed to eradicate the rule of goons (gunda-raj) in the state if the BJP came to power.&nbsp;

&quot;Can any political party&#39;s office be at police stations? The police take permission from the Samajwadi Party (SP) workers to lodge a case. Police stations have become the Samajwadi Party&#39;s offices. The highest number of political murders are perpetrated in UP.&nbsp;

Law and order has completely collapsed in the state. There should be no discrimination in the deliverance of justice,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

The PM, who was campaigning for the third and fourth phase elections in the state, vowed not to ditch the people in the state.

He drew a parallel with Lord Krishna who was born in UP but made Gujarat his &#39;karma bhoomi&#39; (place of work).

&quot;Krishna was born in Uttar Pradesh but made Gujarat his karma bhoomi. I was born in Gujarat but Uttar Pradesh has adopted me. It is a privilege for me. Uttar Pradesh is like &#39;mai-baap&#39;. I am not a son who would ditch his &#39;mai-baap&#39;. I will always care about Uttar Pradesh,&quot; he said.

The third phase of the UP assembly polls will take place on February 19. The results of the seven-phase elections will be announced on March 11.

Akhilesh Yadav hits back at Modi&#39;s inexperience barb, defends father Mulayam Singh

A day after PM Modi questioned him for forming a coalition with &quot;those who tried to murder&quot; his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav said Modi&#39;s advisors should have cited better examples like Firozabad where his party was defeated by the Congress in a by-poll.

The de facto chief of the SP said that his party had entered into an alliance with the Congress to keep communal forces at bay.

&quot;Why did he travel so far to 1984 to create anger in me against Congress. He could have mentioned Firozabad where Congress&#39; state unit chief (Raj Babbar) defeated us (in bypoll),&quot; he said, adding they were revisiting such an old incident only because they have already &quot;lost&quot; the elections.

Akhilesh Yadav also hit back at PM Modi for calling him &quot;inexperienced&quot; saying, he had learnt to cycle fast so that neither the BSP&#39;s elephant nor BJP&#39;s lotus could come anywhere near the SP. The elephant and the lotus are the elections symbols of the two parties.

&quot;They termed me as inexperienced but one can ride the bicycle (SP symbol) only after falling down at least once...I have learnt to ride bicycle and that too with great speed so that neither the elephant nor the lotus can come anywhere near,&quot; Akhilesh said at an election meeting in Karhal.

&quot;Modiji said in Kannauj that by entering into an alliance with Congress, I have shown inexperience...We have done this so as to remove all doubts among people about government formation...We have done this to form government and remove communal forces,&quot; he said.

On the BJP&#39;s &quot;achchey din&quot; (good days) slogan, he said, &quot;BJP people say SP could not bring achchey din...This was the slogan of BJP it was never given by the Samajwadis.&quot;

On the BJP&#39;s promise of loan waiver for farmers, he said, &quot;I want to ask what has their government done in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra (where farmers are committing suicide...first you help farmers of Maharashtra&quot;.

Both Gujarat and Maharashtra are ruled by the BJP.

Akhilesh also dismissed claims of tensions with Mulayam Singh claiming &quot;SP is not my party but that of Netaji (Mulayam)&quot;.

At a rally in Etawah, Akhilesh alleged that some people had deliberately tried to create a rift between Mulayam Singh and himself.

&quot;Those who have tried to create distance between Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and me, the people of Etawah should teach them a lesson,&quot; Akhilesh said. Jinhone Netaji aur mere beech khaayi paida ki hai, Etawah ke log usay sabak sikhaane ka kaam karna: Akhilesh Yadav in Etawah

&quot;The very people we trusted were the ones who made me and Netaji fight,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

PM Modi should stop &quot;Mann ki Baat&quot;: Rahul Gandhi

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi asked PM Modi to stop his radio programme &quot;Mann ki Baat&quot; and instead understand their sufferings in the wake of demonetisation.

Addressing an election rally in Sitapur, Rahul Gandhi also slammed Modi for not waiving off the loans of farmers.&nbsp;

&quot;There was a meeting yesterday (Wednesday). Some people raised their voice against demonetisation. Modiji asked, what is their problem?&quot;

&quot;Modiji, you should stop &quot;Mann Ki Baat&quot; and should listen to the people. You&#39;ll understand the problems people are facing due to demonetisation,&quot; he said.

Hitting out at Modi, Gandhi said that the Prime Minister does not need to be in power in Uttar Pradesh to waive off the loans of farmers.

&quot;To waive off loans, you (Modi) don&#39;t need to be in power in Uttar Pradesh for that. Your government is at the Centre, so you should waive off the loans. Why are you waiting for elections?&quot; Gandhi said. 
 
People won&#39;t be influenced by PM&#39;s &#39;adopted son&#39; drama: Mayawati

BSP chief Mayawati took a dig at PM Modi, saying that the People of UP will not be influenced by his drama of calling himself the adopted son of the state.

She also asked Modi not to spread false information about her party&#39;s work when they were in power in the state.

&quot;He can ask me if his people are unable to tell him,&quot; she said.

Mayawati also expressed confidence that the BSP would win with a majority in the upcoming elections.

&quot;I am glad to inform that in the two phases conducted in UP, majority of the seats have been won by the BSP candidates. I can assert that in the coming phases as well, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will lead. Our party will form the government in the state with full majority. Keeping in view the wrong policies and functioning of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Samajwadi Party (SP), there is urgent need of BSP in Uttar Pradesh,&quot; she said. 
&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

PM Modi once again hit out at the Akhilesh Yadav government at an election rally in Uttar Pradesh

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party and the Opposition parties -- the Congress and the BSP -- for the lack of development in the state. At an election rally in the state's Barabanki district, PM Modi claimed that in spite of the central government providing funds for farmers, the state government had not done any work in their favour. He said that Uttar Pradesh (UP) can develop only when the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress would be removed from the state. "Uttar Pradesh will progress only when the SP, BSP and Congress are removed. I urge people in UP to elect a BJP government devoted to development," he said while addressing a rally. Till the time you will not punish SP, BSP and Congress, Uttar Pradesh will not change," he added. Asserting confidence of achieving favourable mandate, Prime Minister Modi said an environment of contempt against the SP, BSP and Congress can be seen in Uttar Pradesh. "Our government is for the poor, the underprivileged, the marginalised, the farmers. You can change the situation by placing your finger on the right symbol," he said. The PM also took pot shots at chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's government at another election rally in Hardoi district, alleging that police stations in the state had become the SP's office. He also vowed to eradicate the rule of goons (gunda-raj) in the state if the BJP came to power. "Can any political party's office be at police stations? The police take permission from the Samajwadi Party (SP) workers to lodge a case. Police stations have become the Samajwadi Party's offices. The highest number of political murders are perpetrated in UP. Law and order has completely collapsed in the state. There should be no discrimination in the deliverance of justice," he said. The PM, who was campaigning for the third and fourth phase elections in the state, vowed not to ditch the people in the state. He drew a parallel with Lord Krishna who was born in UP but made Gujarat his 'karma bhoomi' (place of work). "Krishna was born in Uttar Pradesh but made Gujarat his karma bhoomi. I was born in Gujarat but Uttar Pradesh has adopted me. It is a privilege for me. Uttar Pradesh is like 'mai-baap'. I am not a son who would ditch his 'mai-baap'. I will always care about Uttar Pradesh," he said. The third phase of the UP assembly polls will take place on February 19. The results of the seven-phase elections will be announced on March 11. Akhilesh Yadav hits back at Modi's inexperience barb, defends father Mulayam Singh A day after PM Modi questioned him for forming a coalition with "those who tried to murder" his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav said Modi's advisors should have cited better examples like Firozabad where his party was defeated by the Congress in a by-poll. The de facto chief of the SP said that his party had entered into an alliance with the Congress to keep communal forces at bay. "Why did he travel so far to 1984 to create anger in me against Congress. He could have mentioned Firozabad where Congress' state unit chief (Raj Babbar) defeated us (in bypoll)," he said, adding they were revisiting such an old incident only because they have already "lost" the elections. Akhilesh Yadav also hit back at PM Modi for calling him "inexperienced" saying, he had learnt to cycle fast so that neither the BSP's elephant nor BJP's lotus could come anywhere near the SP. The elephant and the lotus are the elections symbols of the two parties. "They termed me as inexperienced but one can ride the bicycle (SP symbol) only after falling down at least once...I have learnt to ride bicycle and that too with great speed so that neither the elephant nor the lotus can come anywhere near," Akhilesh said at an election meeting in Karhal. "Modiji said in Kannauj that by entering into an alliance with Congress, I have shown inexperience...We have done this so as to remove all doubts among people about government formation...We have done this to form government and remove communal forces," he said. On the BJP's "achchey din" (good days) slogan, he said, "BJP people say SP could not bring achchey din...This was the slogan of BJP it was never given by the Samajwadis." On the BJP's promise of loan waiver for farmers, he said, "I want to ask what has their government done in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra (where farmers are committing suicide...first you help farmers of Maharashtra". Both Gujarat and Maharashtra are ruled by the BJP. Akhilesh also dismissed claims of tensions with Mulayam Singh claiming "SP is not my party but that of Netaji (Mulayam)". At a rally in Etawah, Akhilesh alleged that some people had deliberately tried to create a rift between Mulayam Singh and himself. "Those who have tried to create distance between Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and me, the people of Etawah should teach them a lesson," Akhilesh said. Jinhone Netaji aur mere beech khaayi paida ki hai, Etawah ke log usay sabak sikhaane ka kaam karna: Akhilesh Yadav in Etawah "The very people we trusted were the ones who made me and Netaji fight," he added. PM Modi should stop "Mann ki Baat": Rahul Gandhi Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi asked PM Modi to stop his radio programme "Mann ki Baat" and instead understand their sufferings in the wake of demonetisation. Addressing an election rally in Sitapur, Rahul Gandhi also slammed Modi for not waiving off the loans of farmers. "There was a meeting yesterday (Wednesday). Some people raised their voice against demonetisation. Modiji asked, what is their problem?" "Modiji, you should stop "Mann Ki Baat" and should listen to the people. You'll understand the problems people are facing due to demonetisation," he said. Hitting out at Modi, Gandhi said that the Prime Minister does not need to be in power in Uttar Pradesh to waive off the loans of farmers. "To waive off loans, you (Modi) don't need to be in power in Uttar Pradesh for that. Your government is at the Centre, so you should waive off the loans. Why are you waiting for elections?" Gandhi said. People won't be influenced by PM's 'adopted son' drama: Mayawati BSP chief Mayawati took a dig at PM Modi, saying that the People of UP will not be influenced by his drama of calling himself the adopted son of the state. She also asked Modi not to spread false information about her party's work when they were in power in the state. "He can ask me if his people are unable to tell him," she said. Mayawati also expressed confidence that the BSP would win with a majority in the upcoming elections. "I am glad to inform that in the two phases conducted in UP, majority of the seats have been won by the BSP candidates. I can assert that in the coming phases as well, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will lead. Our party will form the government in the state with full majority. Keeping in view the wrong policies and functioning of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Samajwadi Party (SP), there is urgent need of BSP in Uttar Pradesh," she said. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Now, PM Modi compares himself to Lord Krishna

Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh: Dwelling on the father-son divide in Uttar Pradesh&#39;s Samajwadi Party&nbsp;(SP),&nbsp;Indian Prime Minister&nbsp;Narendra Modi chose to remind the north Indian state&#39;s chief minister, Akhilesh Yadav, of the alleged attempt on his father&#39;s life in 1984&nbsp;by a Congress party member.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&quot;I want to ask how Akhilesh forgot the attack carried out on Mulayam&nbsp;(Singh)&nbsp;Yadav by Congress in 1984... What can be more shameful than befriending those who tried to murder one&#39;s father?... They cannot be pardoned.&quot;&nbsp;Modi was campaigning for&nbsp;Bharatiya&nbsp;Janata&nbsp;Party&nbsp;(BJP)&nbsp;that leads the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) federal government.&nbsp;&nbsp;

That Modi chose to drive home the jibe in Yadav&#39;s family turf&nbsp;Kannauj&nbsp;that is a&nbsp;part of the Lok Sabha&nbsp;constituency Akhilesh&#39;s wife, Dimple,&nbsp;represents&nbsp;in the Indian Parliament, is central to the BJP&#39;s attack on the SP-Congress combine contesting together in the assembly polls for India&#39;s most populous state.&nbsp;Akhilesh&#39;s dramatic and rather public fallout with his father, Mulayam Singh,&nbsp;SP&nbsp;founder, and the way he wrested control of the party leadership is being touted by the BJP as a sign of disloyalty by the son with his father, something unacceptable in Indian culture.&nbsp;

Speaking in Hindi, Modi told the gathering in&nbsp;Kannauj,&nbsp;&quot;Has politics&nbsp;been&nbsp;degraded to such an extent that for the love of power such a thing&nbsp;(joining hands with Congress)&nbsp;would be done?&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;

This&nbsp;is&nbsp;also the first time an Indian Prime Minister has visited&nbsp;Kannauj, perhaps as a nod to Akhilesh Yadav&#39;s growing clout in a state considered central to Indian politics, being its most populous and having a direct bearing on the number of Members of Parliament seats a party gets in the&nbsp;Rajya&nbsp;Sabha or the Upper House&nbsp;of Indian Parliament.&nbsp;

&quot;Fed up of attacks by Mulayam Singh as&nbsp;leader of the&nbsp;opposition in&nbsp;the state&nbsp;assembly, Congress got shots fired at him on March 4, 1984,&nbsp;but he survived...&nbsp;I want to tell Akhilesh that he should have remembered this incident before sitting in the lap of Congress,&quot;&nbsp;Modi said in a pointed attack on Akhilesh Yadav&#39;s family dynamics, something the BJP has been using to discredit the SP&nbsp;for a while.&nbsp;

He&nbsp;also&nbsp;went on to add, &quot;Akhileshji&nbsp;ko&nbsp;abhi&nbsp;anubhav&nbsp;kum&nbsp;hain, Congress wale&nbsp;kitne&nbsp;chatur&nbsp;hain&nbsp;inko&nbsp;samajh&nbsp;nahi&nbsp;aata... Mulayam ji&nbsp;ko&nbsp;toh&nbsp;pata&nbsp;tha&nbsp;(Akhilesh has less experience. He does not understand how cunning Congress people are. Mulayam knew about it).&quot;&nbsp;

On March 4, 1984, Mulayam Singh&#39;s car was fired at&nbsp;while he was on his way&nbsp;to Lucknow&nbsp;from&nbsp;Etawah&nbsp;in UP.&nbsp;The&nbsp;name of a powerful&nbsp;Congress&nbsp;politician had come up in connection with the shooting.&nbsp;

Attacking the SP-Congress alliance in the state poll, Modi said the two parties&nbsp;were campaigning against each other before the announcement of polls &quot;but came together after the interval to enter into the alliance for the elections&quot;.&nbsp;

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi&#39;s tempered response to Dalit&nbsp;leader&nbsp;Mayawati,&nbsp;who leads the&nbsp;Bahujan&nbsp;Samaj&nbsp;Party,&nbsp;at the joint press conference with Akhilesh for announcing the alliance with SP also drew the fire from Modi who called it Congress&#39;s&nbsp;&quot;three-legged race with one leg tied to&nbsp;Bahujan&nbsp;Samaj&nbsp;Party and another to Samajwadi Party&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;During the first press conference after the alliance, Akhilesh had attacked&nbsp;Mayawati,&nbsp;but when Congress vice-president was asked about her, he said he had nothing to say against her,&quot;&nbsp;Modi&nbsp;said.&nbsp;

Gandhi&nbsp;had said, &quot;I personally respect&nbsp;Mayawati.&nbsp;Although BSP ruled in Uttar Pradesh and made some mistakes, my respect for her is intact&quot;.&nbsp;

This had prompted BJP to dub BSP as a hidden partner of Congress-Samajwadi Party.&nbsp;

However, Akhilesh seemed in no hurry to endorse the Prime Minister&#39;s take on his equation&nbsp;with&nbsp;Mayawati&nbsp;whom he calls&nbsp;buaji&nbsp;(father&#39;s sister) in jest in his poll speeches.&nbsp;

He told voters in Uttar Pradesh&#39;s Unnao today that they should not trust the&nbsp;BSP as it might join hands with BJP after the assembly elections.&nbsp;

&quot;Buaji&nbsp;(Mayawati) is saying she will sit in the opposition if she is unable to form government. Elections are not over yet, but she is ready to sit in the opposition.&nbsp;

&quot;She cannot be relied upon. She can join hands with anyone. She had celebrated &#39;Rakshabandhan&#39; with a BJP leader earlier and she can do it in the future also,&quot; Akhilesh said at an election rally in Unnao.&nbsp;

His remarks came after&nbsp;Mayawati&nbsp;said that she would rather be in the opposition than form an alliance with BJP to form the government in Uttar Pradesh and accused the saffron party of spreading&nbsp;rumours&nbsp;of a coalition with BSP.&nbsp;

On Wednesday, however, the&nbsp;BSP chief&nbsp;seemed pleased with&nbsp;the polling trend in the second phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly poll, saying it indicated that her party was surging towards getting a majority.&nbsp;

&quot;Just like the first phase, the second phase of polling in 67 seats which took place today is a good indication that BSP is coming to power in UP with full majority,&quot; she said in a statement here.

(WION with agency inputs)

BJP is going to town over the "disloyalty" shown by Akhilesh to his father by forming a poll alliance with Congress

Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh: Dwelling on the father-son divide in Uttar Pradesh's Samajwadi Party (SP), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to remind the north Indian state's chief minister, Akhilesh Yadav, of the alleged attempt on his father's life in 1984 by a Congress party member. "I want to ask how Akhilesh forgot the attack carried out on Mulayam (Singh) Yadav by Congress in 1984... What can be more shameful than befriending those who tried to murder one's father?... They cannot be pardoned." Modi was campaigning for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that leads the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) federal government. That Modi chose to drive home the jibe in Yadav's family turf Kannauj that is a part of the Lok Sabha constituency Akhilesh's wife, Dimple, represents in the Indian Parliament, is central to the BJP's attack on the SP-Congress combine contesting together in the assembly polls for India's most populous state. Akhilesh's dramatic and rather public fallout with his father, Mulayam Singh, SP founder, and the way he wrested control of the party leadership is being touted by the BJP as a sign of disloyalty by the son with his father, something unacceptable in Indian culture. Speaking in Hindi, Modi told the gathering in Kannauj, "Has politics been degraded to such an extent that for the love of power such a thing (joining hands with Congress) would be done?" This is also the first time an Indian Prime Minister has visited Kannauj, perhaps as a nod to Akhilesh Yadav's growing clout in a state considered central to Indian politics, being its most populous and having a direct bearing on the number of Members of Parliament seats a party gets in the Rajya Sabha or the Upper House of Indian Parliament. "Fed up of attacks by Mulayam Singh as leader of the opposition in the state assembly, Congress got shots fired at him on March 4, 1984, but he survived... I want to tell Akhilesh that he should have remembered this incident before sitting in the lap of Congress," Modi said in a pointed attack on Akhilesh Yadav's family dynamics, something the BJP has been using to discredit the SP for a while. He also went on to add, "Akhileshji ko abhi anubhav kum hain, Congress wale kitne chatur hain inko samajh nahi aata... Mulayam ji ko toh pata tha (Akhilesh has less experience. He does not understand how cunning Congress people are. Mulayam knew about it)." On March 4, 1984, Mulayam Singh's car was fired at while he was on his way to Lucknow from Etawah in UP. The name of a powerful Congress politician had come up in connection with the shooting. Attacking the SP-Congress alliance in the state poll, Modi said the two parties were campaigning against each other before the announcement of polls "but came together after the interval to enter into the alliance for the elections". Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's tempered response to Dalit leader Mayawati, who leads the Bahujan Samaj Party, at the joint press conference with Akhilesh for announcing the alliance with SP also drew the fire from Modi who called it Congress's "three-legged race with one leg tied to Bahujan Samaj Party and another to Samajwadi Party". "During the first press conference after the alliance, Akhilesh had attacked Mayawati, but when Congress vice-president was asked about her, he said he had nothing to say against her," Modi said. Gandhi had said, "I personally respect Mayawati. Although BSP ruled in Uttar Pradesh and made some mistakes, my respect for her is intact". This had prompted BJP to dub BSP as a hidden partner of Congress-Samajwadi Party. However, Akhilesh seemed in no hurry to endorse the Prime Minister's take on his equation with Mayawati whom he calls buaji (father's sister) in jest in his poll speeches. He told voters in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao today that they should not trust the BSP as it might join hands with BJP after the assembly elections. "Buaji (Mayawati) is saying she will sit in the opposition if she is unable to form government. Elections are not over yet, but she is ready to sit in the opposition. "She cannot be relied upon. She can join hands with anyone. She had celebrated 'Rakshabandhan' with a BJP leader earlier and she can do it in the future also," Akhilesh said at an election rally in Unnao. His remarks came after Mayawati said that she would rather be in the opposition than form an alliance with BJP to form the government in Uttar Pradesh and accused the saffron party of spreading rumours of a coalition with BSP. On Wednesday, however, the BSP chief seemed pleased with the polling trend in the second phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly poll, saying it indicated that her party was surging towards getting a majority. "Just like the first phase, the second phase of polling in 67 seats which took place today is a good indication that BSP is coming to power in UP with full majority," she said in a statement here. (WION with agency inputs)

Congress tried to kill your father, how can you join hands with them? PM Modi asks UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav

Bjp, News on Bjp, stories on Bjp, articles on Bjp, Bjp stories at Wion, Bjp news, Bjp latest news