India&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on Uttar Pradesh&#39;s ruling Samajwadi Party(SP) during an election rally in Uttar Pradesh&#39;s Ghaziabad district.

The Indian prime minister attacked the Akhilesh Yadav government over the law and order situation in the state and the constant infighting within the ruling party.

&quot;Girls are afraid of going to school. Your Samajwadi Party (SP) is harbouring goons and they are responsible for this condition of Uttar Pradesh (UP),&quot; PM Modi said while addressing an election rally in UP&#39;s Ghaziabad.

Uttar Pradesh will go to the polls on February 11 in the first phase of polls, in a long drawn seven-phase polling schedule set to culminate with results set to be announced on 11th March. Political pundits&nbsp;believe BJP will win a&nbsp;majority of seats in the assembly but the recent Congress-Samajwadi Party coalition may unsettle their plans to come to power.

PM Modi said rapes and murders were unaccounted for in the state and the Samajwadi Party was neither &quot;worried, nor did it consider it their responsibility to tackle the situation&quot;.

&quot;Today, in Uttar Pradesh, after the sun sets a woman cannot step outside confidently on the streets as they are not safe in the state,&quot; PM Modi asserted.

He also blamed the SP and the Mayawati-led BSP for the lack of development in the state.&nbsp;&quot;Development has gone to &#39;exile&#39; for the last 14 years in the state, this election is about bringing development back,&quot; he said.

&quot;After Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power, we will form a special task force against land mafia. Then we will give back land to the poor and middle class people,&quot; said Modi.

The PM said the politically-crucial state could become the country&#39;s &quot;best state&quot; (Uttam Pradesh) &nbsp;if people chose the right government, alluding to his party, the BJP.

&quot;Nowadays, I am listening to speeches. They abuse the federal government for five minutes. Can you give me an account of your achievements as well,&quot; the prime minister said pointing to the opposition.

&quot;If Bharatiya Janata Party assumes power in Uttar Pradesh we will scrutinise the scams in employment sector and will give jobs to unemployed people,&quot; he said.

Blaming the Samajwadi Party for the lack of development in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said Akhilesh Yadav had &quot;destroyed the state in the last five years&quot;.

&quot;The Samajwadi Party, which has been in power for last five years, it is their duty to answer the people of Uttar Pradesh about the work they have done,&quot; India&#39;s prime minister said.

&quot;When Akhilesh Yadav became Chief Minister, we thought there would be development in the state since he is young and highly educated, but he destroyed the state in five years,&quot; Modi said.

&quot;Due to selfish politics, poor are not getting food even twice a day. Even that does not seem to have had any impact on the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government,&quot; Modi added.

The PM said the objective in the upcoming state assembly election was to bring development in the state.&nbsp;

He also said he would give an account of my achievements in the 2019 general elections.

&quot;Akhilesh is so scared, he has embraced whoever he came across. Who steps in a sinking boat,&quot; Modi sarcastically remarked referring to SP&#39;s alliance with the Congress for the assembly elections in the state.

Modi also took pot-shots at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, son of SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, blaming him for the split in the party.&nbsp;

&quot;What have you done to your father (Mulayam Singh Yadav), uncle (Shivpal Yadav) and the daughter-in-laws, nephews and brothers in your family, the people know everything,&quot; he said.

(WION with agency inputs) 
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PM Modi attacked the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party at an election rally in Ghaziabad

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party(SP) during an election rally in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad district. The Indian prime minister attacked the Akhilesh Yadav government over the law and order situation in the state and the constant infighting within the ruling party. "Girls are afraid of going to school. Your Samajwadi Party (SP) is harbouring goons and they are responsible for this condition of Uttar Pradesh (UP)," PM Modi said while addressing an election rally in UP's Ghaziabad. Uttar Pradesh will go to the polls on February 11 in the first phase of polls, in a long drawn seven-phase polling schedule set to culminate with results set to be announced on 11th March. Political pundits believe BJP will win a majority of seats in the assembly but the recent Congress-Samajwadi Party coalition may unsettle their plans to come to power. PM Modi said rapes and murders were unaccounted for in the state and the Samajwadi Party was neither "worried, nor did it consider it their responsibility to tackle the situation". "Today, in Uttar Pradesh, after the sun sets a woman cannot step outside confidently on the streets as they are not safe in the state," PM Modi asserted. He also blamed the SP and the Mayawati-led BSP for the lack of development in the state. "Development has gone to 'exile' for the last 14 years in the state, this election is about bringing development back," he said. "After Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power, we will form a special task force against land mafia. Then we will give back land to the poor and middle class people," said Modi. The PM said the politically-crucial state could become the country's "best state" (Uttam Pradesh) if people chose the right government, alluding to his party, the BJP. "Nowadays, I am listening to speeches. They abuse the federal government for five minutes. Can you give me an account of your achievements as well," the prime minister said pointing to the opposition. "If Bharatiya Janata Party assumes power in Uttar Pradesh we will scrutinise the scams in employment sector and will give jobs to unemployed people," he said. Blaming the Samajwadi Party for the lack of development in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said Akhilesh Yadav had "destroyed the state in the last five years". "The Samajwadi Party, which has been in power for last five years, it is their duty to answer the people of Uttar Pradesh about the work they have done," India's prime minister said. "When Akhilesh Yadav became Chief Minister, we thought there would be development in the state since he is young and highly educated, but he destroyed the state in five years," Modi said. "Due to selfish politics, poor are not getting food even twice a day. Even that does not seem to have had any impact on the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government," Modi added. The PM said the objective in the upcoming state assembly election was to bring development in the state. He also said he would give an account of my achievements in the 2019 general elections. "Akhilesh is so scared, he has embraced whoever he came across. Who steps in a sinking boat," Modi sarcastically remarked referring to SP's alliance with the Congress for the assembly elections in the state. Modi also took pot-shots at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, son of SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, blaming him for the split in the party. "What have you done to your father (Mulayam Singh Yadav), uncle (Shivpal Yadav) and the daughter-in-laws, nephews and brothers in your family, the people know everything," he said. (WION with agency inputs)

Development on 'exile' in UP for 14 years: Modi

The Samajwadi Party which is the ruling party of India&#39;s most populous state,&nbsp;Uttar Pradesh, is headed for a split following months-long bickering by the first family of the political outfit.

Shivpal Yadav, brother of Samajwadi Party satrap Mulayam Singh Yadav, has announced he will float a new party on March 11, the day the results of the Uttar Pradesh elections are announced.

In a show of defiance, Shivpal said he would also campaign for those who were denied the chance of contesting the state election by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is his nephew and the leader of the Samajwadi Party.

Shivpal also tut-tutted Akhilesh&#39;s decision to forge a pre-election alliance with the Congress, a decision that was condemned by Mulayam as well.

&quot;Netaji (as Mulayam is fondly called) and I have been attacked repeatedly. Many people have said they are what they are because of Netaji and those same people are today insulting him,&quot; Indian news agencies quoted Shivpal as saying.

Moments before, Shivpal filed his nomination papers to contest the elections in Uttar Pradesh. However, he will fight the elections as a Samajwadi Party candidate.

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Days after the Akhilesh Yadav emerged as the party&#39;s CM face in Uttar Pradesh, Shivpal today said he will be forming his own party post the assembly elections. Here&#39;s more to this story. (WION)
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The state will go to polls on February 11 and will carry on till March 8 on seven different days. The election results will be announced on March 11.

The Samajwadi Party, or the SP, has been inflicted with regular bouts of feuds as son Akhilesh and his father Mulayam have not seen eye-to-eye on a number of issues.

Joining hands with the Congress ahead of the elections is one bone of contention.&nbsp;While Akhilesh was in favour of tying up with the Congress, his father was dead against it. Even after the alliance was announced, Mulayam, like his brother Shivpal, had vowed to not campaign for the Congress.

Currently, the SP has been split into two factions: one supporting Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and the other backing Mulayam and Shivpal Yadav.

The discord in the party was sown last September and despite a slew of temporary patch-ups, the Yadav family has failed to reconcile with each other.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

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The rebellion rhapsody in the Samajwadi Party continues as Shivpal Yadav has announced he will float his own party on March 11

The Samajwadi Party which is the ruling party of India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, is headed for a split following months-long bickering by the first family of the political outfit. Shivpal Yadav, brother of Samajwadi Party satrap Mulayam Singh Yadav, has announced he will float a new party on March 11, the day the results of the Uttar Pradesh elections are announced. In a show of defiance, Shivpal said he would also campaign for those who were denied the chance of contesting the state election by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is his nephew and the leader of the Samajwadi Party. Shivpal also tut-tutted Akhilesh's decision to forge a pre-election alliance with the Congress, a decision that was condemned by Mulayam as well. "Netaji (as Mulayam is fondly called) and I have been attacked repeatedly. Many people have said they are what they are because of Netaji and those same people are today insulting him," Indian news agencies quoted Shivpal as saying. Moments before, Shivpal filed his nomination papers to contest the elections in Uttar Pradesh. However, he will fight the elections as a Samajwadi Party candidate. Days after the Akhilesh Yadav emerged as the party's CM face in Uttar Pradesh, Shivpal today said he will be forming his own party post the assembly elections. Here's more to this story. (WION) × The state will go to polls on February 11 and will carry on till March 8 on seven different days. The election results will be announced on March 11. The Samajwadi Party, or the SP, has been inflicted with regular bouts of feuds as son Akhilesh and his father Mulayam have not seen eye-to-eye on a number of issues. Joining hands with the Congress ahead of the elections is one bone of contention. While Akhilesh was in favour of tying up with the Congress, his father was dead against it. Even after the alliance was announced, Mulayam, like his brother Shivpal, had vowed to not campaign for the Congress. Currently, the SP has been split into two factions: one supporting Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and the other backing Mulayam and Shivpal Yadav. The discord in the party was sown last September and despite a slew of temporary patch-ups, the Yadav family has failed to reconcile with each other. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Uttar Pradesh: SP braces for split after elections

The dream to stitch a grand alliance between Congress, Rashtriya Lok Dal&nbsp;and Samajwadi Party turned out to be a cropper when SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav declared 325 out of 400 seats in Uttar Pradesh.

Mulayam, better known as Netaji in the political circuit of Uttar Pradesh, categorically said SP will not enter into any alliance for the forthcoming assembly elections. The elections are expected to be held in late February or early March in 2017 along with Punjab and Goa.

Insiders say that the decision to go alone comes from Mulayum Singh Yadav. Akhilesh Yadav was in support of the grand alliance and had categorically said that if a grand alliance is put into place then it will end up winning 300 seats. &nbsp;

Sources say that the insistence of the Congress Party for 100 seats led to collapse of the talk which was taking place informally between the SP and Congress. Congress was also insisting for the position of deputy chief minister. Even Rahul&nbsp;Gandhi on Tuesday remained non-committal on the alliance with regional party without denying the question out right whether they are in talks with anyone.&nbsp;The Samajwadi Party is expected to release 78 seats sometime next week.&nbsp;

The list also indicates that both Mulayum and Shivpal Yadav are on the same page and have only accommodated people close to them. The party denied tickets to sitting ministers considered close to the chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. It includes Arvind Singh Gop from Barabanki, Pawan Pandey from Ayodhya and Kamal Akhtar from Western Uttar Pradesh. When asked as to where Akhilesh will contest the elections, Mulayam said,&rdquo; He can contest elections from anywhere he wants.&rdquo;

The list includes names which are controversial and team Akhilesh wanted them out of the power structure because of their antecedents. It includes dreaded don Atiq Ahmad from Kanpur Cant and Sibagtullah Ansari from Mohamdabad. Sibagtullah is elder brother of Muqthar Ansari again a noted don from the eastern Uttar Pradesh.

(WION)

Congress and Rashtriya Lok Dal wanted to forge an alliance with Samajwadi Party to contest polls in India's most populous state

The dream to stitch a grand alliance between Congress, Rashtriya Lok Dal and Samajwadi Party turned out to be a cropper when SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav declared 325 out of 400 seats in Uttar Pradesh. Mulayam, better known as Netaji in the political circuit of Uttar Pradesh, categorically said SP will not enter into any alliance for the forthcoming assembly elections. The elections are expected to be held in late February or early March in 2017 along with Punjab and Goa. Insiders say that the decision to go alone comes from Mulayum Singh Yadav. Akhilesh Yadav was in support of the grand alliance and had categorically said that if a grand alliance is put into place then it will end up winning 300 seats. Sources say that the insistence of the Congress Party for 100 seats led to collapse of the talk which was taking place informally between the SP and Congress. Congress was also insisting for the position of deputy chief minister. Even Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday remained non-committal on the alliance with regional party without denying the question out right whether they are in talks with anyone. The Samajwadi Party is expected to release 78 seats sometime next week. The list also indicates that both Mulayum and Shivpal Yadav are on the same page and have only accommodated people close to them. The party denied tickets to sitting ministers considered close to the chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. It includes Arvind Singh Gop from Barabanki, Pawan Pandey from Ayodhya and Kamal Akhtar from Western Uttar Pradesh. When asked as to where Akhilesh will contest the elections, Mulayam said,” He can contest elections from anywhere he wants.” The list includes names which are controversial and team Akhilesh wanted them out of the power structure because of their antecedents. It includes dreaded don Atiq Ahmad from Kanpur Cant and Sibagtullah Ansari from Mohamdabad. Sibagtullah is elder brother of Muqthar Ansari again a noted don from the eastern Uttar Pradesh. (WION)

Uttar Pradesh elections: Ruling Samajwadi Party pulls plug on pre-poll alliance talks

Mulayam Singh Yadav, the chief of Samajwadi Party (SP) that is in power in India&#39;s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday announced the expulsion of his son, state chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, from the party for six years. He had earlier in the day expelled his cousin, senior party functionary Ramgopal Yadav, for six years after he announced an emergency meeting on January 1.

The surprise move comes after Akhilesh &quot;circulated&quot; his own list of 235 candidates for the upcoming state elections parallel to the party&#39;s official list of 393 nominees. The election in Uttar Pradesh (UP) is the largest regional election in India. Both Akhilesh and Ramgopal were slapped with showcause notices by the party.

On Thursday, Mulayam had released a list of election candidate without consulting Akhilesh, and refused to name his son as the chief ministerial candidate. Mulayam had also excluded people who are believed to be close to Akhilesh.&nbsp;

Ram Govind Chaudhary, Pawan Pandey and Arvind Singh Gope are members of the pro-Akhilesh group who have been left out of the candidates&#39; list.

&quot;We have to save the party. The party comes first. That is why we are expelling both Akhilesh and Ramgopal,&quot; Mulayam said while announcing Akhilesh&#39;s expulsion.

&quot;How can he (Akhilesh) release the list when the party has declared its candidates.&nbsp;Both Akhilesh and Ramgopal want to finish the party. I will not let it happen. I have built this party through hard work,&quot; Mulayam said.

He said Ramgopal has not only indulged in indiscipline, but was causing harm to the party. &quot;As of now we have expelled him, but we will take further action against him,&quot; the party chief asserted.

Ramgopal has called the expulsion &quot;unconstitutional&quot;.

Akhilesh has asked his lawmakers to attend a party meet at 9 am tomorrow (December 31).

On a day of fast-moving developments, hordes of frenzied Akhilesh supporters, especially the youth, thronged his residence to express their support.

The timing of the announcement also underscored the fault lines in the family-led party, prompting &nbsp;&quot;pari-war&quot; memes that play on the Hindi word for family. The SP candidates&#39; list was announced when Akhilesh was away in Bundelkhand in southern UP.

The father-son trust hit a low in mid-August when Akhilesh got into an acrimonious power struggle with his uncle, Shivpal Yadav.&nbsp;

UP poll results become crucial for the Indian polity because of the ramifications it holds for the ruling party in power at the national level. The Bharatiya Janata Party, for instance, is focused on improving its tally of MPs (Members of Parliament) in the state as that will improve its numbers in Rajya Sabha, or the Upper House of Parliament, and facilitate the smooth clearance of legislation.

Earlier, Mulayam had called a meeting on Saturday of all those allotted tickets by him even as the Akhilesh camp remained adamant on contesting against the official candidates of the party.

Mulayam had reportedly attempted to avert a split after the crisis reached a stalemate last night when Akhilesh &quot;circulated&quot; his own list of 235 candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections. The party&#39;s official list had named 393 nominees.

Uttar Pradesh assembly has 403 seats.&nbsp;The battle for control in SP has left grassroots cadres confused about their leadership.

Shivpal Yadav, Akhilesh&#39;s acrimonious uncle, met his brother Mulayam for nearly an hour this morning. Shivpal, however, did not respond to questions from journalists waiting outside Mulayam&#39;s residence.

Mulayam&#39;s cousin and SP general secretary Ramgopal Yadav, who is an Akhilesh supporter, had said there was no question of going back on the list prepared by the chief minister.

He also said that many in the party did not want to see Akhilesh as chief minister again which is being seen by many as a veiled swipe at Shivpal Yadav.

&quot;The fact remains that people of the state want him back as CM,&quot; he claimed.

He said Mulayam had convened a meeting on January 1 to take a final call on ticket distribution, &quot;but due to pressure (from Shivpal)&quot;, he announced the list on December 28.

Akhilesh&#39;s list, which was not signed, was circulated on social media last night by party MLAs who failed to find a mention in the official list.

Party observers said it would be interesting to observe if the 170-180 candidates, who figure in both lists, attend Mulayam&#39;s meeting or opt out.

Akhilesh, who was present at an official function here this morning, did not take questions from journalists.

Although those candidates owing allegiance to Akhilesh expressed their intention to contest polls &quot;in the name of and as the face of the CM&quot;, it was still not clear whether they would float a new party.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

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Akhilesh Yadav has been expelled for six years for openly disputing poll candidates list after months of political knuckle-baring

Mulayam Singh Yadav, the chief of Samajwadi Party (SP) that is in power in India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday announced the expulsion of his son, state chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, from the party for six years. He had earlier in the day expelled his cousin, senior party functionary Ramgopal Yadav, for six years after he announced an emergency meeting on January 1. The surprise move comes after Akhilesh "circulated" his own list of 235 candidates for the upcoming state elections parallel to the party's official list of 393 nominees. The election in Uttar Pradesh (UP) is the largest regional election in India. Both Akhilesh and Ramgopal were slapped with showcause notices by the party. On Thursday, Mulayam had released a list of election candidate without consulting Akhilesh, and refused to name his son as the chief ministerial candidate. Mulayam had also excluded people who are believed to be close to Akhilesh. Ram Govind Chaudhary, Pawan Pandey and Arvind Singh Gope are members of the pro-Akhilesh group who have been left out of the candidates' list. "We have to save the party. The party comes first. That is why we are expelling both Akhilesh and Ramgopal," Mulayam said while announcing Akhilesh's expulsion. "How can he (Akhilesh) release the list when the party has declared its candidates. Both Akhilesh and Ramgopal want to finish the party. I will not let it happen. I have built this party through hard work," Mulayam said. He said Ramgopal has not only indulged in indiscipline, but was causing harm to the party. "As of now we have expelled him, but we will take further action against him," the party chief asserted. Ramgopal has called the expulsion "unconstitutional". Akhilesh has asked his lawmakers to attend a party meet at 9 am tomorrow (December 31). On a day of fast-moving developments, hordes of frenzied Akhilesh supporters, especially the youth, thronged his residence to express their support. The timing of the announcement also underscored the fault lines in the family-led party, prompting "pari-war" memes that play on the Hindi word for family. The SP candidates' list was announced when Akhilesh was away in Bundelkhand in southern UP. The father-son trust hit a low in mid-August when Akhilesh got into an acrimonious power struggle with his uncle, Shivpal Yadav. UP poll results become crucial for the Indian polity because of the ramifications it holds for the ruling party in power at the national level. The Bharatiya Janata Party, for instance, is focused on improving its tally of MPs (Members of Parliament) in the state as that will improve its numbers in Rajya Sabha, or the Upper House of Parliament, and facilitate the smooth clearance of legislation. Earlier, Mulayam had called a meeting on Saturday of all those allotted tickets by him even as the Akhilesh camp remained adamant on contesting against the official candidates of the party. Mulayam had reportedly attempted to avert a split after the crisis reached a stalemate last night when Akhilesh "circulated" his own list of 235 candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections. The party's official list had named 393 nominees. Uttar Pradesh assembly has 403 seats. The battle for control in SP has left grassroots cadres confused about their leadership. Shivpal Yadav, Akhilesh's acrimonious uncle, met his brother Mulayam for nearly an hour this morning. Shivpal, however, did not respond to questions from journalists waiting outside Mulayam's residence. Mulayam's cousin and SP general secretary Ramgopal Yadav, who is an Akhilesh supporter, had said there was no question of going back on the list prepared by the chief minister. He also said that many in the party did not want to see Akhilesh as chief minister again which is being seen by many as a veiled swipe at Shivpal Yadav. "The fact remains that people of the state want him back as CM," he claimed. He said Mulayam had convened a meeting on January 1 to take a final call on ticket distribution, "but due to pressure (from Shivpal)", he announced the list on December 28. Akhilesh's list, which was not signed, was circulated on social media last night by party MLAs who failed to find a mention in the official list. Party observers said it would be interesting to observe if the 170-180 candidates, who figure in both lists, attend Mulayam's meeting or opt out. Akhilesh, who was present at an official function here this morning, did not take questions from journalists. Although those candidates owing allegiance to Akhilesh expressed their intention to contest polls "in the name of and as the face of the CM", it was still not clear whether they would float a new party. (WION with inputs from PTI)

UP elections: Ruling Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav expels son and state chief minister Akhilesh Yadav

The talks between the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) on seat sharing for assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh is in the last phase of discussion, with the Congress also wanting the position of deputy CM as part of the deal, sources told WION.

Sources confirmed to WION that talks between all three constituents are taking place at the highest level. &nbsp;The SP has proposed 78 seats to the Congress and 22 seats to RLD which still holds sway in some districts of the western Uttar Pradesh. But well-placed sources confirmed that Congress is still insisting on 100 seats and the final decision on the matter would be taken by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi. Sources also say that apart from numbers, there is also a dispute on 15 seats which are being described as &ldquo;prestige seats&rdquo; by all sides. There is the possibility that a friendly fight can take place on these but the Congress wants to avoid it as it would send a wrong signal to the electorate.

The understanding is that if the three parties fail to come together then it would become a straight fight between the BJP and BSP. Even the SP stands to lose a chunk of upper castes in case it fights against all other parties. Even Congress stands to benefit as it has no organisational structure in Uttar Pradesh and with an SP-alliance, its candidate can get the minority votes which as of now lie with Mulayum Singh Yadav. Lastly, RLD&rsquo;s presence would strengthen the SP in western UP where there is often a straight fight between the BSP and the BJP.

Insiders say that alliance should be announced at the earliest for early distribution of election tickets and ample time to project Akhilesh Yadav as the chief ministerial candidate. For now, the ball is in Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi&rsquo;s court. 
 
(WION)

Congress also wants the position of deputy chief minister, sources told WION

The talks between the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) on seat sharing for assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh is in the last phase of discussion, with the Congress also wanting the position of deputy CM as part of the deal, sources told WION. Sources confirmed to WION that talks between all three constituents are taking place at the highest level. The SP has proposed 78 seats to the Congress and 22 seats to RLD which still holds sway in some districts of the western Uttar Pradesh. But well-placed sources confirmed that Congress is still insisting on 100 seats and the final decision on the matter would be taken by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi. Sources also say that apart from numbers, there is also a dispute on 15 seats which are being described as “prestige seats” by all sides. There is the possibility that a friendly fight can take place on these but the Congress wants to avoid it as it would send a wrong signal to the electorate. The understanding is that if the three parties fail to come together then it would become a straight fight between the BJP and BSP. Even the SP stands to lose a chunk of upper castes in case it fights against all other parties. Even Congress stands to benefit as it has no organisational structure in Uttar Pradesh and with an SP-alliance, its candidate can get the minority votes which as of now lie with Mulayum Singh Yadav. Lastly, RLD’s presence would strengthen the SP in western UP where there is often a straight fight between the BSP and the BJP. Insiders say that alliance should be announced at the earliest for early distribution of election tickets and ample time to project Akhilesh Yadav as the chief ministerial candidate. For now, the ball is in Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s court. (WION)

Uttar Pradesh polls: Grand alliance talks between SP, Congress and RLD enter final stretch in India's most populous state

The decision of Samajwadi Party to give the Congress a paltry number of seats to fight from in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections has threatened the possibility of a pre-poll alliance between the two parties.

The Samajwadi Party, which is the ruling party of India&#39;s northern state of Uttar Pradesh, has given the Congress only 54 Assembly seats to contest from. SP said the Congress might get an additional &quot;25 to 30 seats&quot;&nbsp;depending on further negotiations.

WION has learnt that the ruling party has pressured Congress to accommodate all other regional parties, mainly the Rashtriya Lok Dal, within its quota of 100 seats.&nbsp;

Highly-placed sources in the Congress party told WION that if the party alone is not given more seats, it would go &quot;solo&quot; in the upcoming polls.&nbsp;

Congress, the oldest political party in the country, has been angered further because SP has also&nbsp;decided to contest seats that were won by them in the previous election in 2012.

Ajay Maken, senior spokesperson of the Congress described the decision as &quot;unfortunate&quot;.

Such was the shock that it forced Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to recalibrate his strategy. Gandhi remained in close touch with his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra throughout the day to decide on future plan of action.

The next move will be key for Gandhi as there is&nbsp;tremendous pressure on him to contest a higher number of seats, a close aide to the vice-president said.&nbsp;

The feeling within the Congress is that if this alliance is accepted on current terms and conditions, it will wipe out the party&#39;s presence in the state, which is home to more than 200 million and if it were a country, it would be the biggest election this year.

For weeks, there were talks of Samajwadi Party, Congress and Rashtriya Lok Dal uniting to thwart Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s Bharatiya Janata Party&#39; chances of winning in the battleground state.&nbsp;

(WION)

WION understands the Congress will not unite with ruling Samajwadi Party if they get less than 100 seats. Right now, they have got 54 seats

The decision of Samajwadi Party to give the Congress a paltry number of seats to fight from in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections has threatened the possibility of a pre-poll alliance between the two parties. The Samajwadi Party, which is the ruling party of India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, has given the Congress only 54 Assembly seats to contest from. SP said the Congress might get an additional "25 to 30 seats" depending on further negotiations. WION has learnt that the ruling party has pressured Congress to accommodate all other regional parties, mainly the Rashtriya Lok Dal, within its quota of 100 seats. Highly-placed sources in the Congress party told WION that if the party alone is not given more seats, it would go "solo" in the upcoming polls. Congress, the oldest political party in the country, has been angered further because SP has also decided to contest seats that were won by them in the previous election in 2012. Ajay Maken, senior spokesperson of the Congress described the decision as "unfortunate". Such was the shock that it forced Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to recalibrate his strategy. Gandhi remained in close touch with his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra throughout the day to decide on future plan of action. The next move will be key for Gandhi as there is tremendous pressure on him to contest a higher number of seats, a close aide to the vice-president said. The feeling within the Congress is that if this alliance is accepted on current terms and conditions, it will wipe out the party's presence in the state, which is home to more than 200 million and if it were a country, it would be the biggest election this year. For weeks, there were talks of Samajwadi Party, Congress and Rashtriya Lok Dal uniting to thwart Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party' chances of winning in the battleground state. (WION)

Uttar Pradesh polls: Congress may go solo as Rahul Gandhi angry with SP's seat-sharing plan

Elections in India&#39;s largest state are around the corner, but the ruling party&#39;s preparation has been wracked with confusion as it has failed to forge a&nbsp;pre-poll alliance that it expected to have cobbled together by now.

India&#39;s northern state of Uttar Pradesh will go to polls from February 11 onwards, making it the world&#39;s biggest election of the year as the state has a population of 200 million.

India&#39;s ruling party Samajwadi Party was initially expected to unite with the Congress and Rashtriya Lok Dal, or RLD, to take on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming polls.

But the plan seems to have come unstuck as SP ruled out an alliance with RLD on Thursday (January 19)&nbsp;and the party&#39;s seat-sharing deal today (January 20) with the Congress has put a question mark on their seemingly impending partnership.&nbsp;There were further disturbances in the contours of the so-called &#39;grand alliance&#39; as the Congress has refused to cast away the Rashtriya Lok Dal, with its spokesperson RS Surjewala Thursday&nbsp;saying it was &quot;premature&quot; to talk about any coalition at the moment. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

On Friday, SP said they could only give 85 of the 403 Assembly seats to the Congress, which did not evoke a &quot;positive response&quot; from the other side.

The SP came to the conclusion after devising a formula, wherein Congress received seats where they were in first place in the last elections or where the Samajwadi Party came third, fourth or fifth.

&ldquo;Thus, the Congress will get 54 seats. But if it (Congress) talks seriously, we can also give them 25-30 additional seats. The maximum seats we can give to them will be 85,&rdquo;&nbsp;SP national vice-president Kironmay Nanda told reporters after the party released its first list of 191 candidates.

The possibility of an alliance has been further dented after Uttar Pradesh&#39;s ruling party decided to field their candidates on seats that were won by the Congress in the 2012 polls. But when one of the reporters pointed this fact out, Nanda said: &quot;If alliance takes place, the SP will withdraw its candidates from those seats.&rdquo; &nbsp;

Nanda also said the Congress should unite with them as that would give them a good chance of beating the Bharatiya Janata Party in the high-stakes battle that has gripped India&#39;s most populous state.

SP&#39;s lone bright spot

In a move that could indicate a reconciliation between the rival factions led by Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh Yadav in the SP, the list of 191 candidates that was announced by the party saw the name of Akhilesh&#39;s uncle Shivpal Yadav, who belongs to the faction led by Mulayam Singh Yadav. The SP released an additional list of 18 candidates later in the day (January 20).&nbsp;

The list bears the stamp of the state&#39;s chief minister Akhilesh Yadav as many of his picks have found mention among those whose names were declared. Veteran SP leader and cabinet minister Azam Khan, who is close to Mulayam Singh Yadav, has also been given a ticket from his pocket borough of Rampur, while his son Abdullah Azam has been given a&nbsp;ticket to contest the Swar seat in the Rampur district.

Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh Yadav will release the election manifesto on January 22, ANI reported.

RLD announces alliance with JD-U, other parties 
 
The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) today (January 20) decided to contest all the 403 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh in alliance with the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and 10 smaller parties, PTI reported.

The other parties include Rashtriya Samanta Dal, Rashtriya Apna Dal, Hamari Apni Party, Rashtriya Kranti Party, and the Bhartiya Vanchit Samaj party.

&quot;We will contest all the 403 seats in alliance with JD(U) and 10 smaller parties,&quot; RLD state unit chief Masood Ahmad Ahmad announced.

(WION with inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Ruling Samajwadi Party has offered only 85 election tickets to the Congress, eliciting a negative response from the other side

Elections in India's largest state are around the corner, but the ruling party's preparation has been wracked with confusion as it has failed to forge a pre-poll alliance that it expected to have cobbled together by now. India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh will go to polls from February 11 onwards, making it the world's biggest election of the year as the state has a population of 200 million. India's ruling party Samajwadi Party was initially expected to unite with the Congress and Rashtriya Lok Dal, or RLD, to take on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming polls. But the plan seems to have come unstuck as SP ruled out an alliance with RLD on Thursday (January 19) and the party's seat-sharing deal today (January 20) with the Congress has put a question mark on their seemingly impending partnership. There were further disturbances in the contours of the so-called 'grand alliance' as the Congress has refused to cast away the Rashtriya Lok Dal, with its spokesperson RS Surjewala Thursday saying it was "premature" to talk about any coalition at the moment. On Friday, SP said they could only give 85 of the 403 Assembly seats to the Congress, which did not evoke a "positive response" from the other side. The SP came to the conclusion after devising a formula, wherein Congress received seats where they were in first place in the last elections or where the Samajwadi Party came third, fourth or fifth. “Thus, the Congress will get 54 seats. But if it (Congress) talks seriously, we can also give them 25-30 additional seats. The maximum seats we can give to them will be 85,” SP national vice-president Kironmay Nanda told reporters after the party released its first list of 191 candidates. The possibility of an alliance has been further dented after Uttar Pradesh's ruling party decided to field their candidates on seats that were won by the Congress in the 2012 polls. But when one of the reporters pointed this fact out, Nanda said: "If alliance takes place, the SP will withdraw its candidates from those seats.” Nanda also said the Congress should unite with them as that would give them a good chance of beating the Bharatiya Janata Party in the high-stakes battle that has gripped India's most populous state. SP's lone bright spot In a move that could indicate a reconciliation between the rival factions led by Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh Yadav in the SP, the list of 191 candidates that was announced by the party saw the name of Akhilesh's uncle Shivpal Yadav, who belongs to the faction led by Mulayam Singh Yadav. The SP released an additional list of 18 candidates later in the day (January 20). The list bears the stamp of the state's chief minister Akhilesh Yadav as many of his picks have found mention among those whose names were declared. Veteran SP leader and cabinet minister Azam Khan, who is close to Mulayam Singh Yadav, has also been given a ticket from his pocket borough of Rampur, while his son Abdullah Azam has been given a ticket to contest the Swar seat in the Rampur district. Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh Yadav will release the election manifesto on January 22, ANI reported. RLD announces alliance with JD-U, other parties The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) today (January 20) decided to contest all the 403 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh in alliance with the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and 10 smaller parties, PTI reported. The other parties include Rashtriya Samanta Dal, Rashtriya Apna Dal, Hamari Apni Party, Rashtriya Kranti Party, and the Bhartiya Vanchit Samaj party. "We will contest all the 403 seats in alliance with JD(U) and 10 smaller parties," RLD state unit chief Masood Ahmad Ahmad announced. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Uttar Pradesh polls: Cracks in 'grand alliance' talks after ruling party's seat-sharing formula

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi addressed their first joint conference after an alliance between their parties for the high-stakes state assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. The two leaders launched the campaign with the&nbsp;tagline&nbsp;&quot;UP favours this alliance (UP ko ye saath pasand hai).&quot; The press conference was followed by a road show in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow.

Here are the highlights from their address:&nbsp;

Akhilesh Yadav and I don&#39;t just have a political relationship, but also a personal one. Our alliance will truly help Uttar Pradesh: Rahul Gandhi 
 
The alliance has made the personal and political relationship between Akhilesh and me better: Rahul Gandhi

I had said Akhilesh is a good boy, but he wasn&#39;t allowed to work: Rahul Gandhi

Campaign strategy will not be divulged: Rahul Gandhi on whether mother Sonia, Akhilesh&#39;s father Mulayam Singh would campaign&nbsp;

Priyanka (sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) has been of tremendous help to me and I have been so to her, if she campaigns or not is her choice; she is an asset to Congress: Rahul Gandhi 
 
Whether we will form an alliance in Lok Sabha or not is open to discussion: Rahul Gandhi

This is people&#39;s alliance. Rahul Gandhi and I know each other. It is a matter of happiness that we will now also work together: Akhilesh Yadav

We are like two wheels of the same cycle - one of progress and one of prosperity. Cycle and hand is a great combination: Akhilesh Yadav

If we reveal anything now,&nbsp;no suspense will remain: Akhilesh on seat-sharing in constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi&nbsp; 
 
This alliance isn&#39;t opportunistic: Akhilesh Yadav

Uttar Pradesh will&nbsp;vote for a new state assembly in a seven-phase election between February 11 and March 8. Out of the 403 assembly seats, Congress will contest 105 seats and the Samajwadi Party will field its candidates in the remaining 298 seats. 
 
(WION)

"If we reveal anything now,?no suspense will remain," said Akhilesh on seat-sharing in constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi?

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi addressed their first joint conference after an alliance between their parties for the high-stakes state assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. The two leaders launched the campaign with the tagline "UP favours this alliance (UP ko ye saath pasand hai)." The press conference was followed by a road show in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow. Here are the highlights from their address: Akhilesh Yadav and I don't just have a political relationship, but also a personal one. Our alliance will truly help Uttar Pradesh: Rahul Gandhi The alliance has made the personal and political relationship between Akhilesh and me better: Rahul Gandhi I had said Akhilesh is a good boy, but he wasn't allowed to work: Rahul Gandhi Campaign strategy will not be divulged: Rahul Gandhi on whether mother Sonia, Akhilesh's father Mulayam Singh would campaign Priyanka (sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) has been of tremendous help to me and I have been so to her, if she campaigns or not is her choice; she is an asset to Congress: Rahul Gandhi Whether we will form an alliance in Lok Sabha or not is open to discussion: Rahul Gandhi This is people's alliance. Rahul Gandhi and I know each other. It is a matter of happiness that we will now also work together: Akhilesh Yadav We are like two wheels of the same cycle - one of progress and one of prosperity. Cycle and hand is a great combination: Akhilesh Yadav If we reveal anything now, no suspense will remain: Akhilesh on seat-sharing in constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi This alliance isn't opportunistic: Akhilesh Yadav Uttar Pradesh will vote for a new state assembly in a seven-phase election between February 11 and March 8. Out of the 403 assembly seats, Congress will contest 105 seats and the Samajwadi Party will field its candidates in the remaining 298 seats. (WION)

Akhilesh and I like 2 wheels of a cycle: Rahul Gandhi, Uttar Pradesh CM's first address post alliance

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

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

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

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

Elections in Uttar Pradesh,&nbsp;India&#39;s most populous state, are around the corner but the ruling party has failed to forge an&nbsp;alliance that they were seeking with other political parties.

Two days after ruling Samajwadi Party called off talks with Rashtriya Lok Dal, or RLD, the regional party was dealt another blow Saturday when talks with the Congress about a pre-poll alliance collapsed due to disagreement over seat-sharing plans.

Prospects of an alliance remained strong till Monday, but cracks appeared when the two parties sat down to thrash out the nitty-gritties of the partnership.

Unnamed sources told WION that the Congress wanted to contest in 110 Assembly seats, whereas the Samajwadi Party, or SP, were willing to concede not more than 99. The sources said the possibility of an alliance were unlikely due to the impasse.

&ldquo;They were even very rigid on seats from Amethi and Rai Barelli,&rdquo; said an unnamed Congress source involved in the negotiations.

Sources also said that the Samajwadi Party was initially willing to give 121 seats to the Congress but later brought it down to 99 seats. &ldquo;Akhilesh Yadav kept on changing goal posts. He told us that he needs to accommodate those who have stood by him,&rdquo; a source told WION.

Trouble started when Akhilesh Yadav, UP chief minister and Samajwadi Party leader, decided to pit his partymen against Congress lawmakers in certain seats.

The formula used by the SP to offer Assembly seats to the Congress was also a sore point. The Samajwadi Party gave seats to Congress in places where they had either fared dismally in previous elections or where the Congress had won.

The two parties for long wanted to unite&nbsp;before the UP polls, the world&#39;s largest elections this year, in order to combat Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s party -- the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Meanwhile, WION has learnt that the Congress has readied its list of 350 candidates who they intend to field in the upcoming polls, which begin on February 11. The remaining seats will be given to other parties&nbsp;they have struck a partnership with. In total, Uttar Pradesh has 403 Assembly seats, which means that voters will elect 403 lawmakers in the state.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Vadra were personally involved in the dialogue with Samajwadi Party. But the cul-de-sac at the last moment has &quot;outraged&quot; the party, sources close to the Congress leadership said.

But later in the day, Congress president and Rahul&#39;s mother, Sonia Gandhi, stepped in to&nbsp;restore the near-collapse talks with the Samajwadi Party. Gandhi has asked her party&#39;s political secretary Ahmed Patel to renegotiate the tenets of the partnership.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Sonia Gandhi intervenes. Asks Ahmed Patel to salvage the alliance in UP. Let&#39;s see what happens now. It is a roller coaster now in UP.
&mdash; Kartikeya Sharma (@kartikeya_1975) <a href="https://twitter.com/kartikeya_1975/status/822827525957185538">January 21, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Although it is doom and gloom in the Congress election war-room, party insiders hope that tomorrow&#39;s parlance will be more fruitful than today. Congress hopes that the old adage of a day being an eternity in the world of politics remains true because they remain keen on tying up the incumbent Samajwadi Party.

There remains a tiny window for the Congress to resume talks but SP leader Naresh Agarwal said the possibility of an alliance is &quot;almost over&quot;.&nbsp;

In another news, Congress has named its candidates for the first phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

But Congress's Sonia Gandhi has stepped in to break the deadlock after today's talks collapsed due to differences in seat-sharing plan

Elections in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, are around the corner but the ruling party has failed to forge an alliance that they were seeking with other political parties. Two days after ruling Samajwadi Party called off talks with Rashtriya Lok Dal, or RLD, the regional party was dealt another blow Saturday when talks with the Congress about a pre-poll alliance collapsed due to disagreement over seat-sharing plans. Prospects of an alliance remained strong till Monday, but cracks appeared when the two parties sat down to thrash out the nitty-gritties of the partnership. Unnamed sources told WION that the Congress wanted to contest in 110 Assembly seats, whereas the Samajwadi Party, or SP, were willing to concede not more than 99. The sources said the possibility of an alliance were unlikely due to the impasse. “They were even very rigid on seats from Amethi and Rai Barelli,” said an unnamed Congress source involved in the negotiations. Sources also said that the Samajwadi Party was initially willing to give 121 seats to the Congress but later brought it down to 99 seats. “Akhilesh Yadav kept on changing goal posts. He told us that he needs to accommodate those who have stood by him,” a source told WION. Trouble started when Akhilesh Yadav, UP chief minister and Samajwadi Party leader, decided to pit his partymen against Congress lawmakers in certain seats. The formula used by the SP to offer Assembly seats to the Congress was also a sore point. The Samajwadi Party gave seats to Congress in places where they had either fared dismally in previous elections or where the Congress had won. The two parties for long wanted to unite before the UP polls, the world's largest elections this year, in order to combat Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party -- the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Meanwhile, WION has learnt that the Congress has readied its list of 350 candidates who they intend to field in the upcoming polls, which begin on February 11. The remaining seats will be given to other parties they have struck a partnership with. In total, Uttar Pradesh has 403 Assembly seats, which means that voters will elect 403 lawmakers in the state. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Vadra were personally involved in the dialogue with Samajwadi Party. But the cul-de-sac at the last moment has "outraged" the party, sources close to the Congress leadership said. But later in the day, Congress president and Rahul's mother, Sonia Gandhi, stepped in to restore the near-collapse talks with the Samajwadi Party. Gandhi has asked her party's political secretary Ahmed Patel to renegotiate the tenets of the partnership. Sonia Gandhi intervenes. Asks Ahmed Patel to salvage the alliance in UP. Let's see what happens now. It is a roller coaster now in UP. — Kartikeya Sharma (@kartikeya_1975) January 21, 2017 × Although it is doom and gloom in the Congress election war-room, party insiders hope that tomorrow's parlance will be more fruitful than today. Congress hopes that the old adage of a day being an eternity in the world of politics remains true because they remain keen on tying up the incumbent Samajwadi Party. There remains a tiny window for the Congress to resume talks but SP leader Naresh Agarwal said the possibility of an alliance is "almost over". In another news, Congress has named its candidates for the first phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Uttar Pradesh elections: Alliance talks falter as Samajwadi Party plays hardball with Congress

The ruling party of India&#39;s largest and most populous state Uttar Pradesh, has ruled out an alliance with a regional party, as the state gears up for elections next month.

Samajwadi Party Thursday ruled out forging an alliance with Rashtriya Lok Dal or RLD, though their talks with the Congress has entered the home stretch.

&ldquo;We will forge an alliance only with the Congress. We will not ally with the RLD. No talks are going on with them. We will contest from over 300 seats (out of 403) and the Congress will be there for the rest of them,&rdquo; The Indian Express quoted Kironmoy Nanda, the vice president of the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP), as saying.

Earlier, rumours were abuzz that SP would stitch a &#39;grand alliance&#39; with the Congress and the RLD to take on the challenge provided by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, a blueprint the so-called secular parties followed successfully in the state of Bihar in 2015. That time, six parties converged under the Janata Parivar umbrella to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party, a right-wing political group that had swept to power in India a year before that.

However, the Bihar formula will not be replicated in Uttar Pradesh as was previously believed after Thursday&#39;s announcement.&nbsp;

But SP has been keen on tying up with the Congress for the upcoming elections. Nanda, the party&#39;s national vice president, said they are looking to contest 300 of the 403 election seats and the remaining would be handed to the Congress, but added the final tally would be announced by Akhilesh Yadav, the chief minister of the state and leader of SP.

RLD said they fell out with the SP after they failed to reach a consensus on the seat-sharing aspect because the party wanted to fight for 30 seats. &quot;We wanted the seats of our choice but there was no agreement on it,&rdquo; RLD spokesman Anil Dubey later said.

The fallout might hurt the Samajwadi Party as the RLD enjoys considerable support in the western parts of the state, particularly among the Jat community.

Uttar Pradesh elections will be held from February 11 to March 8 in seven phases.

(WION)

&nbsp;

Disagreement over seat-sharing for the upcoming polls was the reason behind the fallout

The ruling party of India's largest and most populous state Uttar Pradesh, has ruled out an alliance with a regional party, as the state gears up for elections next month. Samajwadi Party Thursday ruled out forging an alliance with Rashtriya Lok Dal or RLD, though their talks with the Congress has entered the home stretch. “We will forge an alliance only with the Congress. We will not ally with the RLD. No talks are going on with them. We will contest from over 300 seats (out of 403) and the Congress will be there for the rest of them,” The Indian Express quoted Kironmoy Nanda, the vice president of the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP), as saying. Earlier, rumours were abuzz that SP would stitch a 'grand alliance' with the Congress and the RLD to take on the challenge provided by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, a blueprint the so-called secular parties followed successfully in the state of Bihar in 2015. That time, six parties converged under the Janata Parivar umbrella to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party, a right-wing political group that had swept to power in India a year before that. However, the Bihar formula will not be replicated in Uttar Pradesh as was previously believed after Thursday's announcement. But SP has been keen on tying up with the Congress for the upcoming elections. Nanda, the party's national vice president, said they are looking to contest 300 of the 403 election seats and the remaining would be handed to the Congress, but added the final tally would be announced by Akhilesh Yadav, the chief minister of the state and leader of SP. RLD said they fell out with the SP after they failed to reach a consensus on the seat-sharing aspect because the party wanted to fight for 30 seats. "We wanted the seats of our choice but there was no agreement on it,” RLD spokesman Anil Dubey later said. The fallout might hurt the Samajwadi Party as the RLD enjoys considerable support in the western parts of the state, particularly among the Jat community. Uttar Pradesh elections will be held from February 11 to March 8 in seven phases. (WION)

Uttar Pradesh elections: Ruling party SP drops alliance talks with Ajit Singh's RLD

Akhilesh Yadav&#39;s uncle Ramgopal Yadav filed the caveat in the Supreme Court of India, prempting Akhilesh&#39;s father and SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav in case he decides to challenge the Election Commission order.

A day after India&#39;s Election Commission granted the disputed &#39;cycle&#39; symbol of the Samajwadi Party (SP) to Akhilesh Yadav, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister visited his father and SP founder Mulayam Singh at his residence, describing his ties with him as &quot;unbreakable.&quot;

Akhilesh, who was reportedly given a list of about 40 candidates by Mulayam Singh, said over 90 per cent of the candidates in both lists were common. He said his priority was to form the SP government in the upcoming assembly elections in the state and that he would take his father along.

&quot;I will take Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) along...My relation with him is unbreakable. I was confident that I will get cycle (symbol). Little time is left. It&#39;s a big responsibility and I will take everyone with us,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

&quot;Over 90 per cent candidates in both the lists are common. We will finalise the list of candidates soon,&quot; Akhilesh told reporters during an informal chat at his Kalidas Marg residence in state capital Lucknow.

However, the Akhilesh faction led by his mentor and uncle Ramgopal Yadav filed a caveat in the top court asking it not to pass any order challenging the Election Commission order without hearing their side.

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister also went into a huddle with his advisors, including Upper House legislators Ramgopal Yadav and Naresh Agarwal, strategising on an alliance with Congress, RLD and JD(U) for the upcoming assembly elections in the state.

SP sources said the list of party candidates will be released in a day or two.

There were reports that the three parties could come out with a common minimum programme.

While Akhilesh said in Lucknow that a decision on the alliance will be made in a day or two, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad confirmed his party would ally with the SP in the upcoming UP elections.&nbsp;

&quot;The decision on alliance (with Congress) will be taken in a day or two,&quot; Akhilesh told journalists in Lucknow. His uncle and party strategist Ramgopal Yadav hoped a grand secular alliance would be in place for polls.&nbsp;

&quot;I am confident that the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance will form the next government in Uttar Pradesh,&quot; All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad told the press in New Delhi.

Party coordinator for UP Meem Afzal said, &quot;Congress will have an alliance with Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. The details of the arrangement will be announced in the next two days.&quot;

The Congress is yet to officially announce the SP alliance and seat-sharing agreement although an announcement is expected soon. Congress leader Sheila Dikshit, had earlier said that she would withdraw as the Congress&#39; chief ministerial candidate if her party enters into an alliance with the Samajwadi Party in the state.

The poll process kicked off today with a notification being issued for the first phase of polling on February 11.

Before the poll panel settled the dispute between the warring factions in Akhilesh&#39;s favour, Mulayam had rejected all suggestions of a tie-up with the Congress despite Akhilesh saying that an alliance between the two could fetch 300 of the state&#39;s 403 seats.

According to SP sources, the party will keep the majority of over 250 seats with itself. Congress was being offered around 90-100 seats by the SP, which was also said to be trying to rope in Ajit Singh&#39;s RLD. Rashtriya Lok Dal has pockets of influence in western UP which goes to polls in the first two phases on February 11 and 15.

Ramgopal Yadav and Ghulam Nabi Azad are reportedly in talks to iron out differences over seat sharing between the two parties.

Party sources said the list would be prepared keeping in mind the possible alliance with Congress as nomination for first phase has already begun.

Mulayam Singh, meanwhile, stayed put at his bungalow, hardly a stone&#39;s throw away from that of Akhilesh. Shivpal Yadav and a few other loyalists like Ambika Chowdhury met him during the day.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

Akhilesh, who was reportedly given a list of about 40 candidates by Mulayam Singh, said over 90% of the candidates in both lists were common

Akhilesh Yadav's uncle Ramgopal Yadav filed the caveat in the Supreme Court of India, prempting Akhilesh's father and SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav in case he decides to challenge the Election Commission order. A day after India's Election Commission granted the disputed 'cycle' symbol of the Samajwadi Party (SP) to Akhilesh Yadav, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister visited his father and SP founder Mulayam Singh at his residence, describing his ties with him as "unbreakable." Akhilesh, who was reportedly given a list of about 40 candidates by Mulayam Singh, said over 90 per cent of the candidates in both lists were common. He said his priority was to form the SP government in the upcoming assembly elections in the state and that he would take his father along. "I will take Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) along...My relation with him is unbreakable. I was confident that I will get cycle (symbol). Little time is left. It's a big responsibility and I will take everyone with us," he said. "Over 90 per cent candidates in both the lists are common. We will finalise the list of candidates soon," Akhilesh told reporters during an informal chat at his Kalidas Marg residence in state capital Lucknow. However, the Akhilesh faction led by his mentor and uncle Ramgopal Yadav filed a caveat in the top court asking it not to pass any order challenging the Election Commission order without hearing their side. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister also went into a huddle with his advisors, including Upper House legislators Ramgopal Yadav and Naresh Agarwal, strategising on an alliance with Congress, RLD and JD(U) for the upcoming assembly elections in the state. SP sources said the list of party candidates will be released in a day or two. There were reports that the three parties could come out with a common minimum programme. While Akhilesh said in Lucknow that a decision on the alliance will be made in a day or two, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad confirmed his party would ally with the SP in the upcoming UP elections. "The decision on alliance (with Congress) will be taken in a day or two," Akhilesh told journalists in Lucknow. His uncle and party strategist Ramgopal Yadav hoped a grand secular alliance would be in place for polls. "I am confident that the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance will form the next government in Uttar Pradesh," All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad told the press in New Delhi. Party coordinator for UP Meem Afzal said, "Congress will have an alliance with Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. The details of the arrangement will be announced in the next two days." The Congress is yet to officially announce the SP alliance and seat-sharing agreement although an announcement is expected soon. Congress leader Sheila Dikshit, had earlier said that she would withdraw as the Congress' chief ministerial candidate if her party enters into an alliance with the Samajwadi Party in the state. The poll process kicked off today with a notification being issued for the first phase of polling on February 11. Before the poll panel settled the dispute between the warring factions in Akhilesh's favour, Mulayam had rejected all suggestions of a tie-up with the Congress despite Akhilesh saying that an alliance between the two could fetch 300 of the state's 403 seats. According to SP sources, the party will keep the majority of over 250 seats with itself. Congress was being offered around 90-100 seats by the SP, which was also said to be trying to rope in Ajit Singh's RLD. Rashtriya Lok Dal has pockets of influence in western UP which goes to polls in the first two phases on February 11 and 15. Ramgopal Yadav and Ghulam Nabi Azad are reportedly in talks to iron out differences over seat sharing between the two parties. Party sources said the list would be prepared keeping in mind the possible alliance with Congress as nomination for first phase has already begun. Mulayam Singh, meanwhile, stayed put at his bungalow, hardly a stone's throw away from that of Akhilesh. Shivpal Yadav and a few other loyalists like Ambika Chowdhury met him during the day. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Ties with Mulayam Singh unbreakable, will take him along: Akhilesh's olive branch to father ahead of polls

By Anuradha Mukherjee

The family bickering in the&nbsp;ruling&nbsp;Samajwadi Party (SP)&nbsp;has put a spanner&nbsp;in the plans to form a coalition with the Congress party&nbsp;and&nbsp;Rashtriya&nbsp;Lok Dal&nbsp;in&nbsp;India&#39;s&nbsp;Uttar Pradesh&nbsp;(UP)&nbsp;for the&nbsp;state&nbsp;assembly polls.&nbsp;Those&nbsp;in the know, however, say it&nbsp;all depends on the&nbsp;Election Commission&#39;s verdict on whether it&#39;s advantage&nbsp;Akhilesh&nbsp;Yadav, current chief minister of UP, or the wily trio&nbsp;of his father,&nbsp;Mulayam Singh Yadav, uncle&nbsp;Shivpal&nbsp;Yadav and party leader Amar Singh.&nbsp;

&quot;The internal fight in SP needs to be sorted out&nbsp;first&nbsp;before talk about the two parties coming together can be&nbsp;formalised. Everybody in SP and Congress can see the truth&nbsp;--&nbsp;Akhilesh&nbsp;Yadav is the winning candidate&nbsp;-- except for&nbsp;his father&nbsp;Mulayam Singh Yadav, Amar Singh (SP leader) and&nbsp;Akhilesh&#39;s&nbsp;uncle,&nbsp;Shivpal&nbsp;Yadav,&quot; said a&nbsp;Congress politician, who did not want to be named.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Hoardings with photographs of&nbsp;Akhilesh&#39;s&nbsp;wife, Dimple Yadav, and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi&#39;s sister, Priyanka Gandhi&nbsp;Vadra, have come&nbsp;up&nbsp;in some parts of the state, stoking hopes of the coalition.&nbsp;

Mulayam Singh Yadav&nbsp;founded SP and was its&nbsp;president&nbsp;before his authority was challenged and virtually upended by his son,&nbsp;Akhilesh&nbsp;Yadav, the current chief minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP)&nbsp;in a&nbsp;bitter&nbsp;family&nbsp;rivalry that is threatening to split the party in the middle.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Akhilesh&nbsp;has&nbsp;claimed majority support&nbsp;among&nbsp;SP&nbsp;legislators and has staked claim to the party&nbsp;chief&#39;s position and election symbol, the bicycle, failing which he is expected to float his own party.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&quot;Ajit&nbsp;Singh&#39;s&nbsp;Rashtriya&nbsp;Lok Dal&nbsp;is also with us &ndash; so we are assured of about 20 per cent of the votes&nbsp;from&nbsp;the rural&nbsp;Jat&nbsp;community that forms&nbsp;his&nbsp;voter base,&quot; the&nbsp;Congress&nbsp;politician added.&nbsp;Singh is an influential politician in western UP that is often referred to as the&nbsp;Jat&nbsp;belt&nbsp;due to the dominant presence of the largely agrarian community.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Discussions about a secular joint front to contain&nbsp;the&nbsp;Bharatiya&nbsp;Janata Party&#39;s ambitions of forming a government in the state have been on for a while at the &quot;highest levels in SP and Congress&quot;&nbsp;with reports of a joint campaign being launched by&nbsp;Rahul Gandhi,&nbsp;Priyanka Gandhi&nbsp;Vadra, along with&nbsp;Akhilesh&nbsp;and&nbsp;Dimple, doing the rounds for a couple of months.&nbsp;

The group led by Mulayam Singh Yadav, however, is&nbsp;perceived&nbsp;to be more inclined to the BJP and averse to an open arrangement with the Congress.&nbsp;

&quot;Right now our main focus is on maintaining a united front as far as the party is&nbsp;concerned,&quot; said&nbsp;a Samajwadi Party (SP) functionary considered close to&nbsp;Mulayam Singh Yadav, refusing to comment on any truck with the Congress.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Both groups are now waiting for the EC&#39;s decision on the party&#39;s election symbol.&nbsp;

&quot;Akhilesh&nbsp;may not get the bicycle symbol as it is contested. He may not even get the &#39;motorcycle&#39; symbol as it is already&nbsp;allotted&nbsp;to a party from south India.&nbsp;But this will not be a setback for&nbsp;him,&quot; said&nbsp;the Congress politician.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Mulayam Singh Yadav and&nbsp;Akhilesh&nbsp;Yadav&nbsp;had&nbsp;both declared their versions of the party&#39;s list of candidates&nbsp;for the 403-seat UP assembly. Both groups have taken the fight to India&#39;s Election Commission that will give a ruling on the party symbol and leadership&nbsp;soon.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Congress party&#39;s political fortune had been flagging of late and it&nbsp;has been hopeful of a coalition with SP&nbsp;that&nbsp;is in power in&nbsp;UP,&nbsp;India&#39;s most populous&nbsp;state,&nbsp;that&nbsp;is&nbsp;considered key to dominating the national&nbsp;Parliament.&nbsp;

Although a regional election,&nbsp;UP is crucial even for national players like the BJP and Congress&nbsp;as the number of constituencies&nbsp;any party rules in&nbsp;the state,&nbsp;home to 204&nbsp;million, has a bearing on the number of seats&nbsp;allotted&nbsp;to it at least in the Upper House of Indian Parliament or the&nbsp;Rajya&nbsp;Sabha.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The&nbsp;BJP&nbsp;notched up 71 out of 80 Lok Sabha, or Lower House seats, in the Indian national elections held in 2014 &ndash; giving it an&nbsp;undeniable edge in the upcoming polls.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The&nbsp;Bahujan&nbsp;Samaj&nbsp;Party (BSP) led by former chief minister&nbsp;Mayawati&nbsp;also remains a crucial factor. Before the emergence of the BJP in the 2014 elections, the BSP &nbsp;was&nbsp;considered the only option to SP in Uttar Pradesh.&nbsp;

&quot;If the coalition comes through &ndash; we can contain&nbsp;Mayawati&nbsp;to 60-70 seats,&quot; hoped the Congress man.&nbsp;

(WION)

The election commission is expected to soon deliver its verdict on who the Samajwadi Party president is, and who gets its symbol

By Anuradha Mukherjee The family bickering in the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) has put a spanner in the plans to form a coalition with the Congress party and Rashtriya Lok Dal in India's Uttar Pradesh (UP) for the state assembly polls. Those in the know, however, say it all depends on the Election Commission's verdict on whether it's advantage Akhilesh Yadav, current chief minister of UP, or the wily trio of his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, uncle Shivpal Yadav and party leader Amar Singh. "The internal fight in SP needs to be sorted out first before talk about the two parties coming together can be formalised. Everybody in SP and Congress can see the truth -- Akhilesh Yadav is the winning candidate -- except for his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, Amar Singh (SP leader) and Akhilesh's uncle, Shivpal Yadav," said a Congress politician, who did not want to be named. Hoardings with photographs of Akhilesh's wife, Dimple Yadav, and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, have come up in some parts of the state, stoking hopes of the coalition. Mulayam Singh Yadav founded SP and was its president before his authority was challenged and virtually upended by his son, Akhilesh Yadav, the current chief minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP) in a bitter family rivalry that is threatening to split the party in the middle. Akhilesh has claimed majority support among SP legislators and has staked claim to the party chief's position and election symbol, the bicycle, failing which he is expected to float his own party. "Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal is also with us – so we are assured of about 20 per cent of the votes from the rural Jat community that forms his voter base," the Congress politician added. Singh is an influential politician in western UP that is often referred to as the Jat belt due to the dominant presence of the largely agrarian community. Discussions about a secular joint front to contain the Bharatiya Janata Party's ambitions of forming a government in the state have been on for a while at the "highest levels in SP and Congress" with reports of a joint campaign being launched by Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with Akhilesh and Dimple, doing the rounds for a couple of months. The group led by Mulayam Singh Yadav, however, is perceived to be more inclined to the BJP and averse to an open arrangement with the Congress. "Right now our main focus is on maintaining a united front as far as the party is concerned," said a Samajwadi Party (SP) functionary considered close to Mulayam Singh Yadav, refusing to comment on any truck with the Congress. Both groups are now waiting for the EC's decision on the party's election symbol. "Akhilesh may not get the bicycle symbol as it is contested. He may not even get the 'motorcycle' symbol as it is already allotted to a party from south India. But this will not be a setback for him," said the Congress politician. Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav had both declared their versions of the party's list of candidates for the 403-seat UP assembly. Both groups have taken the fight to India's Election Commission that will give a ruling on the party symbol and leadership soon. The Congress party's political fortune had been flagging of late and it has been hopeful of a coalition with SP that is in power in UP, India's most populous state, that is considered key to dominating the national Parliament. Although a regional election, UP is crucial even for national players like the BJP and Congress as the number of constituencies any party rules in the state, home to 204 million, has a bearing on the number of seats allotted to it at least in the Upper House of Indian Parliament or the Rajya Sabha. The BJP notched up 71 out of 80 Lok Sabha, or Lower House seats, in the Indian national elections held in 2014 – giving it an undeniable edge in the upcoming polls. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) led by former chief minister Mayawati also remains a crucial factor. Before the emergence of the BJP in the 2014 elections, the BSP was considered the only option to SP in Uttar Pradesh. "If the coalition comes through – we can contain Mayawati to 60-70 seats," hoped the Congress man. (WION)

UP elections: Poll alliances will come after EC verdict on SP leadership, symbol

Amid reports of a deadlock between the warring factions in Uttar Pradesh&#39;s ruling Samajwadi Party (SP), the party&#39;s patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav&nbsp;held his ground today, reiterating that he was president of the party and his son Akhilesh was the chief minister of the state. 
&nbsp;

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I am Samajwadi party chief and Akhilesh Yadav is the Chief Minister UP, Shivpal Yadav is the state President: Mulayam Singh Yadav <a href="https://t.co/prceqFQraC">pic.twitter.com/prceqFQraC</a>
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Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was removed from the post of party&#39;s national president by his son Akhilesh and his supporters in a party convention, was addressing the press in national capital New Delhi.

He also said that&nbsp;Ramgopal Yadav, who had been expelled by him for six years, had no authority to&nbsp;call the party convention. 
 
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&nbsp;

The SP patriarch is expected to meet officials of the Election Commission tomorrow for staking claim to the party&#39;s &#39;cycle&#39; symbol.

Earlier, at a meeting with party workers at the SP headquarters in Lucknow earlier in the day, Mulayam Singh Yadav denied that that there was any ongoing tussle within the party, PTI reported.

&quot;There is no dispute in our party&quot; (Hamari party me koi vivad nahi hai),&quot; the SP leader said after he met party workers with his brother Shivpal Singh.

The Mulayam camp is likely to submit its set of affidavits tomorrow, the deadline set by the EC for both the sides to submit documents before it decides on which side to be allotted the &#39;cycle&#39; symbol. Both factions have staked their claim to the symbol after the split on January 3.

The Akhilesh faction on Saturday submitted to the EC affidavits in which it claimed to have signatures of &quot;90 per cent&quot; of SP legislators and delegates, including over 200 of the 229 Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs).

Mulayam Singh&#39;s cousin Ramgopal Yadav, who has sided with Akhilesh in the dispute, claimed that the &quot;Real SP&quot; had submitted proofs along with the affidavits to Election Commission and sent it to Mulayam Singh too but he didn&#39;t receive them.&nbsp;

Ramgopal said that relevant documents, brought in &quot;seven cartons with more than 1.5 lakh pages&quot;, were submitted to the poll panel to assert Akhilesh&#39;s right over the party name and symbol. He said that he submitted affidavits of 4,716 delegates of the total 5,731, which indicated overwhelming support for Akhilesh, ANI reported.

SP leader Naresh Uttam, appointed state chief by the Akhilesh Yadav faction said the party would contest the polls under his leadership.

&quot;Akhileshji is our national president and we will contest polls under him. He was made president at national convention.&quot;&nbsp;

Signatures of support to Akhilesh forged: Amar Singh

Meanwhile, SP leader and Rajya Sabha MP (Member of Parliament) Amar Singh on Sunday claimed that the signatures of support to Akhilesh Yadav were forged and that their authenticity was doubtful.

&quot;The numbers of MLAs supporting you matters when a government has to be formed. It&#39;s not the same for party symbol,&quot; Singh told ANI&nbsp;

He confirmed that the Mulayam Singh faction would stake claim to the party&#39;s name and symbol tomorrow.

&quot;We will visit the Election Commission on Monday and will give our memorandum. We will submit the list of old office bearers appointed before 1st of January,&quot; the SP leader said.

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

The SP patriarch said Ramgopal Yadav had no authority to?call the party convention in which he was ousted from the post of party president

Amid reports of a deadlock between the warring factions in Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party (SP), the party's patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav held his ground today, reiterating that he was president of the party and his son Akhilesh was the chief minister of the state. I am Samajwadi party chief and Akhilesh Yadav is the Chief Minister UP, Shivpal Yadav is the state President: Mulayam Singh Yadav pic.twitter.com/prceqFQraC — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 8, 2017 × Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was removed from the post of party's national president by his son Akhilesh and his supporters in a party convention, was addressing the press in national capital New Delhi. He also said that Ramgopal Yadav, who had been expelled by him for six years, had no authority to call the party convention. Ramgopal Yadav expelled for six years, can't call party convention says Mulayam Singh Yadav pic.twitter.com/IJWrWglPWN — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 8, 2017 × The SP patriarch is expected to meet officials of the Election Commission tomorrow for staking claim to the party's 'cycle' symbol. Earlier, at a meeting with party workers at the SP headquarters in Lucknow earlier in the day, Mulayam Singh Yadav denied that that there was any ongoing tussle within the party, PTI reported. "There is no dispute in our party" (Hamari party me koi vivad nahi hai)," the SP leader said after he met party workers with his brother Shivpal Singh. The Mulayam camp is likely to submit its set of affidavits tomorrow, the deadline set by the EC for both the sides to submit documents before it decides on which side to be allotted the 'cycle' symbol. Both factions have staked their claim to the symbol after the split on January 3. The Akhilesh faction on Saturday submitted to the EC affidavits in which it claimed to have signatures of "90 per cent" of SP legislators and delegates, including over 200 of the 229 Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs). Mulayam Singh's cousin Ramgopal Yadav, who has sided with Akhilesh in the dispute, claimed that the "Real SP" had submitted proofs along with the affidavits to Election Commission and sent it to Mulayam Singh too but he didn't receive them. Ramgopal said that relevant documents, brought in "seven cartons with more than 1.5 lakh pages", were submitted to the poll panel to assert Akhilesh's right over the party name and symbol. He said that he submitted affidavits of 4,716 delegates of the total 5,731, which indicated overwhelming support for Akhilesh, ANI reported. SP leader Naresh Uttam, appointed state chief by the Akhilesh Yadav faction said the party would contest the polls under his leadership. "Akhileshji is our national president and we will contest polls under him. He was made president at national convention." Signatures of support to Akhilesh forged: Amar Singh Meanwhile, SP leader and Rajya Sabha MP (Member of Parliament) Amar Singh on Sunday claimed that the signatures of support to Akhilesh Yadav were forged and that their authenticity was doubtful. "The numbers of MLAs supporting you matters when a government has to be formed. It's not the same for party symbol," Singh told ANI He confirmed that the Mulayam Singh faction would stake claim to the party's name and symbol tomorrow. "We will visit the Election Commission on Monday and will give our memorandum. We will submit the list of old office bearers appointed before 1st of January," the SP leader said. (WION with inputs from agencies)

'I am Samajwadi party chief and Akhilesh Yadav is the chief minister', Mulayam Singh says

India&#39;s Union minister of&nbsp;Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information &amp; Broadcasting in the Narendra Modi administration took time out to speak about the merits of demonetisation, the concept of nationalism and his party Bharatiya Janata Party&#39;s chances in Uttar Pradesh, which is India&#39;s largest regional elections.

WION: Has demonetisation served its purpose of taking out black money from the system?

Venkaiah Naidu: &nbsp;Yes, it has done so. It is a vaccine against the scam and it has done the job.

WION: Critics say that large amount of black money is abroad and not in India and all cash is not black?

VN: This is wrong to say that most of the black money is stashed abroad. You may recall that the first decision taken was constituting a special investigation team&nbsp;to find the black money stashed abroad. Secondly, we also came out with a bill in Parliament on the funds stashed abroad. Then we took initiative in G20 and entered into an agreement on multiple avoidance tax treaty with Mauritus and Cyprus and then followed it up with Switzerland and then with the US on FETA. PM (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) has been consistent. He also gave time to people to declare their (unaccounted) money. He has been doing things systematically. The black money is now in the open and this is the biggest achievement. Every rupee is being accounted for.&nbsp;

WION: The scheme has caused public inconvenience. Could&nbsp;it have been avoided?

VN: It was not possible. It was like a cancer spread across the country. The entire system was affected. Serious action was required. In 1971, the former finance minister YB Chavan recommended demonetisation. Justice Wanchoo committee also recommend it. But the previous governments didn&rsquo;t act on it. In the 80s, benami &nbsp;(without name) transaction bill was passed but the government did not notify it. We did it. In 2012, the Supreme Court of India directed the government to form a mechanism to bring back black money. This government did it. UPA (the previous government) slept over it. The chemotherapy has been administered under our regime. People welcomed it as a game-changer. People wanted drastic action and we have done it. We have 130 crore (1.3 billion) population. We had parallel economy, drug mafia, high number of fake notes and a neighbour which promotes terror etc. All of them were using black money. We delivered a death blow and that is why there is so much hue and cry. I admit that there is inconvenience. It might continue for few more days because people are used to (having) cash (on them). Arrangements could not be made because advance information could not be given. It is a temporary pain for long term gain.

WION: When will the caps go? When do we expect the liquidity to return to normal?

VN: The prime minister has already assured that pain will be eased step by step

WION: On this issue, the opposition did not allow the (India&#39;s) parliament to function. Do you expect demonetisation to cast its shadow on the budget session as well?

VN: I hope it doesn&rsquo;t happen. Parliament is a place for debate and discussion, but that&nbsp;could not happen. The Opposition wanted a debate but they later avoided and instead disrupted the parliament. They then went to the president. The government was willing and the prime minister was ready to respond. In fact, the debate had started and Opposition had fielded Anand Sharma, Pramod Tiwari and Manmohan Singh (to debate in the parliament). Mayawati , Ram Gopal Yadav, Piyush Goel and others,&nbsp;including me, spoke (about the merits of cash scrap) but they (the opposition) changed the goal posts and asked for the prime minister (to address their concerns). And when the prime minister came on the floor, the opposition didn&rsquo;t allow the house to function. They lost a golden opportunity for a debate. It was a proper forum to highlight the issue but they missed it.

WION: There is a perception that senior leaders of BJP and Congress don&rsquo;t talk unlike the days when Vajpaye was the prime minister?

VN: Everyone has a different style. Vajpayee&rsquo;s style was different, Modi&rsquo;s style is different and so was (Jawaharlal) Nehru, Indira (Gandhi) and Rajiv&#39;s (Gandhi) style. The prime minister told the opposition that we are ready for discussion but it didn&rsquo;t happen. I always tell the opposition:&nbsp;I propose, you oppose and let the House dispose.

WION: Rahul Gandhi (the de facto opposition leader) has attacked Modi on issues of demonetisation and Sahara papers. Your response?

VN: Rahul Gandhi is behaving in most irresponsible and immature manner. My personal advice is that he should graduate himself otherwise he would be failing himself and his party in the process. The personal criticism has been out of frustration. Congress has called Modi names. They (Congress) first called him &#39;maut ka saudagar&#39; (death merchant), then Rahul Gandhi called him Hitler, Mussolini and&nbsp;Gaddafi. The former external affairs minister (Salman Khurshid) called him impotent. This has not helped them and their stature has gone down.

WION: The principal charge of the opposition is that 50-odd families are being helped through the process of demonetisation?

VN: Absurd and meaningless. They shouted slogans in the parliament (accusing us of helping&nbsp;the Adanis and Ambanis, two large business conglomerates in the country). Adani and Ambani were not born during Narendra Modi&rsquo;s regime. They were born and brought up during the Congress-led governments. Who are these 50 families and how did they prosper?&nbsp;1.86 lakh crore of the bank money which has become NPA (non-performing assets) was all given during the Congress regime by these people. All concessions to Ambani and Adani were given by them. Now in order to portray us as pro-business and anti-poor, they (the opposition) are shouting these slogans. We are different. We feel that both industry and agriculture are equally important. Each should be respected. There are black sheep in the media. Every sector has a black sheep. We are looking to take action against them. Vijay Mallya was given loans during the Congress regime. The loans were restructured during the Congress tenure.

WION: BJP in 2016 was able to makes its presence felt in the Northeast (of India) by winning Assam. What are the party&#39;s prospects in Uttar Pradesh (India&#39;s largest state)?

VN: Absolutely. BJP is becoming an all-India party. When I joined this party, people would make fun of me that I&rsquo;m joining a Brahmin-baniya, urban-north India party. Today we have lawmakers across the country. We will win Karnataka. We have done well in Kerala. Our vote share&nbsp;has gone up. In Tamil Nadu, we have chances due to the demise of Amma (Jayalalithaa; she died earlier this month). In UP, the stakes are high but we are confident of winning. We got 71 seats (of 80 seats) during the general elections in the country (in 2014).&nbsp;People have seen the performances of the other regional players in the state and are not happy. The alternative to Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samajwadi Party -- the hitherto dominant parties in UP -- is BJP

WION: Doesn&rsquo;t it worry you that demonetisation might impact BJP adversely?

VN: That is what is being discussed by the media. But in reality, our appeal has increased at the grassroots level. This is the feedback I&rsquo;m getting from Uttar Pradesh. Look at the result of Chandigarh (a Union Territory in India). We won 20 seats. A lot of people from Uttar Pradesh stay there. We&nbsp;did well in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan local body elections as well. We won all the elections after demonetisation.

WION: The prime minister has invested his political capital in a scheme like demonetisation. Do think it was worth the risk?

VN: Yes, it was worth taking. We have not come to rule the country. We want to develop it. He is known for taking risks. He has taken it up as a challenge. He went for a surgical strike against our neighbour, who were interfering in our domestic affairs. He is known for taking tough and bold decisions. He wants to improve the living conditions of the people.

WION: Last year, the debate on nationalism dominated conversations in universities and many other areas of our society. How do you see it in retrospect?

VN: What is wrong in discussing about nationalism?&nbsp;Nation means people and people means all communities. It means all sections of the country. It means Bharat Mata ki Jai (a slogan that hails India). It means &#39;Dalito ki jai, Christian ki&nbsp;jai, Jains ki&nbsp;jai, sabhi backward castes&nbsp;ki&nbsp;jai&#39; (Victory to the Dalits, Christians, Jains and other backward castes). It encompasses every community. We should feel proud of it. Earlier, talks on nationalism would be looked down upon. Now, people feel proud and people talk about it. There nothing wrong in it.

WION: Many scholars would say that there is a difference between ethnic and civic nationalism.

VN: Those who say it are a product of 2,000 years of foreign rule and Macaulayism. This education system has gone into our heads. The influence of socialist model has also affected us. &nbsp;People have changed, the political mandate has changed but people in certain sections who were well entrenched, there minds have not changed. They have lost the battle but still holding key positions, like in the media. The so-called progressives and the leftists have not changed with the times either.

There was a big clash in Dhulagarh, West Bengal. Hundreds of shops were looted and people were thrown out of houses but the so-called secular media is neither reporting it nor discussing it. On the other hand, Zee TV has reported it prominently but a criminal charge&nbsp;has been filed against them. People sitting in Lutyen&rsquo;s Delhi, who are apparently progressive, aren&rsquo;t talking about it. Is talking about Hindus&nbsp;a crime in this country?&nbsp;This is perverted secularism and that is why people have rejected it. Secondly, ultra-Leftist people take up issues happening at Jawaharlal Nehru University and shout slogans at Hyderabad University, but the society at large have remained peaceful. I don&rsquo;t know why the essence of Hinduism is being twisted. Hinduism is a way of life and not a religion. We don&rsquo;t want to discriminate between people on the basis of religion and race. Ever since Modi came to power, there are&nbsp;less communal clashes and focus is on development and good governance. Modi&#39;s opponents lost the 2014 general elections badly and that&#39;s the reason for the opponents are attacking Modi personally and indulging in a disinformation campaign.

WION: Lastly, did surgical strike change the nature of play between Pakistan and India?

VN: I don&rsquo;t think Pakistan would understand but a message has been sent.&nbsp;It (the surgical strikes) was not (done) for political reasons but to show Pakistan and the world that India is capable of retaliation. That has been done. It has raised the morale of the Indian armed forces and it has raised the morale of the Indian people living in India and also abroad.

(WION)

India's federal minister defends government's policy by charting the steps taken by PM Modi to counter the menace

India's Union minister of Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information & Broadcasting in the Narendra Modi administration took time out to speak about the merits of demonetisation, the concept of nationalism and his party Bharatiya Janata Party's chances in Uttar Pradesh, which is India's largest regional elections. WION: Has demonetisation served its purpose of taking out black money from the system? Venkaiah Naidu: Yes, it has done so. It is a vaccine against the scam and it has done the job. WION: Critics say that large amount of black money is abroad and not in India and all cash is not black? VN: This is wrong to say that most of the black money is stashed abroad. You may recall that the first decision taken was constituting a special investigation team to find the black money stashed abroad. Secondly, we also came out with a bill in Parliament on the funds stashed abroad. Then we took initiative in G20 and entered into an agreement on multiple avoidance tax treaty with Mauritus and Cyprus and then followed it up with Switzerland and then with the US on FETA. PM (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) has been consistent. He also gave time to people to declare their (unaccounted) money. He has been doing things systematically. The black money is now in the open and this is the biggest achievement. Every rupee is being accounted for. WION: The scheme has caused public inconvenience. Could it have been avoided? VN: It was not possible. It was like a cancer spread across the country. The entire system was affected. Serious action was required. In 1971, the former finance minister YB Chavan recommended demonetisation. Justice Wanchoo committee also recommend it. But the previous governments didn’t act on it. In the 80s, benami (without name) transaction bill was passed but the government did not notify it. We did it. In 2012, the Supreme Court of India directed the government to form a mechanism to bring back black money. This government did it. UPA (the previous government) slept over it. The chemotherapy has been administered under our regime. People welcomed it as a game-changer. People wanted drastic action and we have done it. We have 130 crore (1.3 billion) population. We had parallel economy, drug mafia, high number of fake notes and a neighbour which promotes terror etc. All of them were using black money. We delivered a death blow and that is why there is so much hue and cry. I admit that there is inconvenience. It might continue for few more days because people are used to (having) cash (on them). Arrangements could not be made because advance information could not be given. It is a temporary pain for long term gain. WION: When will the caps go? When do we expect the liquidity to return to normal? VN: The prime minister has already assured that pain will be eased step by step WION: On this issue, the opposition did not allow the (India's) parliament to function. Do you expect demonetisation to cast its shadow on the budget session as well? VN: I hope it doesn’t happen. Parliament is a place for debate and discussion, but that could not happen. The Opposition wanted a debate but they later avoided and instead disrupted the parliament. They then went to the president. The government was willing and the prime minister was ready to respond. In fact, the debate had started and Opposition had fielded Anand Sharma, Pramod Tiwari and Manmohan Singh (to debate in the parliament). Mayawati , Ram Gopal Yadav, Piyush Goel and others, including me, spoke (about the merits of cash scrap) but they (the opposition) changed the goal posts and asked for the prime minister (to address their concerns). And when the prime minister came on the floor, the opposition didn’t allow the house to function. They lost a golden opportunity for a debate. It was a proper forum to highlight the issue but they missed it. WION: There is a perception that senior leaders of BJP and Congress don’t talk unlike the days when Vajpaye was the prime minister? VN: Everyone has a different style. Vajpayee’s style was different, Modi’s style is different and so was (Jawaharlal) Nehru, Indira (Gandhi) and Rajiv's (Gandhi) style. The prime minister told the opposition that we are ready for discussion but it didn’t happen. I always tell the opposition: I propose, you oppose and let the House dispose. WION: Rahul Gandhi (the de facto opposition leader) has attacked Modi on issues of demonetisation and Sahara papers. Your response? VN: Rahul Gandhi is behaving in most irresponsible and immature manner. My personal advice is that he should graduate himself otherwise he would be failing himself and his party in the process. The personal criticism has been out of frustration. Congress has called Modi names. They (Congress) first called him 'maut ka saudagar' (death merchant), then Rahul Gandhi called him Hitler, Mussolini and Gaddafi. The former external affairs minister (Salman Khurshid) called him impotent. This has not helped them and their stature has gone down. WION: The principal charge of the opposition is that 50-odd families are being helped through the process of demonetisation? VN: Absurd and meaningless. They shouted slogans in the parliament (accusing us of helping the Adanis and Ambanis, two large business conglomerates in the country). Adani and Ambani were not born during Narendra Modi’s regime. They were born and brought up during the Congress-led governments. Who are these 50 families and how did they prosper? 1.86 lakh crore of the bank money which has become NPA (non-performing assets) was all given during the Congress regime by these people. All concessions to Ambani and Adani were given by them. Now in order to portray us as pro-business and anti-poor, they (the opposition) are shouting these slogans. We are different. We feel that both industry and agriculture are equally important. Each should be respected. There are black sheep in the media. Every sector has a black sheep. We are looking to take action against them. Vijay Mallya was given loans during the Congress regime. The loans were restructured during the Congress tenure. WION: BJP in 2016 was able to makes its presence felt in the Northeast (of India) by winning Assam. What are the party's prospects in Uttar Pradesh (India's largest state)? VN: Absolutely. BJP is becoming an all-India party. When I joined this party, people would make fun of me that I’m joining a Brahmin-baniya, urban-north India party. Today we have lawmakers across the country. We will win Karnataka. We have done well in Kerala. Our vote share has gone up. In Tamil Nadu, we have chances due to the demise of Amma (Jayalalithaa; she died earlier this month). In UP, the stakes are high but we are confident of winning. We got 71 seats (of 80 seats) during the general elections in the country (in 2014). People have seen the performances of the other regional players in the state and are not happy. The alternative to Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samajwadi Party -- the hitherto dominant parties in UP -- is BJP WION: Doesn’t it worry you that demonetisation might impact BJP adversely? VN: That is what is being discussed by the media. But in reality, our appeal has increased at the grassroots level. This is the feedback I’m getting from Uttar Pradesh. Look at the result of Chandigarh (a Union Territory in India). We won 20 seats. A lot of people from Uttar Pradesh stay there. We did well in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan local body elections as well. We won all the elections after demonetisation. WION: The prime minister has invested his political capital in a scheme like demonetisation. Do think it was worth the risk? VN: Yes, it was worth taking. We have not come to rule the country. We want to develop it. He is known for taking risks. He has taken it up as a challenge. He went for a surgical strike against our neighbour, who were interfering in our domestic affairs. He is known for taking tough and bold decisions. He wants to improve the living conditions of the people. WION: Last year, the debate on nationalism dominated conversations in universities and many other areas of our society. How do you see it in retrospect? VN: What is wrong in discussing about nationalism? Nation means people and people means all communities. It means all sections of the country. It means Bharat Mata ki Jai (a slogan that hails India). It means 'Dalito ki jai, Christian ki jai, Jains ki jai, sabhi backward castes ki jai' (Victory to the Dalits, Christians, Jains and other backward castes). It encompasses every community. We should feel proud of it. Earlier, talks on nationalism would be looked down upon. Now, people feel proud and people talk about it. There nothing wrong in it. WION: Many scholars would say that there is a difference between ethnic and civic nationalism. VN: Those who say it are a product of 2,000 years of foreign rule and Macaulayism. This education system has gone into our heads. The influence of socialist model has also affected us. People have changed, the political mandate has changed but people in certain sections who were well entrenched, there minds have not changed. They have lost the battle but still holding key positions, like in the media. The so-called progressives and the leftists have not changed with the times either. There was a big clash in Dhulagarh, West Bengal. Hundreds of shops were looted and people were thrown out of houses but the so-called secular media is neither reporting it nor discussing it. On the other hand, Zee TV has reported it prominently but a criminal charge has been filed against them. People sitting in Lutyen’s Delhi, who are apparently progressive, aren’t talking about it. Is talking about Hindus a crime in this country? This is perverted secularism and that is why people have rejected it. Secondly, ultra-Leftist people take up issues happening at Jawaharlal Nehru University and shout slogans at Hyderabad University, but the society at large have remained peaceful. I don’t know why the essence of Hinduism is being twisted. Hinduism is a way of life and not a religion. We don’t want to discriminate between people on the basis of religion and race. Ever since Modi came to power, there are less communal clashes and focus is on development and good governance. Modi's opponents lost the 2014 general elections badly and that's the reason for the opponents are attacking Modi personally and indulging in a disinformation campaign. WION: Lastly, did surgical strike change the nature of play between Pakistan and India? VN: I don’t think Pakistan would understand but a message has been sent. It (the surgical strikes) was not (done) for political reasons but to show Pakistan and the world that India is capable of retaliation. That has been done. It has raised the morale of the Indian armed forces and it has raised the morale of the Indian people living in India and also abroad. (WION)

Demonetisation is a vaccine against black money: Minister Venkaiah Naidu defends move that has discomfited people

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