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By Sharvi Sharma On February 1, 2023, the Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman , while presenting the Union Budget in Parliament, allocated Rs 10,222 crore to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy . This has been a substantial increase from last year’s budget which was Rs 3,365 crore. The government is aiming to reform the sector, often described as the weak link in India's power sector, through competition. The Budget stated measures like National Green Hydrogen Mission which will facilitate the economy’s transition to low-carbon intensity. Rs 35,000 crore is being allocated to reach the government’s target of an annual production of 5MMT by 2030. Green credit programme has been introduced to encourage sustainable living and aims at net zero carbon emission by 2070. National green hydrogen mission holds Rs 19,700 crore to reduce dependence on fossil fuels inthe power sector. Energy storage system factory under the sustainable development path with Rs 20,700 crore will be used for renewable energy evacuation of 13 GW of renewable energy from Ladakh. Furthermore, 10,000 bio-input resource units are to be set as well. Last year, the union Power minister had praised the 2022-23 budget saying it had everything that is required for energy transition. This year, ‘ Saptarishi ’, the 7 priorities of the Budget 2023-24 included: Inclusive development, reaching last mile, infrastructure, and investment, unleashing potential, green growth, youth power, financial sector. The Government had previously stated that investments towards renewables in the last seven years stood at $78.1 billion. As per Govt estimates, the likely installed capacity from non-fossil fuels is expected to be more than 500 GW by 2030 translating to a fall in average emission rate by around 29% by 2029-30, in comparison to 2014-15. The initiatives are aimed towards sustainable cities for tomorrow and urban planning reforms. The finance minister said “Green credit programs for encouraging behavioral change will be notified under the environment protection act. This will incentivize environmentally sustainable and responsive action by companies, individuals, and local bodies in mobilizing additional resources for such activity.” The Union Budget 2023-24 is focussed on clean energy storage and the power transmission sector. In addition, the outlay for the flagship revamped distribution sector scheme (RDSS) to cover more households with prepaid smart meters and reduce aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses is also set to be hiked. So far under RDSS, as many as 17,34,39,869 prepaid smart meters, 49,02,755 distribution transmission (DT) meters and 1,68,085 feeder meters have been sanctioned across 23 states, which comes to about 40 discoms. The total sanctioned cost for this has been Rs 1,15,493.79 crore. Solar energy sector in India supports the government agenda of sustainable growth while emerging as an integral part of the solution to meet the nation’s energy needs and an essential player for energy security.

The Ministry of Communications got a boost in their annual budget for FY2023-24 as the Union Finance minister allocated a sum of Rs 1,23,393.05 crore, an increment over last year’s Rs 1,05,406.82 crore. Out of the total budget allocated to the Ministry , the Department of Telecommunications got Rs 97,579.05 crore up from Rs 84,586.80 crore in the previous year. In her speech for the ‘First Amrit Kaal’ Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman emphasized on ensuring efficient telecommunication connectivity in the rural parts of the country. She also proposed the setting up of 100 labs to develop applications for the use of 5G services to be set up in engineering institutions saying, “one hundred labs for developing applications using 5G services will be set up in engineering institutions to realize a new range of opportunities, business models, and employment potential. Thelabs will cover, among others, applications such as smart classrooms, precision farming, intelligent transport systems, and health care applications.” However, the budget allotted for the 5G Connectivity Test Bed by the Ministry of Communication has been reduced to nearly half, i.e., from Rs 10 Cr in the previous year to Rs 5.56 Cr for the present year. The budget for the ruling government’s landmark project, aimed at providing non-discriminatory access to broadband connectivity to all the telecom service providers in all the 2.5 lakh gram panchayats (GPs) of India has been reduced by Rs 2,000 crore and allotted a sum of Rs 5,000 crore for FY2023-24. Graphic by: Saumya Saxena As per the Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) report dated 26 th September 2022, so far, 1,80,052 Gram Panchayats have been connected through the ‘Bharat Net’ project and 5,96,151 Kms of OFC has been laid. Additionally, 214,584 Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH) connections are commissioned and 104,611 Wi-Fi hotspots have been installed to ensure last-mile connectivity. The project was approved by Union Cabinet on 25.10.2011 and is expected to be completed by 2025. The project is being executed by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) called Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), which has been incorporated on 25.02.2012 under Indian Companies Act 1956. On 30.04.2016, the Telecom Commission approved the implementation of the project in three phases— laying the cable, installing Wi-Fi hotspots, and making the hotspots active.

By Parth Sharma Though the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) is winning in Uttar Pradesh , interestingly some key candidates who were expected to win in their own constituencies are trailing. Here is a list of four such candidates: Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya trails BJP candidate Keshav Prasad Maurya is trailing behind SP candidate Pallavi Patel in Sirathu seat of Kaushambi, which is considered one of the hot seats of the state. Keshav is trailing SP candidate Pallavi by 3,386 votes in the second round. Swami Prasad Maurya trails in Fazilnagar Swami Prasad Maurya, who has a special influence among the voters of the non-Yadav voters of UP, is still lagging in the trends by 15,000 votes. Swami Prasad Maurya was a cabinet minister in the BJP government. However, after the announcement of the election dates, he joined SP. Maurya had contested from the Fazilnagar assembly seat. Surendra Singh Kushawaha is the candidate from BJP. Rajendra Pratap Singh trails BJP candidate Rajendra Pratap Singh known as Moti is in the second position with 11,618 votes while SP candidate Ram Singh is currently in the lead in Patti with 15,085 votes. Congress leader Ajay Kumar Lallu trails Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee President Ajay Kumar Lallu is trailing in Tamkuhi Raj constituency in the Kushinagar district. BJP's Asim Kumar is in the lead, followed by SP's Uday Narayan.

By Falguni Garg The counting of votes in Uttar Pradesh (UP) has begun. Counting in all the 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh began at 8 am. Whether the ruling party, Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ), will win with a large majority, whether Samajwadi Party (SP)’s vote tally will increase, the answers to these questions of course will become clear on Thursday, March 10. Polling in UP took place in seven phases from February 10 to March 7. According to the exit polls, nearly all the pollsters so far have predicted the BJP coming back to power in UP with a reduced majority. The Times Now-Veto exit poll says that the BJP will win once again in Uttar Pradesh with a win in 225 seats out of 403 seats, while the Samajwadi Party will be in the second position and is expected to win in 151 seats. The exit poll also predicts a poor show by Congress with a win in nine seats. When the voting begins at 8 am, first the postal ballots would be counted, and then the votes polled in the EVM said a PTI report. This time round, the BJP went in the polls with Apna Dal (Sonelal) and NISHAD party while Akhilesh Yadav joined hands with Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and a number of regional parties, including Om Prakash Rajbhar's Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP). The BJP has been the ruling party in the last five years, after winning majority of the seats and beating the Samajwadi Party (SP) in 2017. Before that, SP governed the state from 2012 to 2017. In 2017, BJP had won 312 seats on its own and with National Democratic Alliance it had 325 seats. The SP had won 47, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) 19 and the Congress had won seven seats, two less than Apna Dal at nine. Given the fact how critical UP is for all the political parties, each of the party leaders campaigned aggressively. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav addressed 131 rallies, Mayawati of BSP, also campaigned on the streets for her party candidates. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra , who led the party from the front in UP, attended 209 rallies (source: Economic Times ). Women safety and security in Uttar Pradesh While people’s verdict will be out in some hours today, issues such as crime against women is still a big concern in Uttar Pradesh, as controversy and anger over the alleged gangrape of a Dalit woman by men in Hathras continues to smoulder. However, compared to 2012-2016 period, the crime rate has come down. As per the National Crime Record Bureau’s “Crime In India” report of 2020, 9,864 incidents were reported in Uttar Pradesh under the ‘Assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty’ category. Out of this, 3935 incidents were of sexual harassment and reported rape cases were 2,796 while rape with murder incidents were 31. And as per the National Crime Bureau’s report, from 2012-2016, as many as 16,321 incidents of rape were reported, during the regime of SP. Crime rate comparison between BJP and SP Voting behaviour While women safety continues to be a raging issue, there has been a slight shift in the voting behaviour of women. This time in Uttar Pradesh, women voters were almost neck-to-neck with men. Women’s lead over men in terms of turnout widened with each passing phase after February 20, with the sixth phase witnessing 62.62% polling percentage among women as against 51.03% among men overall.Women lead over men increased from 0.01% points to 3.89 in the fifth phase and 11.59% points in the sixth- however, the female turnout in all the six phases in UP has been lower than in 2017. According to The New Republic, while Indian women make up 48 per cent of the Indian electorate, they account for only 8 per cent of the total 1,271 candidates running for India’s lower house of parliament—the Lok Sabha. The number is even lower than in 2014 when, despite the enormous women’s vote, only 12.6 percent of the 545 seats in the House were occupied by Indian women. (That number was about half of the world average of 24.3 percent.) More women than men voting as polling moves east For the counting day a three-layer security set-up has been made comprising central police forces, PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary) and the state police for the counting day. Also, 625 gazetted officers of UP Police,; 1,807 inspectors; 9,598 sub-inspectors, 11,627 head constables and 48,649 constables have been put on duty. While the exit polls are indicative of a trend, what the people of UP want will become clear on March 10.

By Abhimanyu Sharma Five of India’s key states are witnessing a pitched electoral battle in which the Bharatiya Janata Party is hoping to retain power in all these states despite stiff resistance from a resurgent opposition. The Assembly Elections polling is underway in 5 states comprising Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Uttarakhand, Punjab , and Manipur . The voting for assembly elections is underway in 7 phases in Uttar Pradesh which began on the 10th of February and ended on the 7th of March. And Yogi Adityanath is the incumbent Chief Minister in UP. He is the head priest of the Goraknath Math, a Hindu temple in Gorakhpur. Additionally, Punjab, Goa, and Uttarakhand elections took place in a single phase. Manipur elections were carried out in 2 phases. One on the 27th of February and the other on March 3. Uttar Pradesh Elections Prominent parties in the UP Elections this time are the Samajwadi Party, Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress , and Bahujan Samaj Party. Out of which, the BJP is the incumbent government in Uttar Pradesh. The Samajwadi Party is hoping to wrest control to form its government. The Uttar Pradesh elections were held between the 10th of February to 7th of March 2022. Polling was held in seven phases to elect 403 members of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Yogi Adityanath contested from the Gorakhpur Assembly segment, even though there were speculations that he might fight the battle from Ayodhya. Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav is contesting from Karhal Assembly Constituency that falls under their traditional bastion of Mainpuri. Some of the most prominent figures in this UP Election is Dharam Singh Saini, a former government minister for Yogi Adityanath who defected to the Samajwadi Party just before the polls. Saini tried contesting from the Nakur Assembly Segment. Further, Mohammad Azam Khan a senior SP leader was fielded from his bastion Rampur while Suresh Khanna, UPs Finance Minister was fielded from Shahjahanpur. Punjab Elections Some of the most prominent figures in the Punjab elections are Captain Amarinder Singh who resigned from the Congress over certain differences and was replaced by Charanjit Singh Channi. And on the 2nd of November 2021, Captain Amarinder Singh founded a new political party called the Punjab Lok Congress. The Punjab Legislative Assembly was held on the 20th of February 2022 to elect 117 members of the Punjab Legislative Assembly. And according to the Punjab Election Commission, Punjab has 2,14,99,804 registered voters and 1,304 candidates. Additionally, the Aam Aadmi Party announced Bhagwant Mann as their Chief Ministerial Candidate for the elections. Following which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi declared Charanjit Singh Channi as the Chief Ministerial Candidate on the 6th of February. Uttarakhand Elections The Bharatiya Janata Party is currently in power and is hoping to retain it. However, Congress is looking forward to making a comeback in these elections. The Uttarakhand elections were held on the 14th of February 2022 to elect all of the 70 members of the Uttarakhand Assembly. Some of the prominent figures in the Uttarakhand Elections are former Chief Minister Harish Rawat from the Congress, Yashpal Arya a former minister, and Ganesh Godiyal state union president. On the BJPs side, current Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and cabinet colleagues Dhan Singh Rawat, Satpal Maharaj, Yatishwarananda, Ganesh Joshi, Subodh Uniyal are prominent figures in the elections. Additionally, Aam Aadmi Party is the new entrant in the Uttarakhand Elections and Ajay Kothiyal is the Chief Ministerial candidate. Goa Elections Goa is currently undergoing a multi-cornered election contest, with parties like the Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, and other smaller parties trying to make an entrance into the electoral scene. The Goa Legislative Assembly Elections were held on the 14 of February 2022 to battle for 40 seats in the Goa Legislative Assembly. The most prominent parties in the Goa Elections are the National Democratic Alliance, United Progressive Alliance, Aam Aadmi Party, All India Trinamool Congress, and the Nationalist Congress Party. Some prominent figures of the Goa elections are current chief minister Pramod Sawant of the BJP, Amit Palekar the AAP CM candidate contested from St.Cruz, Churchill Alemao the former CM and leader of All India Trinamool Congress, and Digambar Kamat the former CM and INC leader contested from Margao. Manipur Elections The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) along with security issues dominated the political narrative in the run up to the Assembly Elections in Manipur. The Manipur elections were held in two phases between the 28th of February and the 5th of March to elect all 60 members of the Manipur Legislative Assembly. Some prominent parties and alliances in these elections are the National Democratic Alliance, Manipur Progressive Secular Alliance which combines the Indian National Congress (INC) and Communist Party of India. Followed by the Naga People’s Front and National People’s Party. The most prominent candidates in the Manipur elections are current Chief Minister N Biren Singh, Yumnan Joykumar the Deputy Chief Minister and NPP Candidate, Y Khemchand Singh the Assembly Speaker, and N Lokesh Singh the Manipur Congress President.

By Shreya Negi Punjab is all set to witness a keen electoral battle between the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress which is banking upon Charanjit Singh Channi, who is the first Dalit Chief Minister of Punjab. On 20th February, Punjab went to polls for Assembly Elections 2022. The results for the same will be released on 10th March. With a total of 1,304 candidates in the fray for 117 seats, the halfway majority for the Punjab polls rests at 58 seats. Until now, Congress has had a powerplay in Punjab. But with a relatively new entrant, AAP coming up in the electoral arena with strong and compelling promises, the scenario seems to have shifted in their favour. The comedian-turned-politician, Bhagwant Mann who is the CM face of AAP in Punjab is likely to become the next CM if the AAP musters a majority in the state, as predicted by the Exit Polls on 7 th March. INC’s Charanjit Singh Channi has been constantly highlighting the development of Punjab under his tenure. But what has dented his candidacy is the arrest of his nephew by the Enforcement Directorate for money laundering in an illegal sand mining case. Current Political Line-up: Punjab is witnessing a four-cornered Assembly Election in 2022, with key political parties vying for representation in the state, by putting their best foot forward as the Chief Ministerial Candidate. The Shiromani Akali Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party coalition and the Bharatiya Janta Party-Punjab Lok Congress-Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) coalition are two recent alliances in the state. In addition to Sanyukt Samaj Morcha, a coalition of farm unions, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, are contesting individually. The Chief Ministerial faces are as follows: 1. AAP- Bhagwant Mann 2. INC- Charanjit Singh Channi 3. SAD-BSP Alliance- Sukhbir Singh Badal 4. BJP-PLC-SAD (Sanyukt) Alliance- Not yet declared Political powerplay in the 2017 Elections: The Congress, led by Captain Amarinder Singh , won a resounding victory in 2017 by sweeping 77 seats and securing over 38.5% votes. The INC returned to power in Punjab, after a ten-year absence. The runner up in Punjab was AAP, a newcomer in the Punjab elections. It had won 20 seats and secured over 23.8% votes. The BJP-SAD alliance ranked third by winning 17 seats and gathering 30.6% votes. Captain had lost the state's lengthy tussle and thus resigned in 2021. After this, Charanjit Singh Channi was sworn in as Punjab's new Chief Minister. Key issues: The two main issues on the limelight in the Punjab Assembly elections are unemployment, the delivery of justice in sacrilege cases, illicit sand mining, and the drug scourge. Other important themes echoing in the elections include the drug mafia, liquor mafia, transportation mafia, cable mafia, farmers' grievance, corruption and mounting state debt. Voting Demographics and Polling set-up: 1. Voter Count: According to Punjab Chief Electoral Officer S Karuna Raju, the state has 2,14,99,804 registered voters, with 1,12,98,081 males, 1,02,00,996 females, 727 third genders, 1,58,341 People With Disabilities , 1,09,624 Service voters, 1,608 Non-Indian Residents, and 5,09,205 voters over the age of 80 years. Punjab's voting turnout in the 2022 elections was 72 percent, the lowest in 15 years. 2. Religious communities: According to the 2011 census, Sikhs account for 57.69 percent of the 2.77 million people in Punjab. The Muslim population of Punjab is 1.93 percent, whereas the Christian population is 1.26 percent. Hindus have a prominent role in Punjab state elections, accounting for 38.49 percent of the overall population. 3. Polling set-ups: A total of 24,740 voting stations have been put up at 14684 polling locations, according to the S Karuna Raju, Chief Electoral Officer (Punjab). To ensure free and Fair elections, all polling booths were covered under webcasting. This was done in the presence of airtight security.

By Brishti Ganguly With Uttarakhand 's history of alternating governments between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress every assembly elections, the state's exit polls are fueling speculations over the result of this year's elections. The exit polls released by various news channels on 7th March show a tough fight between the two parties with overlapping figures. While the India Today and the Times Now have predicted 36-46 seats for the BJP and 20-31 seats for the Congress, the Republic and the ABP news have shown Congress bagging 32-38 seats and the BJP 26-34. The hill state of Uttarakhand has 70 Vidhan Sabha seats on which the assembly elections were held on the 14th of February, 2022. The election process started in the state when the election notification was issued on 21st January, 2022 and the same is expected to conclude on the 10th of March when the counting of votes will be done. The outgoing government in the state was formed by the BJP in 2017 assembly elections where it won with a clear majority of 57 seats, while Congress formed the opposition with 11 seats. Apart from BJP and Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and Aam Aadmi Party also have a presence in the state, the latter being the most recent one. In 2012, Congress won 32 seats and formed the government with the help of BSP, UKD and independent MLAs. The state has a tendency to vote out the incumbent government every assembly elections, since it's formation in 2000. Uttarakhand has also had a trend of its chief ministers not being able to complete their entire term, which has given the state 11 chief ministers in just 4 assembly elections. Pushkar Singh Dhami is the current chief minister of the state, who assumed office on 4th July, 2021 after replacing Tirath Singh Rawat who resigned after getting involved in controversies. Dhami, who has been a two-time MLA from Khatima constituency, is the youngest chief minister of Uttarakhand at age 45. He has also been a prominent figure in BJP's poll campaign this year. These elections will not only determine the fate of Dhami, but also many other important candidates of the Congress party such as of the state party president Ganesh Godiyal who contested from Srinagar. While the Congress had yielded former chief minister Harish Rawat from Lalkuan, he has been in the forefront of the congress' poll campaign for the entire state. On one hand, the BJP has sought votes in the name of a double-engine government for the state’s uninterrupted development, the Congress has tried to gain lost ground on the basis of issues it raised about inflation, unemployment and change of chief ministers in quick succession. A total of 632 candidates contested the assembly elections this year in Uttarakhand. Neither BJP nor Congress declared their chief ministerial candidates in the state. According to the election commission's data, the state recorded a voter turnout of 65.37%. While the male voter turnout stood at 62.6%, the female voter turnout stood almost 5% more than the male voter turnout at 67.2%. Out of the 70 assembly seats of the state, 54 belong to the general category, 14 are reserved for the scheduled castes, and 2 for the scheduled tribes. Voting on all of the 70 seats was done in a single phase on the 14th of February which began at 8 am and ended at 6 pm. The process was largely peaceful, except small level scuffle between the political party supporters in Haridwar and Nainital. There are a total of 81,72,173 voters in the state and 11,647 polling booths spread across 8,624 locations, according to the Election Commission's data. For the first time in the state, 101 all-women 'Sakhi-polling booths' were set up with women polling officials, to boost women's participation in the elections. Six polling booths managed by persons with disabilities were also set up for the differently abled. Uttarakhand is one of the five states that has gone to polls this year. The other states include Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa and Manipur.

The India Today-My Axis exit poll predicts a decisive win for the BJP in the north-eastern state of Manipur.

UP polls: Theatre group stages plays for Deputy CM Keshav Maurya

Priyanka targets Modi, Yogi for sharing stage with Ajay Mishra

Mayawati quashes speculation over the possibility of a post-poll tie-up with the ruling BJP.

By Shobhit Gupta In parched Bundelkhand region, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is banking on mega projects like the Ken-Betwa River linking plan and the Defence Industrial Corridor to see it home in the assembly elections. The rivals are counting on smart choices of candidates to turn the caste equation against the ruling party. All six assembly constituencies under the Banda Lok Sabha seat -- four in Banda and two in adjacent Chitrakoot - are currently held by the BJP. The saffron party had swept all 19 assembly segments in Bundelkhand region in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. The BJP has reposed faith in its current MLA, Prakash Dwivedi, in Banda Sadar assembly seat again. The Samajwadi Party (SP) has fielded Manjula Singh, widow of former Congress MLA Vivek Singh for the same seat. The party hopes to cash in on the popularity enjoyed by the late Thakur leader. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has nominated Dheeraj Rajput from the Lodhi community. The party believes that in addition to its Dalit vote, their candidate will bring in the Brahmin and the Lodhi votes as well. With BJP stalwarts Kalyan Singh and Uma Bharti not on the scene this time, the BSP candidate hopes to wean away the Lodhi voters to his side. Not many appear to be rooting for Congress nominee Laxmi Narayan Gupta, despite party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's "Ladki hoon lad sakti hoon" campaign event at Ram Ghat. The Opposition parties have tried to tweak the caste equation in the remaining three constituencies too in Banda, picking their candidates carefully. BJP MLA Brajesh Prajapati has switched over to the SP along with rebels led by Swami Prasad Maurya, a move which may attract Other Backward Class (OBC) votes to Akhilesh Yadav's party. Banda Sadar has about 3.15 lakh voters. Dalits account for 49,000, Thakurs 28,000, Brahmins 21,000, Lodhis 15,000 and Vaisyas 26,000, according to estimates. While Jatavs, who constitute a bulk of the Dalits, appear to be standing behind BSP's Mayawati, the non-Jatav voters seem to be leaning towards the SP in this constituency. The BJP is projecting the development work in Bundelkhand region as the ace up its sleeve that will pull the region out of backwardness. The Centre recently constituted the Ken-Betwa Link Project Authority to implement the first initiative under the national river interlinking policy. The Ken-Betwa link is expected to bring 11 lakh hectares of land under irrigation in Bundelkhand region, straddling Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The "Har Ghar Nal" (tap water for every home) scheme is another effort to deal with the water shortage in the region. Land acquisition for the Defence corridor in Chitrakoot, construction of the Bundelkhand Expressway, an airport at Chitrakoot and development of Chitrakoot Dham under the religious tourism project are the other initiatives by the "double-engine government". The party says they will perk up the region's economy. Sanjay Singh, BJP's Banda district working president, claims that people here are charmed with the "Modi-Yogi" pair of the prime minister and the chief minister, thanks to the big-ticket projects. But SP's Banda unit president Vijay Karan Yadav says the welfare schemes and the development projects started by the Akhilesh Yadav government in 2012-17 continue to enthuse people. His BSP counterpart Gulab Verma looks back at Mayawati's term from 2007 to 2012. The opposition also raises the issue of stray cattle eating away crops, a problem flagged by many people. The neighbouring Karbi and Mau Manikpur assembly seats in Chitrakoot are also witnessing a tough poll battle. In Mau Manikpur, the SP has fielded Vir Singh, the son of a dacoit, Shiv Kumar Patel alias "Dadua", who operated in Chitrakoot's Patha region, known as "mini-Chambal". Dadua whose diktat is said to have swung elections in the region once was killed in a police encounter during Mayawati government's term. Vir Singh avoids talking about his father, telling PTI that he is in the field to carry forward the development work undertaken by the previous SP government. Singh says that his father and he had their own way of living, and he kept away from that life.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on 8th February 2022, Tuesday said that like West Bengal Assembly polls Uttar Pradesh will see a one-on-one fight between the Bhartiya Janta Party and the Samajwadi Party with Akhilesh Yadav emerging victorious. She believes that this time division of votes is not going to happen in the state of UP.

Addressing public meetings in Baghpat and Amroha, Amit Shah said the upcoming state election is being fought to put an end to the patronage of criminals. Shah believes that this election will decide the future of UP.

By Samriddhi Bisht Kanpur Dehat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, February 14, said that the law against triple talaq has saved families of thousands of Muslim women from breaking up in Uttar Pradesh. Addressing an election rally at Kanpur Dehat, the Prime Minister said the tightening of law and order in the state has also benefitted Muslim girls who used to face problems from miscreants while going to school earlier. PM Modi 's remarks at the rally came amid a row in Karnataka where schools have stopped Muslim girls from attending classes while wearing Hijab. The polling for the second phase of UP assembly polls was held on Monday. However, voting for Kanpur Dehat will take place in a later phase. The Prime Minister also hit out at the Samajwadi Party, saying they had distributed areas among family members for "loot" during their rule in the state. Justifying the legislation against triple talaq, the Prime Minister recalled how Muslim women suffered due to the practice. PM said, "If a Muslim girl came back from her 'maika' (native home) empty-handed, she was instantly given triple talaq. If a motorcycle, gold chain, watch, or mobile phone was not brought (by her), then triple talaq was given. The life of Muslim women had gotten virtually destroyed by triple talaq”. "You can understand the pain of not only that woman but also of her parents. When the daughter came back to her home (from her in-laws’ place), she was under constant fear of getting triple talaq. Today, we have given to every Muslim sister a law to protect themselves against triple talaq," Modi said. The Prime Minister said according to a report after the anti-triple talaq law was enacted, the homes of thousands of daughters were saved from breaking up in Uttar Pradesh. The Centre had enacted a law against triple talaq in 2019. Modi also took a swipe at the Trinamool Congress over a leader's remark that the party was contesting elections in Goa to "divide" Hindu votes. That leader's remark should be noted by the Election Commission, by the voters, and also by the voters of UP. PM Modi was apparently referring to Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra's remarks that her party has prevented the consolidation of Hindu votes by tying up with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) in Goa. "She (in an interview) said her party has forged an alliance so that the Hindu votes in Goa could be divided. You see this audacity ('himmat'). Is this democracy? Is this secularism? You are openly saying you want to divide the Hindu votes. Then whose votes are you trying to gather? This discrimination, is this the language of democracy? I would like to say to the voters of Goa, that this is the opportunity to bury this type of politics," Modi said. He lauded the UP government for instilling fear in the minds of miscreants, goons, and rioters, saying this has boosted the confidence of girls in the state. "And that is why, every daughter and sister of the state are saying - 'UP ke liye Yogi ha Upyogi' (Yogi is useful for UP)," he said. The Prime Minister said a large number of beneficiaries of the work, which has been done by our government, are Muslim daughters. "Our Muslim daughters faced problems from miscreants when they used to go to school. But as the crime was controlled in UP, they benefitted from it. My constant endeavour is to make the life of Muslim daughters and sisters smooth," Modi said. Narendra Modi asked the people whether they would like to vote for a party that would create "mafia ganj" in every district of the state. The PM's rally covered 10 assembly constituencies of Kanpur, Kanpur Dehat, and Jalaun districts. Modi also talked about Kanpur Dehat being home to President Ram Nath Kovind.

By Samriddhi Bisht Lucknow: Voting for 55 assembly seats spread across nine Uttar Pradesh districts started on Monday, February 14 at 7:00 A.M. This is the second phase of the assembly elections in the state. As many as 586 candidates are in the fray in this phase with the seats spread across Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Amroha, Budaun, Bareilly, and Shahjahanpur districts. Of the 55 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) had won 38 in 2017 while the Samajwadi Party bagged 15 and the Congress won 2. The Samajwadi Party and the Congress had contested the last assembly elections together. Of the 15 seats won by the Samajwadi Party, Muslim candidates had emerged victorious on 10. The areas going to polls in this phase have a sizeable Muslim population influenced by religious leaders of the Barelvi and Deoband sects. These areas are considered strongholds of the Samajwadi Party. The prominent faces in the fray in this phase include Dharam Singh Saini, a Yogi Adityanath government minister who had switched to the Samajwadi Party before the polls. Saini is trying his luck from the Nakur Assembly seat. Senior Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Azam Khan has been fielded from his stronghold Rampur while UP's Finance Minister Suresh Khanna from Shahjahanpur. Khan's son Abdullah Azam has been fielded from the Suar seat. He has been pitted against Haider Ali Khan, the heir of the Nawabs of Rampur, who is trying his luck on the ticket of the Apna Dal (Sonelal), a Bharatiya Janata Party ally. Haider Ali Khan is the grandson of former MP Noor Bano. UP minister of state for Jal Shakti Baldev Singh Aulakh is contesting from Bilaspur, minister of state for Urban Development Mahesh Chandra Gupta from Badaun, and minister of state for Secondary Education Gulab Devi from Chandausi. The former mayor of Bareilly, Supriya Aron, is contesting from Bareilly Cantonment on Samajwadi Party ticket. With the elections being held amid the Covid scare, additional chief electoral officer Brahmdev Ram Tripathi said all necessary arrangements have been made to ensure free, fair, transparent, and Covid-safe polling. Polling for the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections was held on February 10. The results will be declared on March 10.

By Anushka Tyagi Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday, January 14, took a swipe at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath , saying by the “80 versus 20” assertion, he meant only 20 per cent of the population will back the BJP in the Uttar Pradesh elections, while the remaining 80 per cent will support his party. “ Baba mukhya mantri ” (Yogi Adityanath) should engage a math teacher,” the SP president was quoted as saying by PTI, referring to the chief minister’s “80 vs 20” remarks. Yadav also dismissed the BJP’s claim of winning three-fourth seats in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly, saying, “they meant they will win three or four seats.” On January 14th, the party welcomed Swami Prasad Maurya, Dharam Singh Saini, and five other MLAs who had quit the BJP earlier this week. Taking a dig at the flurry of resignations from the BJP, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said, " wickets gir rahe the (wickets were dropping)."

By Tanvi Ladha BAREILLY: In a development for the Congress in Badaun, its nominee from Sheikhpura constituency, Farha Naeem , has refused to contest elections alleging that the party’s district president “makes obscene remarks against her as a woman and against her community”. Naeem also quit the Congress saying she “doesn’t feel safe in the party because of people like him”. District president Omkar Singh refuted the allegations and said “someone is using her to defame the Congress”. At a press conference in Badaun city on Friday, a teary-eyed Naeem announced her resignation from the Congress and said she was thankful to the Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi for fielding her from the seat. She claimed Singh makes obscene remarks quite often and had even raised questions about her character. Naeem said, “I got strength from Priyanka Gandhi, but Omkar Singh called me a ‘Muslim woman’ and used all tactics to throw me out of Badaun district. I can’t contest the elections as I don’t feel safe as a woman under the leadership of Singh. I have quit Congress to send a message to Priyanka Gandhi about the situation in Badaun”. Singh added, “What is happening is disheartening. I am a senior citizen, and if there is any truth in her allegations, she should produce evidence. Two other women have also got party tickets, and I have inaugurated their offices. I never opposed it when the party sought my opinion on giving the poll ticket to Naeem. It seems she was asked to do all these by someone who wants to defame the Congress party”.

The BJP promised to propose a 10-year punishment and Rs 1 lakh fine for those indulging in 'love jihad' if it returns to power in Uttar Pradesh.

147 candidates out of 584 candidates contesting in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly polls in phase two have criminal cases registered against themselves.

By Urvashi Goyal Mathura : Nominations of 22 candidates from five assembly constituencies in Mathura were cancelled on Monday during scrutiny of the papers, election officials said. The details provided in the nomination papers of 58 candidates from these assembly seats were found correct, District Returning Officer Navneet Singh Chahal said. Giving a break-up, the official said details in the nomination papers of 15 candidates from Mathura, 13 from Chhata, seven candidates from Baldev, 10 candidates from Mant, and 13 candidates from Goverdhan have been found correct. The exact figures of contestants from each assembly constituency would be known on January 27, the last date for withdrawal of the candidature, officials stated. While nomination papers of 12 candidates were cancelled from Mathura assembly constituency, two from Chhata, three from Baldev, and five from Mant assembly constituency were also rejected, they said.

By Hardika Gupta BAREILLY: Downplaying Samajwadi Party 's claims that it was going to form the government in Uttar Pradesh, Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya on January 30 said its chief Akhilesh Yadav was daydreaming and that the BJP wave was evident. "Just like 2017, the BJP will form the government in 2022. Lotus will bloom in all the nine Assembly constituencies of Bareilly and the BJP will win over 300 seats across the state to form the government," Maurya told reporters at the BJP office in Bareilly. Referring to a popular TV show of the late 1980s to take a dig at Yadav, Maurya said SP chief was dreaming like ‘Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne’. "His government encouraged goons and mafia. But in the Yogi government, the mafia is fleeing from the state. The BJP will unfurl its flag once again." He said his party had been commanding great support from the public because of the way the "double-engine government" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre and Yogi Adityanath in the state functioned. "They (Samajwadi Party) say they work for the development of all (sections of the society), but their character will not change," Maurya said. Earlier, Maurya had alleged that the opposition alliance is forged among the "goondas and mafia" of the state.

By Hardika Gupta The Congress party on January 30 released its fourth list of 61 candidates, including 24 women, for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections . The party has announced that it will give 40 per cent of tickets to women. The party which has been out of power in Uttar Pradesh for three decades is contesting all 403 seats. The party has so far announced 311 candidates, including 127 women, for the seven-phased Uttar Pradesh assembly polls starting February 10. The third list of candidates included 37 women, while the party's first and second lists had 50 and 16 women respectively. Some of the candidates were associated with the anti-CAA protests and those who have struggled for people's rights in the state. The Congress is contesting the state polls with women in focus and has also released a separate manifesto for youth, assuring them of employment opportunities and have laid down a roadmap of how to provide jobs, if elected to power.

By Riti Ghai Noida: Instead of talking about the upcoming Uttar Pradesh polls being a fight of "80 versus 20", Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the ruling BJP should put out statistics on employment, healthcare, and education in the state, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Monday. She also hit out at the Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh for showing no accountability towards people over issues of development and toeing the line of caste-based politics. Interacting with a group of Noida residents during poll campaigning to seek support for the Congress candidate Pankhuri Pathak, Priyanka Gandhi cited the example of Chhattisgarh, where her party is in power. The issues of home buyers, including pending registries and delivery of flats, dominated the talks. Citing her interactions with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, the Congress leader told the Noida residents that any Chief Minister would be aware of the problems being faced by the people of the state. "He (Baghel) told us that if there is a group of say, businessmen, he has to meet them and address their concerns. But that does not happen in Uttar Pradesh because they engage in the politics of caste and religion. They have no accountability and hence, you all are being ignored," Priyanka Gandhi said. "We are simply saying that what should be spoken about during an election is not being said. They are not talking about development. People are not going to benefit from the talks (about caste and communal issues) they are giving, only political parties are benefitting from it," she said. There is a need to talk about jobs, education, healthcare and women’s safety, the Congress leader stressed. "They talk about 80% versus 20%. We say, talk about the percentage of youngsters who do not have jobs, talk about education, what percentage of the budget will you put in education, healthcare. Tell people about the money spent during the COVID-19 pandemic," she said. It is the responsibility of the public to change this pattern of politics, Priyanka Gandhi added. Noida in Gautam Buddh Nagar district is scheduled to go to polls in the first round of the seven-phase Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls on February 10. The counting of votes will be taken up on March 10.

By Riti Ghai Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday targeted the Samajwadi Party, saying five years ago, muscle men and rioters used to be the law unto themselves in Uttar Pradesh . In his first virtual poll rally after the announcement of dates for the assembly elections in the state, Modi said during the previous government when Western Uttar Pradesh was burning due to riots, those in power were celebrating. The previous government in the state was that of the Samajwadi Party (SP), which was defeated by the BJP in the 2017 assembly polls. "Five years ago, 'dabang' (muscle men) and 'dangai' (rioters) were the law unto themselves. Their saying was the government order. Traders were looted and daughters could not come out of their homes in that period. The mafia used to roam freely under government patronage," the Prime Minister said. Attacking former Chief Minister and SP president Akhilesh Yadav , who had avoided visiting Noida due to a superstition, Modi said, "Can those who hesitate in coming to Noida, a place for aspirations of youths, due to superstition represent the dreams of youths?" Those who don't believe in the country's own COVID vaccine and those who give fuel to rumors, can they respect the talent and innovation of the youth of Uttar Pradesh, he asked, while addressing the rally for 21 assembly seats in five districts -- Baghpat, Shamli, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Muzaffarnagar, and Saharanpur. For changing Uttar Pradesh "we are putting all our efforts, but they (BJP's rivals) are here to take revenge from you. Those who are given tickets by them are its proof," Modi said. "Taking revenge is their ideology," he said adding that "I am happy that the people of Uttar Pradesh are alert about those who have 'dangai soch' (rioters' mentality)." Taking a jibe at Yadav for saying Lord Krishna comes in his dreams, Modi said that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is awake and committed to working for Uttar Pradesh's development, while those seeing dreams are sleeping. In Uttar Pradesh, the first phase polling will be held on February 10, the second phase on February 14, the third phase on February 20, the fourth phase on February 23, the fifth phase on February 27, the sixth phase on March 3, and the seventh phase on March 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.

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