Assembly Polls 2022 Highlights: Rahul Gandhi expected to announce Cong's CM face for Punjab polls on Sunday

Three special observers of the Election Commission (EC) reviewed Punjab's preparedness on Friday for the February 20 state Assembly polls. They expressed satisfaction and confidence that the polls would be held in a free, fair and transparent manner, according to an official statement issued here. Meanwhile, BJP's JP Nadda will be addressing multiple rallies in Uttar Pradesh today. Come back tomorrow for more live updates.

No post-poll alliance with SAD: Union minister Hardeep Puri

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday ruled out the possibility of a post-poll alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab.

The senior BJP leader categorically said the alliance of the two parties was a "bad marriage".

The SAD did not allow the saffron party to expand its base in Punjab, he alleged.

Rahul Gandhi expected to announce Cong's CM face for Punjab polls on Sunday

The Congress is expected to declare its chief ministerial candidate for the Punjab assembly polls on Sunday with all eyes on party leader Rahul Gandhi who is likely to announce the name.

Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Congress' state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu are the main contenders to be the CM face for the party though both have assured Gandhi that whosoever was chosen they will stand by the decision.

Rahul Gandhi will declare the name during his visit to Ludhiana on Sunday during a virtual rally, said a party leader, who did not want to be named, on Saturday.

During his last visit to Punjab on January 27, Gandhi while addressing a virtual rally in Jalandhar had announced that the Congress will soon declare its chief ministerial face for the February 20electionsand a decision on it will be taken after consulting party workers.

Senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa, meanwhile, told a TV channel that in his personal opinion there should be a status quo as far as announcement of the CM face is concerned. He further said there was not going to be a “big gain” with the announcement of the chief ministerial candidate.

Send us to Delhi, we’ll solve all problems: Akhilesh while campaigning for UP poll in Aligarh

Fighting the Uttar Pradesh assemblyelections, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday asked people to “send us to Delhi” to have all their problems solved by resorting to caste census.

Electioneering in Aligarh which goes to the polls on February 10 in the first phase of the seven-phase assemblyelection, Yadav made the remark in answer to a query on the issue of reservation.

"Send us to Delhi, we will solve all the problems. We are talking about caste census," said Yadav.

On the BJP fate in theelections, Yadav claimed that people in Aligarh have closed their doors on the BJP and seal its fate with locks, a product the district is known for.

"In my first meeting in Mau, I had promised that the doors of the BJP (headquarters in Lucknow and other offices) will be closed and a latch will be put on it.

Goa polls: Cong took brave decision to not give tickets to defectors, says Surjewala

1,304 candidates in fray for Feb 20 Punjab polls

A total of 1,304 candidates are in the fray for the 117-member legislative Assembly polls in Punjab slated for February 20, Chief Electoral Officer SKaruna Raju said on Saturday.

As many as 341 candidates withdrew their nomination papers on the last day of withdrawal.

Raju said 2,266 candidates had filed their nomination papers. During the scrutiny, 1,645 papers were found valid.

Targeting Jayant may backfire on BJP in Jatland

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath's continuous attacks on Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Jayant Chaudhary, who has allied with the Samajwadi Party (SP) in the forthcoming assemblypolls in the state, may backfireon the BJP in the Jatdominated western UP regionwhich will go to polls in the first two phases on February 10 and 14.

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Rahul Gandhi offers prayers at Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar

Cong focussed on providing employment, not on ending one’s arrogance: Priyanka Gandhi

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday said her party does not talk of eliminating haughtiness of people but for providing opportunities for their employment.

The Congress leader made the remark days after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, during anelectioncampaign in a western Uttar Pradesh area, said that the “khoon ki garmi” (haughtiness) of Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal leaders will end after the state assembly results come in.

While talking to a man in Aligarh, Priyanka Gandhi quipped, “People say someone has been talking of ‘garmi nikalne ki… charbi nikalne ki’ (eliminating haughtiness).”

“But we (in Congress) are talking of 'bharti' (employment). A number of youths who are standing here are jobless. Around 12 lakh posts are lying vacant in the government," she added.

The Congress government will be a people's government. Who will listen to you, will work for you: Rahul in Uttarakhand

Will give employment to 4 lakh people, says Rahul in Uttarakhand

Polling days in UP to be paid holidays for electors of that state employed in Delhi

The Delhi government on Saturday announced that polling days in Uttar Pradesh would be paid holidays for the people from that state employed in the national capital so that they can exercise their franchise.

Polling in Uttar Pradesh would be held in seven phases starting on February 10. The second phase would be held on February 14, the third on February 20, the fourth on February 23, the fifth on February 27 and the final phase on March 7.

Counting of votes will be held on March 10.

CM's face to decide whether 60 contestants become MLAs: Navjot Sidhu

A chief ministerial face will decide whether 60 candidates are elected as MLAs or not, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu said on Saturday, referring to the number 60, one more than 59 lawmakers needed to form government in Punjab with 117-member assembly.

Without naming any party, Sidhu made the remark ahead of the announcement of the Congress' chief ministerial face by the party's former presidentRahulGandhi during his visit to Ludhiana for the February 20 Punjab assembly polls. Sidhu also stressed that a person who has a roadmap for Punjab and who enjoys the people's trust can only ensure 60 contestants get elected as legislators.

Notably, a party needs 59 seats out of a total of 117 assembly segments for forming the government in Punjab. For the last several weeks, both Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu have, directly or indirectly, made a case for themselves to be declared as the party's nominee for the top post.

India doesn't have a PM but a king: Rahul Gandhi

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said India does not have a prime minister today but a king who believes that people should keep quiet when he takes a decision.

Addressing a rally, 'Uttarakhandi Kisan Swabhiman Samvad', in Kichha here, Gandhi also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of leaving farmers on roads for a year amid a raging Covid-19 pandemic and said the Congress will never do that.

He said his party will never shut its doors on farmers, labourers or the poor and it wants a partnership with them.

Manipur CM N Biren Singh files nomination seeking re-election for 5th time

Manipur Chief Minister and BJP candidate Nongthombam Biren Singh on Saturday filed his nomination papers seeking re-electionfor the fifth consecutive term from the Heingang Assembly Constituency in Imphal East district.

The 61-year-old Congress turned BJP leader, whoelectedto the state Assembly for the fourth consecutive term earlier in between 2002 and 2017, submitted his candidature to the Returning officer Elangbam Amuthoi Khanganba accompanied by Manipur state BJP President Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi.

Singh, who served the Border Security Force (BSF) as he was recruited in the para-military force for his excellent performance as a footballer, tweeted: "It gives me immense pleasure to file the nomination as the BJP candidate from Heingang AC at the Office of Returning Officer today. I was joined by Smt. A Sharda Devi Ji, Pres. BJP Manipur. Best wishes to all BJP candidates filing nominations for the upcomingelection."

We should abstain from politics of appeasement & religion: Rajnath Singh

We should abstain from politics of appeasement & religion... the way India dealt with Covid-19, even developed nations like the US couldn't deal like that. No other nation has vaccinated its citizens with the speed we have: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Kheragarh, Agra

Poll time is boom time for astrologers, pandits in UP

With the onset of the Assembly elections, business is booming for astrologers and pandits in Uttar Pradesh.

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Given the anger of the people, the alliance (SP-RLD) is going to get 400 seats; opposition will get the remaining 3 seats: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, in Aligarh

BJP is biggest failure to law and order system in UP: Akhilesh Yadav

SP condemned the incident as soon as we got to know. BJP should answer if the mafia opened fire when they saw a political leader. It's the biggest failure of the law & order system. We've seen their law & order many times: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on firing on a vehicle of Asaduddin Owaisi

The family of the daughter from Hathras wanted justice, they wanted to cremate her respectfully. But what did people of this Govt do? They didn't let it happen. Had she received proper treatment at the hospital, she would perhaps have been alive today: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, in Aligarh

Priyanka Gandhi conducts door-to-door campaign in UP

Congress must choose someone with clean track record as CM face: Sidhu after ED arrests Channi's nephew

Soon after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested the nephew of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, in a money laundering case linked to alleged illegal sand mining, party state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu said the party must choose someone "honest and with a clean track record".

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Rahul Gandhi talked about the China-India clash in Galwan Valley; believed anything he read & said only 3 Chinese jawans were killed. I'd like to clarify, as per an Australia-based newspaper, 38-50 Chinese jawans were killed, not 2-4. Indian borders are safe: Defence Minister

The world didn't take our inputs seriously earlier, but today India is not weak; if we say something, the whole world listens. You saw how our Army eliminated terrorists on Pakistani land, after Uri &Pulwama attacks. We gave a strong message: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Baldev

Congress to release election manifesto in Lucknow on Feb 9

Congress will release the election manifesto in Lucknow on February 9th. General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will release the manifesto.

Congress releases a list of star campaigners who will campaign for the party's candidates in the third phase of UP elections

UP polls: Mayawati is back, or is she?

After lying low for long, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo, Mayawati, is now trying to impress upon all that she is much in the political reckoning in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, where a seven-phase assembly election commences on February 10.

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People of UP will bid farewell to opposition parties after election: Maurya

UttarPradeshdeputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Friday said that after March 10 people of state will bid a farewell to Samajwadi Party alliance, Congress, and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

"As the Bharatiya Janata Party government came to power, nobody had to leave UP. Only those malcontents are leaving UP, who used to torture innocent people,” he said.

Will not share Mahadayi water with Karnataka: Goa Congress manifesto

The Congress in Goa on Friday promised to leave “no stone unturned” to not allow Karnataka to avail the Mahadayi river water, which the party in its election manifesto claimed was “gifted” to Karnataka by the incumbent BJP-led coalition government.

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Amid Jat anger at BJP, Amit Shah looks to lure Jayant Chaudhary

Is the BJP sounding desperate that it is inviting Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary to join hands with it in Uttar Pradesh? Else, why would Union Home Minister Amit Shah, campaigning intensely in western UP, reach out to Chaudhury, an ally of BJP rival Samajwadi Party (SP), twice in less than 10 days?

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Punjab polls: SSM gets ‘cot’ as election symbol

The SSM, a political front of farmers, on Friday said it has been allotted a 'cot' as the party symbol for the February 20 Punjab assembly polls.

The development comes days after theElectionCommission ofIndiaapproved the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM) as the name of a political party subject to fulfilling certain conditions for the formal registration.

Three special observers of EC review poll preparedness in Punjab

Threespecialobserversof the Election Commission (EC)reviewedPunjab'spreparednesson Friday for the February 20 state Assemblypolls.

They expressed satisfaction and confidence that thepollswould be held in a free, fair and transparent manner, according to an official statement issued here.

SpecialgeneralobserverVinod Zutshi,specialpoliceobserverRajnikant Mishra andspecialexpenditureobserverHimlani Kashyap held areviewmeeting withPunjab's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S Karuna Raju at his office here.

BJP, allies announce 11-point 'Sankalp' document for Punjab polls

Fast track courts for sacrilege incidents, free power up to 300 units, 33 per cent reservation for women in the police force, debt waiver for farmers having up to five acres of land are among many promises made by theBJPand itsalliesPLC and SAD (Sanyukt) for the February 20PunjabAssemblypolls.