Amidst a shadow cast by recent terror strikes, Manipur, the 'jewel of the Northeast' is headed for elections to its 60-member state assembly, with the Congress attempting to wrest back power from the ruling BJP- led coalition, which seems to be falling apart with smaller coalition partners deciding to put up candidates against the saffron party.
Till a few days back, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was billed as the most popular face of the BJP in the state.As someone who was a crowd puller, many in his party also believed that he could emerge as a challenger to the saffron party's tallest leader Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
With an aim to conduct free, fair and safe Assembly elections in five states, Election Commission of India is holding a meeting with the poll observers on Friday.
The Samajwadi Party, which has been happily inducting leaders from other parties, is now facing the problem of plenty.
Too many claimants on every seat and the threat of the seat going to a new entrant is bound to create problems for SP president Akhilesh Yadav who will have a tough time handling the dissent in party ranks.
The eleven legislators who have walked in from BJP, and the nine legislators who came in earlier from BSP and others who have been joining the SP over the past months, are all claimants for tickets.
Only a few months back, all was well for the powerful Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Yogi Adityanath. Backed by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, Yogi seemed unstoppable and ready to return to power.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which currently rules Goa, has decided to contest 38 out of the total 40 Assembly seats in the state, where elections will be held next month, a senior party functionary said on Friday.