Assembly Elections 2022: PM Narendra Modi likely to address physical rally in UP on Feb 7

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra when asked that it seems the poll is getting bipolar (BJP-SP) in UP, said, "I want to say to people that if you want a change, jobs, development in the state then vote for us. The rest of the political parties are doing the same type of politics."

Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday lauded Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath for taking the state's economy from Rs 11 lakh crore in 2017 to Rs 21 lakh crore, putting the state at second place in India in economic development.

"With regards to the economy, UP which used to lag behind, today stands at number 2 position in the country," said Singh.

While addressing a public gathering in Agra during his day-long visit to the state, the Minister also praised CM Yogi for his action against criminals and creating fear in the hurts of "mafias" (known criminals).
 

Senior Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Saturday said his party took a brave decision to not give tickets to defectors for Goa Assembly polls scheduled for February 14.

The All India Congress Committee general secretary said several BJP ministers in the state were ready to join his party.

"We did something politically very brave. We decided we will not take back people (into the party) who have defected and soiled the political landscape of Goa. BJP ministers (in Goa) were ready to join but Rahul Gandhi, Dinesh Gundu Rao (state in charge), Girish Chodankar (Goa unit chief), Digambar Kamat (Leader of Opposition) and the party decided not to accept them," he said, PTI reported.
 

"Remember the Muzaffarnagar riots? Even SC condemned and said that they were a result of the Akhilesh government's failure and that the arrangements for compensation were such that only one category of the religious community could benefit. Today, there are no mafias," BJP president JP Nadda said.

We will provide medical facilities at your doorstep... We had promised loan waiver for farmers in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Punjab and we did that: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Haridwar

Earlier (in UPA govt) India was led by a prime minister of the country but today's India is being led by a king, who just take decisions & listen to no one: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi while addressing a gathering of farmers at Kichha Mandi

Addressing a public gathering in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi said, "If one Owaisi will be killed then you've to give birth to more Owaisi. If you (BJP) can't save common people then what's the point of providing Z category security to me. Guns can't stop me."

Addressing a gathering in Uttar Pradesh's Hapur ahead of Assembly Polls 2022, BJP president JP Nadda said, "Opposition never cared for nation's development, they only cared for their families' development; they have limited vision... today, no poor person has any shortage of food with PM Garib Kalyan Yojana. This is the difference between BJP and them." 

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi hits out at “syndicate” of Samajwadi Party-BSP-Congress ahead of assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, says his party's “Modi-Yogi” factor has replaced the previous “Muslim-Yadav” factor which was communal and casteist.

As per sources, PM Modi will hold a physical rally in Bijnor on February 7. He will also address virtual rallies in Punjab on February 8 and 9. 

The Congress party released a list of star campaigners who will campaign for the party's candidates in the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections. It includes former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, ex-J&K CM Ghulam Nabi Azad, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, ex-Rajasthan Deputy CM Sachin Pilot and former cricketer Mohd Azharuddin. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former PM Manmohan Singh do not find a place on the list.

As per sources, 6 Punjab Ministers have backed Charanjit Singh Channi as the Congress' CM face for the upcoming polls. This includes Brahm Mohindra, Tript Bajwa, Raja Warring and Sukhjinder Randhawa. Apart from this, ex-Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar is also throwing his weight behind Channi. On the other hand, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu has not garnered enough support, sources revealed. 

In a big development, Rahul Gandhi promised that Congress will launch the NYAY scheme for the poor if it wins the upcoming Goa elections. Addressing a virtual rally in Goa CM Pramod Sawant's Sanquelim constituency, Gandhi announced that Rs.6000 will be transferred to the bank account of every poor family in the state. Taking to Twitter later, the Wayanad MP described it as a "surgical strike" against poverty and a much-needed scheme for those left behind due to "BJP favouring the richest few". 

Aimed at eliminating abject poverty in India by 2030, NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana) was a key poll promise of Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. It maintained that the size of India's GDP allows the Centre to undertake a cash transfer to the poorest sections of people without affecting fiscal prudence. However, the scheme failed to gain traction among the people as Congress could win only 52 seats in the General Election. 

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will address virtual rallies in Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar today. These programmes will be telecast in all 70 Assembly constituencies. At about 4.45 pm, he will take part in the Ganga Aarti in Haridwar. 

Former Rajya Sabha MP and leader of Communist Party of India (Marxist) Sitaram Yechury said that his party will support Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and will work to mobilise secular forces against the Hindutva agenda. He stressed, "We will support Samajwadi Party in UP elections. We're only contesting from only four seats in UP". Yechury added, "The primary task before us is to defeat BJP. The party will also support joint platforms of united actions of the class and mass organization'. 

For the Punjab polls, senior leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Manish Tewari are not among the party's star campaigners. The list of 30 star campaigners includes Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, and Rahul Gandhi. Azad and Tewari are among the prominent members of the G-23 who had written to party leadership seeking an overhaul and have been questioning the leadership. Azad was also recently conferred with Padma Bhushan by the government of India. However, some other members of the G-23 such as Anand Sharma and Bhupinder Singh Hooda are among the star campaigners for Punjab. 

BJP National President Shri J.P. Nadda will address two public meetings on Feb 05

• 12:40 PM- Brahm Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Modinagar Rd, Hapur (U.P.)
• 3:15 PM- Rahi Hotel Maidan, Moradabad (U.P.).

Jan Sampark Abhiyan

5:30 PM- Sec. 12, Noida (U.P.) 

After Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after day-long questioning in a multicrore illegal sand mining case, Honey himself has admitted to having generated such proceeds of crime through mining-related activities, including clearance of mining files and transfer of officials. Bhupinder Singh Honey was sent to the custody of the ED till February 8.

Bhupinder Singh has explicitly stated in his statement during the search, inter-alia, that all cash which was seized from his residential premises at Ludhiana (Rs. 4.09 crores), Sandeep Kumar’s premises at Ludhiana (Rs 1.99 Crores) and from the Homeland House Premises at Mohali (Rs. 3.89 crores) actually pertained to him.

As per sources, a part of the money that was seized from his residence was received for transfer postings in Punjab. The ED also suspects that around Rs 3 crores were received for transfer postings. 

After incumbent Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath filed his nomination from Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur, Republic on Friday accessed his election affidavit. In the said affidavit CM Adityanath has declared assets worth more than Rs 1,54,94,054. In the affidavit, Yogi Adityanath has declared that he has cash in hand worth Rs 1,00,000. Additionally, he has a balance of Rs 1,13,75,346 in various accounts of six banks and a balance of Rs 37,57,708 in the post office.

The affidavit also states that Yogi Adityanath owns a gold ear ornament weighing 20 grams worth Rs 49,000 and a gold chain and Rudraksha neck ornament weighing 10 grams worth Rs 20,000. He also owns a Samsung mobile phone worth Rs 12,000, a revolver worth Rs 1,00,000, and a rifle worth Rs 80,000.

In his affidavit, Yogi Adityanath has declared income of Rs 13,20,653 in FY 2020-21, income of Rs 15,68,799 in FY 2019-20, income of Rs 18,27,639 in FY 2018-19 and income of Rs 14,38,670 for FY 2017-18.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Goa Pradesh has asked Congress to do its homework before speaking on any issue. 

"Shri Rahul Gandhi has blamed the BJP for allowing a coal hub in Goa. We want to take him back to the time when Shri Digambar Kamat was the Chief Minister of Goa in 2007. He had granted permission for the expansion of coal handling twice during his tenure," the party said in a statement. "Kamat had not only allowed expansion of coal handling capacity at Mormugao Port Trust but it was even granted environmental clearance by the Goa State Pollution Control Board. Where does the BJP come in picture here? Congress should stop misleading the people of Goa," it added. 

 A case has been filed against SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary, SP's Dadri candidate Rajkumar Bhati, SP's Gautam Buddh Nagar chief Indra Pradhan& 300-400 others, for violating COVID19 & ECI's guidelines during a campaign in Dadri on Feb 3

Congress on Friday unveiled its list of star campaigners for Punjab. The list comprising 30 names include Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. 

Reacting to his nephew's arrest in the illegal sand mining case, Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi opined, "Law should take its own course. I have no issues". 

Reacting to the arrest of Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi's nephew, Congress dubbed it as the Modi government's "political gimmick". Taking to Twitter, Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala described ED as BJP's 'Election Department'. Moreover, he claimed that this was a move to help Kejriwal via the backdoor. 

BJP, SAD (Sanyukta) and Punjab Lok Congress will address a joint press conference on the vision for Punjab on the Common Minimum Programme at 12 pm. BJP President Punjab Ashwani Sharma, PLC Chief Capt Amarinder Singh and SAD(S) Chief Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa will remain present on the occasion. 

The Enforcement Directorate on early morning Friday arrested Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi's nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey in the illegal sand mining case. The ED probe was based on an FIR filed at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar Police Station under Sections 379, 420, 465, 467, 468 and 471 of the IPC and Sections 21(1) and 4(1) of Mines and Minerals (Regulation of Development) Act, 1957. Several incriminating documents, mobile phones, over Rs.10 crore cash, gold worth above Rs.21 lakh and a Rolex watch worth Rs.12 lakh were seized during the searches conducted at the premises of Honey as well as other accused persons. 

Uttar Pradesh:

Republic P-MARQ Opinion poll predicts that the NDA is likely to emerge as the single largest alliance once again in Uttar Pradesh with 249-269 seats in the 2022 Assembly polls. However, the saffron will suffer a major seat loss as Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and its allies may win 113-133 seats. The Bahujan Samaj Party's seat share is likely to reduce further as the Republic P-MARQ Opinion Poll suggests only 9-17 seats for Mayawati's party. On the other hand, Congress may get 3-9 seats.

Uttarakhand:

Republic P-MARQ Opinion poll predicts that BJP is likely to retain power with the party projected to win 34-40 seats in the 70-member Assembly. On the other hand, Congress is likely to see major gains. The grand old party is projected to win 27-33 seats, while debutant AAP can win 0-2 seats. The other parties and independents are likely to win 1-3 seats.

Punjab:

Republic P-MARQ Opinion poll predicts that Punjab may witness a hung assembly as Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party might win 49-55 seats, just short of the majority mark. The ruling Congress is predicted to win 43-49 seats while Shiromani Akali Dal can get 15-21 seats. BJP, who is fighting polls in alliance with Captain Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress and SAD (Sanyukt), can win 1-3 seats.

Goa: 

Republic P-MARQ Opinion poll predicts the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to win 15-19 in the 40-member House. On the other hand, Indian National Congress, which was the single largest party in the 2017 assembly elections, is likely to get 10-14. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which went black in the last polls might win 5-9 seats. Debutant Trinamool Congress along with its ally MGP can get 1-5 seats. The majority mark is 21.

Manipur: 

Republic P-MARQ Opinion poll predicts that BJP is likely to stay ahead in the race as the poll shows the saffron party bagging the most 29-35 seats out of 60 seats followed by the Indian National Congress winning 13-19 seats. The National People’s Party (NPP) and the Naga People’s Front (NPF) remain behind INC with 4-10 and 2-6 seats respectively.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will arrive in Panaji today on his day-long visit to the coastal state. He will interact with the representatives of the Tourism Sector, Anganwadi staff and others. Besides this, he will address meetings of workers and will also guide candidates of Congress. During the Wayanad MP's visit to Goa on Friday, he will conduct a door-to-door campaign at Sada at 10 am. This will be followed by a meeting with candidates, representatives of tourism, shack owners and CII representatives at Dona Paula. At 4 pm, he will attend 'Nirdhar' virtual rally at the Sankhali Municipal Ground. 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will address public meetings today in Dasuya, Sujanpur and Gurdaspur districts of poll-bound Punjab. As per information from the Defence Minister's office, he will address a public meeting in Dasuya at 11.55 am, Sujanpur at 2.15 pm and Gurdaspur at 3.45 pm.

AIMIM president and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi will raise the issue of a security breach and attack on his convoy in Parliament on Friday as per sources. He is likely to meet Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla to discuss the issue. Meanwhile, Akbaruddin Owaisi, brother of Asaduddin, also reached Delhi late Thursday night. Meanwhile, AIMIM units will stage protests across the country and submit memorandums demanding a thorough probe into the attack on Owaisi's convoy. 
 

Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and Punjab. The ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh under CM Yogi Adityanath faces a resurging Akhilesh Yadav, in Uttarakhand it faces a strong Congress under ex-CM Harish Rawat, in Goa, Pramod Sawant faces a tricorner fight with Congress, TMC and AAP in the fray and Manipur CM Biren Singh faces a beleaguered Congress. However, in Punjab, it is the ruling Congress, which is now heavily embroiled in infighting, faces a rising AAP, Akali Dal-BSP and an unlikely combination of BJP-Amarinder Singh, apart from the farm union political leaders. Results for all elections will be declared on March 10.