Elections in Karnataka have increasingly become bipolar, with 77% of the seats recording bipolar contests in 2018

New Delhi:

Maha Kumbh, one of the country’s biggest religious festivals in progress, was used by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today to hit out at the opposition. 

Earlier, the Chief Minister, and his party colleague Amit Shah have challenged political rivals to take a holy dip at Triveni in Prayagraj. Their target, ahead of the assembly election in Delhi, was Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal. 

Today, Yogi Adityanath’s target was Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. 

Speaking at an exclusive interview with NDTV Editor-In-Chief Sanjay Pugalia, that was part of the channel’s “Maha Kumbh Samvaad”, the Chief Minister said a holy dip is the Opposition’s “only option” in view of the way the state has disappointed them every time.

The Chief Minister’s comment came in the context of a question on the assembly election at Milkipur.

Asked about the area, where he has made seven visits in the last six months, he said the BJP will win the constituency by a big margin.
This, he said, is because the people have now got wise to the false claims of the Opposition. 

“You must have seen that in the Lok Sabha polls, the INDIA Alliance conducted false propaganda. False propaganda was done to change the constitution, to end reservations, social media was used,” he alleged.

“Today people have come to know about it. Haryana, Maharashtra proved them wrong. There should not be any confusion that BJP will win Milkipur by a great margin,” he added.

Mr Yadav took a dip in Ganga on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. “Taking Maa Ganga’s blessing on Makar Sankranti festival,” he said in a post on social media platform X and attached with it pictures of him taking a dip in the river.

Sambhal:

A 15-member delegation from the Samajwadi Party (SP) was barred from entering Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal today, prompting a sharp response from party chief Akhilesh Yadav. The team, tasked with investigating recent violence at the Shahi Jama Masjid, was formed under the leadership of UP state assembly LoP Mata Prasad Pandey. 

The Sambhal district administration issued a directive banning the entry of outsiders until December 10. District Magistrate Rajendra Pensiya stated, “No outsider, any social organisation or any public representative can enter into the borders of the district without seeking the permission of the competent authority till December 10.”

This measure came against the backdrop of violent clashes in Sambhal on November 24, following a court-mandated survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid. Protesters opposing the survey clashed with security forces, leading to stone pelting, arson, and the deaths of several individuals. 

READ | 16th Century Mosque, A City On Fire: Sambhal Violence Explained

Reacting strongly to the situation, Akhilesh Yadav took to social media to condemn the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government. Mr Yadav accused the government of administrative failure and alleged that the BJP was attempting to shield its negligence.

“Imposing a ban is a failure of the BJP government’s governance, administration and government management. If the government had imposed such a ban earlier on those who dreamed of causing riots and made people raise frenzied slogans, the atmosphere of harmony and peace in Sambhal would not have been spoiled,” Mr Yadav wrote.

प्रतिबंध लगाना भाजपा सरकार के शासन, प्रशासन और सरकारी प्रबंधन की नाकामी है। ऐसा प्रतिबंध अगर सरकार उन पर पहले ही लगा देती, जिन्होंने दंगा-फ़साद करवाने का सपना देखा और उन्मादी नारे लगवाए तो संभल में सौहार्द-शांति का वातावरण नहीं बिगड़ता।

भाजपा जैसे पूरी की पूरी कैबिनेट एक साथ… pic.twitter.com/7ouboVnQu4

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) November 30, 2024

He also demanded the suspension of the entire administrative machinery in Sambhal for “negligence and conspiracy.”

Mata Prasad Pandey claimed that both the Home Secretary Sanjay Prasad and Sambhal District Magistrate contacted him, requesting that he postpone the trip.

“They (administration) should have given me a notice as per the rules that I cannot go there, but no written notice was given. They only talk on the telephone. They deployed the police. The Justice Commission is going there, media people are going there, will there be any unrest if we go there? This government is deliberately stopping us to hide all its work,” Mr Pandey said, as quoted by news agency ANI.

The SP delegation initially planned to visit Moradabad before heading to Sambhal, intending to meet victims of the violence and their families. However, these plans were derailed as police refused to allow them to leave Mr Pandey’s residence.

Samajwadi Party state president Shyam Lal Pal echoed Mr Pandey’s claims, stating that the delegation intended to compile a detailed report on the incident for submission to party chief Akhilesh Yadav. The team included high-profile members such as Legislative Council leader Lal Bihari Yadav, MPs Ziaur Rahman Barq, Harendra Malik, and others.

Ziaur Rahman Barq faces charges related to the violence, accused of committing “provocative acts.” Despite this, the Samajwadi leadership maintained that their visit was essential for ensuring transparency and accountability.

Congress state president Ajay Rai has also announced plans for a party delegation to visit the district on December 2.

Amidst the political fallout, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel has formed a three-member judicial commission to investigate the violence. Retired Justice Devendra Kumar Arora of the Allahabad High Court will lead the probe.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath greets the gathering during a roadshow in support of BJP candidate Sanjeev Sharma for Ghaziabad by-polls in Ghaziabad on Saturday (November 16, 2024).
| Photo Credit: ANI

Chief Speaker Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had finished his speech at the roadshow for the byelection to Sisamau on Saturday (November 16, 2024). Standing near a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hoarding that read ‘Batenge to Katenge’ (Divided we will be destroyed) at Bajaria Chauraha here, Vijay Agarwal, a saffron party sympathiser, recalled Mr. Adityanath’s last words — “We will have to worry about the fact that our votes must be cast from every house”. Sisamau is one of the nine Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh going to bypolls on November 20.

The fight for the seat, which has roughly 40% Muslim electorate, has become polarising, resulting in a fierce no-holds-barred campaign aimed at bringing deep-rooted social fault lines to the fore. BJP’s Suresh Awasthi is locked in a direct contest with Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Nassem Solanki, wife of former MLA Irfan Solanki. The bypoll to Sisamau was necessitated after Mr. Solanki was disqualified following his conviction in a criminal case.

The BJP has focused on Scheduled Caste (SC) settlements from the beginning, with leaders such as U.P. Finance Minister Suresh Khanna, who is in-charge of Sisamau seat, Minister of State for Excise Nitin Agarwal and Lok Sabha member from Kanpur Ramesh Awasthi making an outreach through public Chaupals. “SCs will be the key in the seat. The SP needs just a section of SC votes to sail through,” said Dharmpal Tiwari, another resident. SCs constitute roughly 20% of the 2.69 lakh-strong electorate.

‘Batenge toh Katenge’ plank

BJP workers are indulged in micromanagement of 55 polling booths dominated by SC communities, with thousands of local-level leaders from adjoining districts spiritedly pushing the ‘Batenge toh Katenge’ plank aimed at uniting large sections of Hindu voters. “We have categorically highlighted the need for unity. Even in rallies, Yogi ji pointed it out that for a stronger nation and (to evade) the danger of getting divided, Sisamau voters also want to be fellow travellers in making a stronger united nation,” said Amit Valmiki, a BJP worker.

The seat has traditionally been a challenging electoral terrain for the ruling BJP, with the party failing to win the seat since 1996 Assembly polls. Mr. Solanki won the seat thrice since 2007 with the help of a strong social base. In 2022, the SP candidate won the seat by 12,266 votes defeating BJP’s Salil Vishnoi. This time the support of ally Congress may also help the SP as the grand-old-party enjoys some support in the constituency which it won in 2002 and 2007 and came third in 2012, 2022.

The BJP which is working to counter the PDA (Pichde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) formula of the SP by focusing on the Dalit-Brahmin-OBC communities. BJP’s Brahmin faces such as Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak are galvanising voters with ‘prabuddha varg sammelans’ (intellectual meets).

SP leveraging sympathy factor

SP’s Naseem Solanki is banking on the sympathy factor in view of the conviction of her husband, Irfan Solanki, in a land grab case. She visited temples and engaged in Hindu rituals in an effort to reach out to Hindus. She visited the Vankhandeshwar Temple, offered a “jalabhishek” and oversaw the purification of the temple with 1,000 litres of Ganga water to the Shivalinga during her campaign on the night of Diwali on October 31. The incident, however, led to an uproar.

Ms. Solanki broke down in many public meetings recounting ‘the atrocities’ her family faced urging voters to support them. “Support us in these times of urgent need,” she said, breaking down, at a public meeting near Sangeet Talkies in the town. SP leaders, including party president Akhilesh Yadav and Shivpal Singh Yadav, highlighted the ‘injustice’ meted out to the Solanki family at the hands of the BJP government and called for ‘justice’ at the people’s court. “Sisamau will show the mirror to the BJP. Injustice also has [an end of] life span, otherwise goodness would not have survived till today. The BJP should remember that neither the unjust nor injustice are immortal,” Mr. Yadav said at a public rally.

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday (November 13, 2024) pushed the PDA (Pichda, Dalit and Minority) pitch of the party adding that it is the collective strength of these marginalised sections, which will defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Describing the slogans like batenge to katenge (divided we fall) used by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as “negative”, the SP leader said that the public can never accept these negative slogans. Reacting to the Supreme Court terming bulldozer demolition a ‘chilling sight’ and as illegal to demolish buildings or houses merely because it is owned or occupied by a person, Mr. Yadav said from today onwards, the bulldozer will remain parked in the garage forever, with no poor person’s house demolished.

“Samajwadi Party’s slogan of PDA is for the backwards, Dalits, tribals, women and the marginalised. The PDA family stands with those who have been subjected to injustice. The slogan batenge to katenge is unconstitutional and undemocratic. Only negative people can give such slogans. The British have left but their followers are still there who are giving such slogans,” said Mr. Yadav, addressing, a rally in support of party candidate Naseem Solanki.

Sisamau is among the nine Assembly seats going for bypolls on November 20. The other Assembly seats going for bypolls are Katehri in Ambedkar Nagar, Kundarki in Moradabad, Ghaziabad in Ghaziabad, Majhwan in Mirzapur, Karhal in Mainpuri district, Khair in Aligarh, Phulpur in Prayagrah and Meerapur in Muzaffarnagar district. The bypolls in Sisamau is necessitated due to conviction of Ms. Solanki’s husband Haji Irfan Solanki, who won the seat in 2022 Assembly poll.

Speaking about the top court holding that it is illegal to demolish buildings or houses merely because it is owned or occupied by a person who is accused of a crime, while also issuing detailed directions aimed at curbing such ‘bulldozer justice’, the SP leader said, “From today onwards, their bulldozer will remain parked in the garage forever, now no poor person’s house will be demolished. I am thankful to the Supreme Court for its decision against the bulldozer which had become the symbol of this government.”

Targeting the State government for corruption, he said no matter how much the government tries, it will be defeated in by the polls. “There has never been so much looting and corruption as has happened this time in Uttar Pradesh. No matter how much effort the government puts in, the people will defeat them this time. Thousands of youths are sitting on dharna in Prayagraj. The youth who are looking for a job have realized that this is not in the agenda of BJP,” added the SP president.

Mumbai:

Nawab Malik, leader of Nationalist Congress Party’s Ajit Pawar faction and a big face in Maharashtra politics, has announced that he will contest from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar – where Samajwadi Party’s Abu Azmi is the three-time sitting legislator. The Samajwadi Party is still waiting for a decision on seat sharing from the Maha Vikas Aghadi. It had asked for two seats and the party is far from pleased about the delay. Abu Azmi has given several deadlines to the MVA, but is yet to act on it.

Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, part of the North East Mumbai Lok Sabha constituency, is a Muslim-dominated area. So while Abu Azmi is confident, if Nawab Malik files nomination, it may no longer be an easy election for the SP candidate.

Nawab Malik’s party has been silent about his candidature, although it has announced 49 candidates already. There is still no clarity on how many seats each party of the ruling alliance is contesting.

Sources in the BJP have indicated that the party is not in favour of candidates accused in criminal cases. Many believe his ticket was cut by NCP due to the BJP opposition, which has created sympathy for him among the Muslim voters, who form a substantial chunk of the electorate.

Nawab Malik was arrested in February 2022 by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged money laundering case involving mafia don Dawood Ibrahim and his associates. He was granted bail in July by the Supreme Court on health grounds.

In this backdrop, Mr Malik’s comments on has candidature has triggered speculation on whether he would be backed by his party or contest as Independent.

“I will be filing my nomination on October 29 from the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar Assembly constituency,’ Mr Malik had said. “The public has urged me to contest elections from here. The public is very upset with the hooliganism and drug business which is going on in Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar… I don’t care who is opposing me, the public is supporting me and I will contest the elections,” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Mr Azmi has remarked that Nawab Malik’s candidature is a BJP ploy and their outward reluctance to field him just an eyewash. Many say his presence in the contest will split the Muslim vote, and help the BJP/Sena/NCP candidate win. 

In this year’s Lok Sabha elections, the North East Mumbai seat was won by Sanjay Patil of Sharad Pawar’s faction of the NCP. The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP (Ajit Pawar) alliance or the Mahayuti had fielded Mihir Kotecha.

Nawab Malik’s daughter Sana Malik is a NCP (Ajit Pawar) candidate from the Anushaktinagar seat. She will contest against Fahad Ahmed of Sharad Pawar’s NCP on this seat. Fahad is the husband of film actress Swara Bhaskar.

Polling for Maharashtra assembly elections will be held in one phase on November 20. Counting of votes will be done on November 23.

Lucknow:

INDIA bloc candidates will contest all nine seats in the upcoming bypolls on his party’s election symbol ‘cycle’, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav announced on Wednesday.

He said the alliance’s decision was not informed by any seat-sharing math but its pursuit of victory.

“Congress and Samajwadi Party are united and stand shoulder to shoulder for a big victory. India bloc is going to write a new chapter of victory in this by-election,” Mr Yadav said in a post on X.

“With this unprecedented cooperation and support, every worker of ‘INDIA bloc’ on all 9 assembly seats is filled with new energy with the resolve to win,” he added.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said that the coming election will be fought for the protection of the country’s Constitution, peace, and the honour of “Pichchde (backwards), Dalit and Alpsankhyak (Minorities).” Bypolls will be held on November 13 on nine seats– Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Karhal (Mainpuri), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Ghaziabad, Majhawan (Mirzapur), Sishamau (Kanpur city), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj), and Kundarki (Moradabad).

Eight of these seats fell vacant after their MLAs were elected as MPs in the Lok Sabha, while a bypoll is being held on the Sisamau seat due to the disqualification of SP MLA Irfan Solanki, who was convicted in a criminal case.

The Congress had originally demanded five of 10 assembly seats (including Milkipur).

The SP, however, last week said the Congress had agreed to contest on two seats, Ghaziabad and Khair (Aligarh), leaving the rest to the SP.

The Election Commission has announced a by-election on nine seats, leaving out Milkipur (Ayodhya).

The last date for filing nominations is October 25.

The SP has already declared its candidates from Karhal, Sisamau, Phulpur, Milkipur, Katehari, Majahawan and Meerapur.

Counting of votes will take place on November 23. 

Lucknow:

The Samajwadi Party on Thursday slammed the Yogi Adityanath government for allegedly erecting tin sheets before the gates of Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre, apparently to prevent party president Akhilesh Yadav from visiting it.

It is the birth anniversary of the socialist leader on October 12.

Last year, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had to climb over the gate of JPNIC in Gomti Nagar to garland a statue of Jai Prakash Narayan located in the premises.

The SP on social media shared a video showing some workers erecting tin sheets before the main gate of the JPNIC and condemned the action.

“The useless BJP government is constantly attacking democracy!” it said in a post on X.

The party termed the barricading an instance of “dirty politics” of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

“This anti-people government has insulted great men by ruining development work like JPNIC built in Lucknow. Socialists will not bow down to these dictators!” it said.

Yadav in a post he shared from his handle said: “Preventing someone from bowing or paying homage is not a sign of civilized people.” The JPNIC was inaugurated by Yadav in 2016 during his tenure as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Work on the building, however, was stopped after BJP came to power in the state in 2017.

The building, among other structures, houses the Jayaprakash Narayan Interpretation Centre, a museum.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bhadohi, UP:

Uttar Pradesh’s Bhadohi police and Labour Enforcement Department personnel on Tuesday raided Samajwadi Party MLA Zahid Beg’s house here and rescued a 14-year-old girl engaged in child labour, officials said.

The raid took place a day after a domestic help at Beg’s house was found hanging inside her room.

Superintendent of Police Meenakshi Katyayan said the domestic help named Nazia had been working in Beg’s house for the last eight years and committed suicide on Monday.

The rescued girl was also working as a domestic help in the MLA’s house. She has been sent for a medical examination, officials said.

The labour department is in the process of filing a case against the MLA in connection with Nazia’s death, and for engaging the minor girl as a domestic help, they added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mau, UP:

A local Samajwadi Party (SP) leader has been booked for allegedly raping an 18-year-old woman several times and threatening to kill her, in Uttar Pradesh’s Mau district, police said on Sunday.

Anil Kumar Singh, SHO of Kotwali Nagar police station in Mau, said the accused Virendra Pal, who is also an advocate, raped the woman for almost a year. He is on the run and efforts are on to arrested him.

The complainant alleged that she used to assist Virendra Pal in his legal work.

The woman claimed that Virendra Pal lured her into his car at a deserted location where he gave her cold drink laced with sedatives and then forcibly raped her, the SHO said.

He allegedly filmed the assault and used the video to blackmail her, continuing to exploit her physically and extorting Rs 4 lakh, he added.

The complainant also alleged that the accused last met her on July 16 and 17 at a hotel, where he again raped her. On September 6, when she confronted him to retrieve her vehicle, he thrashed her, abused her, and threatened to kill her, the officer said.

Based on the woman’s complaint, an FIR was lodged on Saturday against Virendra Pal under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351 (2) (criminal intimidation), 352 (intentional insult with the intent to provoke breach of peace), 123 (causing hurt by means of poison to commit an offence), and 64(2) (m) (punishment for rape).

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)