Highlights:
-- Govt withdrew farm laws because of elections: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
--Ram Temple will be 'Rashtra Mandir' of India, says CM Yogi Adityanath in Karhal, Mainpuri
--Defence Minister and BJP leader Rajnath Singh along with Amarinder Singh holds a roadshow in Patiala
--Captain Amarinder Singh and Sukhbir Singh Badal are two sides of the same coin, says Navjot Singh Sidhu
--Priyanka Gandhi to address virtual rally in UP
-- 'My statement is being misconstrued': Punjab CM clarifies his 'UP-Bihar Ke bhaiya' remark
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Shamlal 'Gandhiwadi', a 39-year-old social activist fighting the Punjab assembly polls from Amritsar West independently has made Mahatma Gandhi's teachings of non-violence and simple living his poll campaign mantra. Sporting a white Gandhi cap and donning plain white clothes, Gandhiwadi goes on door-to-door campaign in Amritsar on his bicycle, propagates the message of non-violence and communal harmony and seek votes on the strength of his clean credentials. With a total of ten candidates, including Congress' sitting MLA Raj Kumar Verka, in fray from Amritsar West (Reserve), Gandhiwadi says he is not deterred by the fight as he derives his strength from Mahatma Gandhi's ideals which he propagates while campaigning. Fighting the eighth elections of his life, 'Gandhiwadi' vows to become the voice of masses, lamenting that political parties do not talk of people's real issues.
Govt withdrew farm laws because of elections: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Had it not been for the farmers' stir ahead of elections in multiple states, the Centre would not have taken back the contentious farm laws, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Friday as she accused the BJP of working only for its "corporate friends". Addressing party's virtual rally for Uttar Pradesh, the Congress general secretary hit out at the BJP as well as Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party for indulging in politics of caste and communalism instead of development issues. She said farmers are faced with multiple issues like high power bills, shortage of fertilizers, inadequate price of crops or stray animals ruining farms but the BJP-led government failed to address those. She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently claimed that thousands of people in Uttar Pradesh have become "lakhpati" but when she travelled around villages and districts she found more people have got pushed into poverty.
Campaigning ends for third phase of UP Assembly polls
Campaigning for the third phase of the UP Assembly polls ended on Friday, with senior leaders of all parties making the last-ditch attempt to woo voters in 59 constituencies spread across 16 districts. As many as 627 candidates are in the fray in the third phase, in which over 2.15 crore people are eligible to vote. The districts where polling will be held are Hathras, Firozabad, Etah, Kasganj, Mainpuri, Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Etawah, Auraiya, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar, Jalaun, Jhanshi, Lalitpur, Hamirpur and Mahoba. The Karhal Assembly seat, from where Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is contesting, will also go to the polls in this phase on Sunday. The BJP has fielded Union minister S P Singh Baghel from the seat. The polling on Sunday will also seal the fate of the Samajwadi Party chief's uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav, who is contesting from his traditional Jaswantnagar seat.
Punjab polls: CM Charnjit Singh Channi campaigns for PPCC president Sidhu in Amritsar
Punjab Chief Minister Charnjit Singh Channi on Thursday campaigned for PPCC president Navjot Singh Sidhu here. Sidhu, the Congress MLA from Amritsar East, is among others pitted against SAD's Bikram Singh Majithia. Congress supporters claimed that Channi was warmly greeted by the people of Amritsar East Assembly constituency. Channi was recently declared as Congress' chief ministerial candidate for the February 20 polls. Sidhu was also a contender, but the party went with Channi, who happens to be Punjab's first chief minister from the Scheduled Caste community. Later, Channi also campaigned in border constituency Attari (reserve) in favour of party candidate Tarsem Singh Silakla.
Punjab polls: Cong promises financial assistance to women, 1 lakh govt jobs
The Congress on Friday released its manifesto for the February 20 Punjab Assembly polls, promising Rs 1,100 per month for women, eight free cooking gas cylinders per year and one lakh government jobs. The party also promised to end the mafia raj by creating corporations for the sale of liquor and sand mining. Addressing the media here, state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu said the party's government will procure oilseed, pulses and corn from farmers. The Congress manifesto has come on the last day of the campaigning for the Assembly polls. Sidhu said the party's 13-point agenda reflects Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's vision. Sidhu said if the Congress returns to power, it first decision will be to give one lakh government jobs.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in UP: The industrialists whom govt properties are being sold to don't create jobs. It is PSUs that create majority of jobs. This govt is selling all PSUs to its industrialist friends. 12 lakh posts were lying vacant under the BJP Govt in UP.
Chaos in Uttarakhand BJP with party candidates alleging sabotage
With just three weeks to go for the Assembly poll results, chaos prevails in the Uttarakhand BJP due to contesting party MLAs apprehensive about their defeat coming out in the open with their allegations of sabotage. Over the last four days, at least three MLAs and a candidate of the ruling BJP have accused their own party colleagues of plotting their defeat, causing considerable uneasiness in the state unit of the saffron party, which has been claiming that it will form the government in Uttarakhand for a second consecutive time. Over the last four days, at least three MLAs and a candidate of the ruling BJP have accused their own party colleagues of plotting their defeat, causing considerable uneasiness in the state unit of the saffron party, which has been claiming that it will form the government in Uttarakhand for a second consecutive time.
Polling to the 70 Assembly seats of the state was held on February 14 and the counting of votes will be taken up on March 10. Pradeep Gupta, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Laksar who is trying to make it to the Assembly from the seat for the third time, was the first to level such allegations just a day after polling. Pradeep Gupta, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Laksar who is trying to make it to the Assembly from the seat for the third time, was the first to level such allegations just a day after polling.
No water supply in 150 villages, don't know what Congress did in last 5 yrs: Arvind Kejriwal
While addressing a roadshow in Jalalabad, Punjab, Kejriwal said, "There's no water supply in 150 villages, don't know what they've (Congress) done in last 5 yrs, they couldn't even supply water in last 70 yrs but we'll ensure water supply to every village once our govt is formed."
UP 20 polls: Samajwadi Party fields 52 crorepati candidates, BJP 48
The Samajwadi Party has fielded the maximum 52 candidates having assets worth over Rs 1 crore while the BJP stands second in the list with 48 such contestants for the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, according to a report. The Bahujan Samaj Party has fielded 46 such candidates while the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party have 29 and 18 contestants, respectively, the report by Uttar Pradesh Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said. The UP Election Watch and the ADR said they have analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 623 candidates out of 627 who are contesting the polls on February 20. The affidavits of remaining four candidates were either badly scanned or incomplete, it added. Overall, 245 (or 39 per cent) candidates are crorepatis in the fray for the third phase assembly polls, the report found.
Ram Temple will be 'Rashtra Mandir' of India, says CM Yogi Adityanath in Karhal, Mainpuri
A grand temple of Lord Ram will be ready in Ayodhya by 2023. This Ram Temple will be 'Rashtra Mandir' of India, said UP CM Yogi Adityanath in Karhal, Mainpuri. Meanwhile, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is contesting the Assembly poll from Karhal seat.
Defence Minister and BJP leader Rajnath Singh along with Amarinder Singh holds a roadshow in Patiala
#WATCH | Defence Minister & BJP leader Rajnath Singh holds a roadshow, along with Punjab Lok Congress founder & chief Amarinder Singh, in Patiala#PunjabElection2022 pic.twitter.com/7hS2fhLhit— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2022
Captain Amarinder Singh and Sukhbir Singh Badal are two sides of the same coin: Navjot Singh Sidhu
Captain Amarinder Singh and Sukhbir Singh Badal are two sides of the same coin. Choosing Captain or the Badals would be a retrograde step. If change has to be brought, this man (referring to himself) is in front of you with a plan, said Punjab Congress chief Navjot S Sidhu in Amritsar.
PM Modi hosts prominent Sikhs across the country at his residence in Delhi
#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosts prominent Sikhs across the country at his residence in Delhi pic.twitter.com/l86E8gJ7uL— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2022
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi will address a virtual rally in Uttar Pradesh today at 3 pm
UP Election 2022 enters 'Yadav belt' in 3rd phase of polling on Sunday
The Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections will enter the ‘Yadav belt’, considered a stronghold for the Samajwadi Party (SP), in the third phase of voting this Sunday. As many as 59 Assembly constituencies spread across 16 districts – from Bundelkhand to the Avadh region – will go to polls on February 20. The most keenly watched contest would, however, be Karhal in Mainpuri, where SP chief and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is contesting his maiden Assembly election. Read more here
Don't know how seriously people will take me as a politician, says Mahie Gill
On her agenda are matters such as putting an end to drug addiction, and women’s education, “For the past four to five years I was thinking of doing something. I wanted a platform where I could help women and empower them. I am lucky that I am born in a house where there was no gender bias. But female infanticide is common," she says. “Apart from that, many young girls in Punjab are left stranded when their husbands get married to green card-holders and settle abroad. These things personally affected me and changed my mindset and that is when I decided to do something," she said in an Exclusive interview with News18.
JUST IN: Uttarakhand High Court took suo moto cognizance of the criminal cases registered against the MPs and MLAs of the state, and directed the government to provide information on the registered and pending cases to the court by March 3. There are a total of 70 MLAs and 8 MPs in the state.
BJP chief JP Nadda to address public rallies in UP's Ayodhya
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda will address three public rallies in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya on February 18.
'My statement is being misconstrued': Punjab CM clarifies his 'UP-Bihar Ke bhaiya' remark
Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has clarified his 'UP-Bihar Ke bhaiya' remark and said that his statement was being misconstrued.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal asks people to be wary of AAP, Kejriwal
Former union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal has urged people of Punjab to wary of the AAP and its convener Arvind Kejriwal, alleging both were anti-Punjab and would ruin the state if elected to power. Addressing a gathering in favour of Shiromani Akali Dal candidates, Badal has said, Kejriwal has already taken an anti-Punjab stance on crucial issues. This includes a demand that the river waters of the state be given to Haryana and Delhi, four thermal plants of Punjab be closed down to reduce pollution in Delhi and criminal cases and heavy penalties of up to Rs one crore be levied on farmers who burnt their stubble in desperation after the Congress government failed to help them to manage it, she alleged. She also attacked Aam Aadmi Party's chief ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann, saying the latter was a dummy who did not have the guts to stand up to Kejriwal.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur in Jalandhar: People of Punjab are asking questions to Congress that what happened to those promises which you made five years back? They promised to waive off farm loans, provide employment and make Punjab drug-free, but nothing has happened.
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