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Live Updates Assembly Elections 2017: Over 75 lakh voters to exercise franchise on February 15 in Uttarakhand

The Assembly elections will be a big test for the BJP as these are the first polls after the Central government took the demonetisation decision

February 14: Over 75 lakh voters are set to exercise their franchise during the polling for 69 Vidhan Sabha seats in the hill state of Uttarakhand on February 15. A total of 628 candidates from different parties and independent backgrounds are in fray.

February 11: Polling has begun in the first phase of  assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. Voters from Western part of the state will seal the fate of 839 candidates contesting on 73 seats today. UP’ s western region has seen communally flared up politics in the recent past.

Also read: Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections 2017 Phase 1 Live Updates: Voting begins for 73 seats

February 8: As Uttar Pradesh elections are round the corner, joining or leaving a political party becomes a topic of discussion, recent in being a part of the trend is Umed Singh, husband of bandit queen-turned-parliamentarian late Phoolan Devi. Singh, who till recently was with the Bhahujan Samaj party, on Tuesday joined Congress.

February 7: UP Elections: Jai-Veeru of politics Rahul Gandhi-Akhilesh Yadav launch ‘Yeh Hui Na Baat’ song to woo voters

Looks like Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav are leaving no stone unturned to win the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2017. After coming up with the slogan, “UP ko yeh saath pasand hain,” the Samajwadi Party and Congress have come up with an election campaign song titled, “Yeh hui na baat.”

The catchy poll song has been sung by Amit Mishra who recently gave a huge hit recently with Bulleya in Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.

Out of the 5 poll-bound states, polling in Punjab and Goa took place February 4. In Punjab, the people voted on over 117 state assembly seats while in Goa the polling happened for 40 assembly seats. In Punjab, over 66 per cent electorate had exercised their franchise till 5 p.m. on Saturday as polling for the state assembly officially ended peacefully. Earlier, due to glitches in EVM, voting process began late from its schedule time. While in Goa, record 83 per cent of polling was recorded. Last elections witnessed 81.7%.

Several known faces were spotted casting their votes in both the states. In Punjab, start candidates like Navjot Singh Sindhu, AAP leader Bhagwant Mann, BJP CM candidate Parkash Singh Badal and Congress leader Capt. Amarinder Singh among others exercised their franchise.
In Goa, Union Defence Minister and former Chief Minister of the state, Manohar Parrikar, stood in the line and waited for his chance to cast his vote. After voting, he also claimed that BJP will win with the majority. “Initial reports suggest good turnout in the state. Goa might cross last year’s turnout of 84% & BJP will win with 2/3rd of the majority,” said Parrikar after casting his vote.

In Goa, Pink booths were established to attract female voters to cast their vote while in Ounjab, first time voters were felicitated by the election officials.

Following are the polling updates from both the states (Punjab and Goa):

  • Punjab has recorded an overall voter turnout of 55% till 03:00 PM

  • Congress party’s CM candidate, Capt Amrinder Singh casts his vote

  • Voter turnout in North Goa 55%, in South Goa 52%. Total voter turnout in Goa till 1 pm 53%
  • After Navjot Sidhu, his son Karan Singh says – Very confident of our win, did door to door campaigns and got a positive response about my mother & father.
  • Expert comments from RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav:

  • Famous Punjabi singer Hans Raj Hans arrives to cast his vote, says BJP-Akali Dal will win and Parkash Singh Badal will become the CM for the sixth time.

  • Is dharm yudh mei satya ki jeet hone wali hai; Hum sure hain ki sarkar Cong ki banegi; Yahan se Cong ke jhande mei danda lagega-Navjot Sidhu
  • The newly joined Congress member from Punjab, Navjot Singh Sidhu, along with his wife Navjot Kaur arrives to vote at booth in Amritsar

  • The polling percentage in Goa are as follows

  • ‘Pink Booth’ set up in Goa for women to cast their votes

  • “Aftr 30-yrs there was a blast in Punjab while Kejriwal was having dinner & breakfast with Babbar Khalsa. It is a clear indication that ISI sponsors Kejriwal. Punjab wants a government that coordinates with Centre not one that has issues with Centre every day, certainly not one that ruined Delhi,” said Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal
  • ‘Right to vote must not be wasted”: 75- year old woman sets an example by casting her vote in Goa

  • By the initial 2 hours, Goa recorded 15% voting while  12% voters turnout till 10:30 am
  • Team India’s veteran bowler, Harbhajan Singh reaches along with his mother to cast vote in Jalandhar. Official at polling booth no.23 in Jalandhar takes a selfie with Cricketer Harbhajan Singh.
  • “Pehle do parties the, ab 3 hai, kaafhi votes divert honge, par jo bhi jeete woh Punjab ko apne party se pehle rakhe,” said Harbhajan after casting vote.

  • “Amarinder Singh is ‘dal-badlu’ leader. I have an experience of 70-years and have always fought for Punjab & India. This is just a small battle,” said Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal.
  • Punjab Deputy CM says we’ll have a bigger win than last time, Amarinder Singh is only drama & AAP is on 3rd position.

 

  • The current Chief Minister of Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal, and Deputy Chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal cast their votes

  • Punjab has recorded overall polling percentage of 8% till 9 :30 am
  • Actor turned politician and an Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Jalalabad constituency, Bhagwant Mann, casts his vote in Mohali

  • And here comes a  first-time voter and she says, No matter whose govt comes in power, youth wants employment

  • Comedian Gurpreet Ghuggi casts his vote in Bhatinda, says voting is our right and must be exercised

  • It’s good to see people coming to cast vote in Punjab in good numbers

  • In Jalandhar, Congress candidate Pargat Singh casts his vote at booth no. 66

  • “Punjab mei Cong ki sarkar aa rhi hai; Match jeentenge aur lambe-chaude goal honge;AAP hai thoda bahut,Akali Dal bilkul nhi,” said Congress candidate Pargat Singh
  • In Punjab’s Lambi constituency, the police conducts security check at polling booths

  • In Goa, senior citizens cast their votes

  • Delay in several booths in Punjab due to technical fault in the Electronic Voting Machines

  • In Punjab’s Jalandhar constituency, the women cast their votes in the booth number no.66

  • “We will win with a complete and comfortable majority, will continue development work and most importantly job creation,” said Goa CM Lakshmikant Parsekarn after casting his vote.

  • Goa Chief Minister Lakshmikant Parsekar casts his vote

  • Amritsar candidates reaches Golden Temple to take the blessings ahead of the polling

The previous activities happened in all poll-bound states:

Rahul Gandhi addresses people in Sangroor, attends ‘common kitchen’ programme: On the last day of assembly poll campaigning in Punjab, Rahul Gandhi arrived at Sangrur district where he targeted the Shrimani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party alliance and held them responsible for the deteriorating condition of Punjab.

Rahul asserted that Punjab was moving towards the growth under the Congress rule but as soon as the Badal government came into existence, the growth rate of the state started going horribly down. He also said that after getting the powers, the existing rulers said that they follow the teachings of Guru Nanak and run the government but they did exactly the opposite.

Sonia Gandhi not to campaign for Congress in Uttar Pradesh: In a major blow to Congress party, its President Sonia Gandhi will not campaign in any of the five poll-bound states, including Uttar Pradesh, sources in the party said on January 31. Notably, Sonia Gandhi has not been keeping well these days.

Earlier there were reports that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may end up contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections from Raebareli in place of her mother, Sonia Gandhi.

Shivpal Yadav to form  new political party: In a sudden move, younger brother of Samajwadi Party Supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, Shivpal Yadav on January 31 announced that he will form a new party after March 11. While addressing a rally in Etawah ahead of Uttar Pradesh elections, Shivpal affirmed that he will campaign with the people who were not given tickets by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

‘UP ko ye saath pasand hai,’ Rahul-Akhilesh campaigns together: In order to enrich the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance in Uttar Pradesh to report a massive win in the upcoming elections, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will hold a joint roadshow on January 29.

This rally will be the maiden campaign together for both the party leaders after Congress and SP amalgamated to form a political alliance in the state. Moreover, the duo will campaign with a tagline – “UP ko ye saath pasand hai “(UP relishes this alliance), in order to convey the message that the 2 parties were their choice as they go to vote. The roadshow will conclude with a joint press conference.

Bharatiya Janata Party issues election manifesto in Uttar Pradesh: Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah announced the manifesto for the polls. He termed it as ‘Sankalp Patra’ which consist of nine pages. BJPs manifesto included a massive amount of promises ranging from free WiFi in colleges to taking steps to improve the law and order of the state. Shah also raised the age-old Ram mandir issue and said that a temple will be made at the contentious Ayodhya site while staying within the constitutional framework.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Rally in Panaji, Goa: On January 28, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today reached Goa and addressed a rally in Panaji. Praising the works of the present BJP government in the state, PM Modi asserted that the sate government has always worked to ensure growth in the region.

Comparing sate’s situation under other party’s control, he claimed that Goa had suffered a state of instability before the BJP rule. The Chief Ministers of the state changed faster than the fixed interval which hampered the growth of Goa. He also focused on the tourism business which has been bringing revenue for the state. He asked the people to support and BJP for growth and stated that like lotus blossoms, Goa will blossom too.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Rally in Jalandhar, Punjab: Kick-starting the Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party campaign ahead of state assembly elections in Punjab, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 27 targeted the Congress party and compared it with a sinking ship.

While addressing a rally in Jalandhar, PM Modi said that Congress is desperate for power.

“Congress party is a sinking ship and it is desperate of power,” PM Modi said, adding that the Congress party has no principles and always make false promises. Further praising the Badals for their effort for upliftment of Punjab, Modi said “People of Punjab want to see Parkash Singh Badal again as its CM.

Rahul Gandhi’s Rally in Majitha, Punjab: Ahead of the assembly polls in Punjab, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today attacked the ruling Badal family from the stage of Majitha for ruining Punjab and also alleged for deteriorating the condition of Punjab youth.

The stage is set for the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur. The upcoming elections will be a big test for the Bharatiya Janata Party as these are the first polls after the Central government took the demonetisation decision.

All states will go to polls in one go. Polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases- 11 February, 15 February, 19 February, 23 February, 27 February, 4 March and 8 March. In Manipur, elections will be held in two phases – 4 March and 8 March. Elections in the remaining states will be held in one phase. In Uttarakhand, it will be held on 15 February, in Punjab, voting will take place on 4 February and Goa will go to polls on 4 February. Counting of votes will take place on March 11.

Priyanka Gandhi to campaign in Uttar Pradesh: As per sources, speculations are rife that Priyanka Gandhi might contest from Raibareli in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. For past several years, Raebareli has been Sonia Gandhi’s constituency but as she is not keeping well for sometime Priyanka might step in, in order to retain crucial congress seat.

Priyanka also played a major role in Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance for the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Congress and Samajwadi Party to fight together: Samajwadi Party and the Congress on January 22 formally announced their alliance in a press conference ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections. Congress leader Raj Babbar asserted that the party hoped the alliance will send out a positive message and that the party will work hard for the development of the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Akhilesh announces the Election Manifesto: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav on January 22released election manifesto ahead of upcoming assembly elections. While speaking at the election manifesto event, Akhilesh Yadav promised to provide people with smartphones if Samajwadi Party comes back to power.

Even as Akhilesh Yadav addressed the crowd SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh’s uncle Shivpal Yadav reportedly gave the event a miss for reasons not known as yet. It was also reported that SP leader, Azam Khan had left for Mulayam Singh’s residence to get him along to attend the manifesto event.

Hectic political developments are underway in all poll-bound states. Here is a snapshot of what is making the news:

Navjot Singh Sidhu files nomination from Amritsar East. “Not a personal fight, just want the youth of Punjab to walk on the right path. It was important for me to come into the system and fight,” he said.

Senior Congress leader Narayan Dutt Tiwari and his son Rohit Shekhar join BJP

Sources say Swami Prasad Maurya is unhappy with BJP over the distribution of tickets. He is likely to decide on party affiliation after candidates list is announced. He reportedly wants the BJP to give tickets to his family members and supporters, but the party is unwilling.

BJP Central Election Committee meeting to take place on Thursday at 11 AM to finalise remaining list of candidates for UP and Uttarakhand polls.

Former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh’s daughter Gurkanwal Kaur who joined BJP three days back, has now rejoined Congress.

Caveat filed in Supreme Court by Ramgopal Yadav stating that if aggrieved party, ie. Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav, come to SC for any plea, the Court should not pass any order without hearing the Akhilesh Yadav group.

BJP meets Election Commission to complain against Rahul Gandhi for his speech comparing Lord Shiva’s hand with the symbol of the Congress.

Punjab 2017 elections will be my last, says Captain Amarinder Singh. Commenting on Sidhu’s “Ghar Wapsi” remark, Amarinder Singh said that it was “Ghar Wapsi” for him because his father was from the party.

Also Read: Cong-SP alliance deal sealed, announcement soon; Sheila Dixit to quit now!

2:00 pm: Congress-Samajwadi Party to join hands for UP polls: Ghulam Nabi Azad
Sheila Dikshit says will withdraw as CM candidate if the two parties form an alliance

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