UP Live: Will Build Ram Temple if BJP Gets Majority, Says BJP
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and SP chief Akhilesh embarks on his first campaign trail for Assembly polls 2017.
Temple for a Clear Majority, Says BJP UP Chief
On Tuesday, BJP raked up again the contentious issue of Ram Temple before the first phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on February 11, saying a "grand" temple will be built in Ayodhya if BJP secures an outright majority.
He also hit out at Akhilesh Yadav, saying the UP chief minister is neither with Backward Classes nor Dalits, "he only betrays".
BJP also released a list of candidates who will be contesting in the upcoming elections.
Congress Releases a List of Candidates
BSP Releases List of 'Star Campaigners'
The BSP on Tuesday released list of 40 candidates for the UP polls.
This is the list for the third phase of elections.
BJP Releases Third List of UP Candidates
The BJP, on Tuesday, released its third list of 67 candidates for UP assembly polls, which includes the name of former BSP leader Swamy Prasad Maurya, who had recently defected to the saffron party.
With this, the party has so far announced the names of 370 candidates with no Muslim nominee among them. The election to the 403-member Assembly will take place in seven phases, starting 11 February.
For remaining 30 seats, the party is in talks with its allies Apna Dal and Bhartiya Samaj Party, BJP's National General Secretary Arun Singh told reporters in New Delhi while releasing the list of its candidates.
Besides Maurya, the party has also given tickets to RK Chaudhary and Dara Singh Chouhan, who have joined the BJP from BSP.
Maurya will be BJP's candidate from Padrona seat, while RK Chaudhary and Dara Singh Chauhan have been nominated from Mohanlalganj and Madhuban seats respectively.
Priyanka Gandhi on Congress' List of 'Star Campaigners'
On Tuesday, Congress released its list of ‘star campaigners’ and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is on the list at number 9.
However, Priyanka maintained her original stand that she would limit herself to Amethi and Rae Bareli for the polls, the Congress bastions, according to media reports.
Shivpal Yadav Not in SP's List of Star Campaigners
Former Samajwadi Party (SP) state president Shivpal Singh Yadav does not figure in the list of 40 'star campaigners' issued by the party for the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections.
The former PWD Minister, who enjoyed the number two status in the state government, has since fallen from grace of his nephew and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav after a bitter power struggle in the party and the first family.
He has been already axed as the state unit chief and replaced by Akhilesh loyalist Naresh Uttam and been relegated to a virtual nobody in the party.
What is set to add injury to insult is the fact that barring Shivpal Singh Yadav, all other members of the Yadav clan who are in active politics have been named in the list.
"Big Cities Have the Real Black Money"
Questioning the BJP-led Central government’s demonetisation call, Akhilesh tells the crowd, “There is no place in the world where such calls are planned in one night. The poor had to face hardships and stand in queues. So many people died while waiting in lines. We provided the family members of the deceased with Rs 2 lakh.”
“The real black money,” he adds, is in the “big cities”.
He speaks of the SP-Congress alliance saying, “You also have the Congress party by your side and we will definitely win 300 seats.”
Akhilesh says the party will make sure the areas receive 24-hour power supply, has access to well-constructed roads as well as pensions.
Where Did 'Achhe Din' Go?
Addressing a rally in SP leader Arun Verma’s constituency Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav says the voters have decided on helping the SP win elections next month.
Talking about the number of incentives taken up by the SP government, he says that schemes to benefit the poor, including helpline numbers for women in distress, ambulance services, etc. were launched.
“You call 108 and the ambulance reaches you on time. You had to to go to police stations if there were any problems. Now, you can call up the 100 number any time and within 10-20 minutes, police will reach you. If you have any issues with police, you will also be able to complain against them in future on the same number.”
Speaking to the youth present, the leader says that the SP is concerned about their future and and will set up vocational institutes to help them hone their skills.
Taking at dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he says: “People believed in the ‘achhe din’ slogan, but where did the ‘achhe din’ go?
Pari-War Aside, Akhilesh Pedals Towards Polls
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will kickstart the Samajwadi Party’s election campaign on Tuesday from Sultanpur.
After being at loggerheads with his father and party supremo Mulayam Singh for the last few months over selecting candidates for the upcoming state Assembly polls, there has been a question over the SP’s fate.
With the Election Commission granting Akhilesh Yadav the party’s ‘cycle’ symbol, the internal rift widened with the emergence of two loyalist camps.
Keeping the tussle aside, the CM now shifts his focus on the seven-phase election in 403 constituencies across the state. He released the party’s manifesto highlighting various schemes for voters on Sunday in absence of his father and uncle Shivpal Yadav.
After hitting several roadblocks, an alliance between the SP and the Congress was also finalised. The Congress will now be allotted 105 seats in the upcoming elections.
On Monday, the SP released its third list of candidates. Akhilesh Yadav will contest from Mubarakpur, while Aparna Yadav, wife Akhilesh’s step-brother Prateek Yadav, will fight from Lucknow Cantt.
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