.story-content span .story-content p .story-content div color:#000!important;font-family: open sans Arial!important;font-size:15px!important ALSO READ UP bypolls: Pravin Kumar Nishad is the David who beat Goliath in Gorakhpur UP by-poll result LIVE: Akhilesh thanks Mayawati for Gorakhpur Phulpur UP bypoll fallout: BJP withdraws two candidates for Rajya Sabha elections SP delivers shocker in UP by-polls; RJD keeps Jehanabad Araria in Bihar span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Thursday said the BJP may call for early Lok Sabha elections after its stunning defeat in the parliamentary bypolls in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister whose gamble of backing the Samajwadi Party for the bypolls in Gorakhpur and Phulpur in the state paid rich dividends said the idea was to teach the party a lesson. Addressing a rally here she labelled the Narendra Modi government at the Centre a dictatorship and alleged that it had surpassed the Emergency imposed by the Congress government in 1975. Mayawati also accused the government of weakening democracy and making constitutional organisations and the media ineffectual. In Uttar Pradesh we wanted to teach the BJP a lesson and decided to support SP candidates so that it loses the seats earlier held by the chief minister and deputy chief minister... They have lost their sleep with this result she said. The Uttar Pradesh and Bihar Lok Sabha and Assembly by-election results dealt a major blow to the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) on Wednesday. The party which is in power in both the states lost four of the five seats in the bypoll including the all-important Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats in Uttar Pradesh. The Gorakhpur seat until recently was represented by chief minister Yogi Adityanath. Significantly Gorakhpur was earlier held by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath while Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had held the Phulpur seat. Especially worrisome for the BJP was the fact that it was trounced by the BSP-backed Samajwadi Party in the high-stakes Gorakhpur and Phulpur bypolls which could boost the chances of a mahagathbandhan of anti-BJP parties before the 2019 general elections. After sweeping the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections last year the BJP faced a last-minute alliance stitched by the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the bypolls. BSP supremo Mayawati had announced her party s backing for SP candidates in both Gorakhpur and Phulpur in return for the SP s support for her party s candidate in the Rajya Sabha biennial elections. The BJP lost the Gorakhpur seat to the SP by a margin of 21 961 votes. SP candidate Pravin Kumar Nishad got 456 437 while his nearest rival BJP s Upendra Dutt Shukla secured 434 476 votes. In the Phulpur constituency SP candidate Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel defeated BJP candidate Kaushalendra Singh by a margin of 59 613 votes. The winner polled 342 796 votes while the BJP candidate secured 283 183. Meanwhile in Bihar the BJP also lost the Araria Lok Sabha constituency and the Jehanabad Assembly seat while scoring a consolation win in the Bhabua Assembly seat. The results in both the states triggered calls for a Grand Alliance -- a la Bihar -- all across India to take on the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Once the outcome of the Uttar Pradesh 2018 bypolls was known Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that over-confidence and the inability to understand the understanding between SP and BSP were the prime reasons for the BJP s defeat. Here are the top 10 developments in the shock defeat for BJP in UP and Bihar bypolls: 1) SP victory boosts chances of an anti-BJP coalition in UP: With the tacit understanding between the Samajwadi Party and the BSP in the Lok Sabha bye-elections for two seats paying off chances of a mahagathbandhan of anti-BJP parties before the 2019 general elections got a boost in Uttar Pradesh. These results are the beginning of the formation of a broadest possible alliance of Opposition forces before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections senior political analyst and retired head of the political science department of the Lucknow University Ramesh Dixit said. The Congress will also be forced to come into this fold with all the major players Dixit said adding that all these parties were working to oust the BJP. This showing has come as a silver lining for all the other parties and notwithstanding their inner contradictions their major concern of maintaining their political relevance which is under challenge will guide them to fall in line Dixit said. Social scientist professor Nadeem Husnain said that it was a fight for survival and that all the parties would be forced to somehow sew together a working alliance in 2019. Their alliance in Uttar Pradesh in 2022 looks a little difficult as they have major stakes in the state and issues like leadership and chief minister s post are their Achilles heel Husnain who was with the department of Anthropology of Lucknow University said. ALSO READ: Bypoll results underscore BJP s vulnerability against united Oppn 2) Siddaramaiah s advice to Yogi: The Karnataka CM on Thursday advised his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath not to lecture to his state on development after BJP lost the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha by-elections in the northern state. Congratulations to Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party for this historic victory. Unity among the non-BJP parties has played a key role. Perhaps Yogi Adityanath should spend less time lecturing Karnataka on development said Siddaramaiah in a tweet. Adityanath had addressed several rallies in the poll-bound southern state in the last two months. 2) Akhilesh drives to Mayawati s residence: Setting aside 25 years of bitter and historic rivalry Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav drove to the residence of Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati to thank her for the support to his party s candidates in Phulpur and Gorakhpur. While Akhilesh Yadav had thanked the BSP chief whom he fondly calls Buaji (aunt) at a hurriedly called press conference on Wednesday evening he created a flutter in political circles in Lucknow as his cavalcade drove from his Vikramaditya Marg residence to the sprawling bungalow of Mayawati at Mall Avenue. They were closeted together for about 20 minutes. While what transpired between the two is not yet known it is understood that the two discussed the poll outcome in which their parties together beat the ruling BJP. 3) Congress says people showing BJP the door : Buoyed by the results of the Lok Sabha bypolls in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar the Opposition parties said that the verdict reflected public anger against the BJP and that it was the beginning of the end for the ruling party at the Centre. The Congress said that people across the country angered by the BJP s arrogance and misrule were showing it the door . Congratulating the winners of the Lok Sabha by-elections Congress President Rahul Gandhi said that the outcomes showed that people were angry with the BJP and would vote for any non-BJP candidate with the potential to win. He also said that the Congress was keen to rebuild the party in Uttar Pradesh but added that it would not happen overnight . Congratulations to the winners of today s by-elections. It is clear from the results that voters have a lot of anger towards the BJP and will vote for any non-BJP candidate who has more chances of winning. The Congress is keen on rebuilding the party in Uttar Pradesh but that will not happen overnight he tweeted in Hindi. The party s candidates in the state lost their deposits in the recent by-polls to the two Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. 4) Lalu says victory of truth over falsehood : RJD President Lalu Prasad who is currently in jail following his conviction in the fodder scam cases described his party s victory in the Bihar bypolls as the victory of truth over falsehood . The more you pour the fuel of conspiracy on Lalu the brighter will his lantern burn. Millions of salutations to the people of Bihar for upholding justice. This is a victory of truth over falsehood the RJD supremo whose party has the lantern as its election symbol tweeted in Hindi. The RJD retained Araria Lok Sabha and Jehanabad Assembly seats in the by-elections for three seats in Bihar. The BJP retained Bhabhua Assembly seat. Prasad also thanked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who congratulated him on the great victory saying Thank you didi. Together we are fighting. We shall fight and we will win . ALSO READ: Phulpur & Gorakhpur bypoll results: Is it just a question of numbers? 5) Adityanath blames over-confidence for BJP s loss: Once the outcome of the Uttar Pradesh bypolls 2018 became known Adityanath said that over-confidence and the inability to understand the understanding between SP and BSP were the prime reasons for the BJP s shocking loss. The Chief Minister said that the Lok Sabha bye-election results were a lesson for the BJP and cause for a review. When the candidates were declared the SP BSP and Congress were not together. They had not joined hands then. But suddenly in the middle of the election the SP and the BSP forged an electoral understanding he told media at his residence. The over-confidence and inability to understand the electoral understanding between the SP and the BSP led to the defeat Adityanath stressed. Political bargaining has started in the state and people of the state will understand it he claimed. The chief minister who has represented Gorakhpur in Lok Sabha five times said local issues led to his party s poor performance and not the policies of the Centre. Local issues dominated and voter turnout was also low he said. When general elections are held there will be national issues. Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi there has been a sense of confidence which is prevailing in the country he said adding that the party would review all aspects. ALSO READ: UP Bypolls: Will go back to drawing board say UP BJP leaders 6) Wait and watch : Refusing to comment on the possibility of an alliance between the SP and the BSP for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections Senior Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav said Just wait and watch. Talking to reporters outside Parliament Yadav said that the victory of the SP in both Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha bye-elections was a referendum against the Yogi government. Me and my party are grateful to the BSP and its workers who worked hard to ensure the victory of the SP candidate in these by-polls. As far as 2019 general elections is concerned just wait and watch. And hope for the best Yadav said. ALSO READ: SP delivers shocker in UP by-polls; RJD keeps Jehanabad Araria in Bihar 7) Congress claims BJP has lost simple majority in LS: As the BJP lost two Lok Sabha bypolls in UP and one in Bihar the Congress said that the ruling party had lost the simple majority in the Lok Sabha on its own . The Congress said that the results gave a clear message that the people were angry with the BJP for its arrogance and misrule . The 2017-18 report card of the BJP is 0/10 -- the BJP lost all 10 Lok Sabha by-elections in 2017 and 2018. Bypoll results have given a clear message that people are angry with the BJP for its arrogance and misrule Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted. He said that the Lok Sabha seats lost by the BJP in 2017 were Amritsar Srinagar Malappuram and Gurdaspur as well as Ajmer Alwar Uluberia Gorakhpur Phulpur and Araria in 2018. In May 2014 the BJP won 282 Lok Sabha seats. In four years the BJP is down to 271 losing the simple majority in the Lok Sabha minus its allies -- considering the fact that Modi has suspended party MP Kirti Azad and virtually disowned their most truthful and fiercely independent Patna Sahib MP (Shatrughan Sinha) Surjewala claimed. 2017-18 Report Card of BJP is 0/10- BJP lost all 10 LS by-elections in 2017 & 2018. By-Poll results have given clear message that Ppl are angry with BJP for its arrogance & misrule. 2017-Amritsar Srinagar Malappuram Gurdaspur 2018-Ajmer Alwar Uluberia Gorakhpur Phulpur Araria Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) March 14 2018 In May 2014 BJP won 282 Lok Sabha seats. In 4 years BJP Govt is down to 271 losing the simple majority in Lok Sabha minus its allies - considering the fact that PM Modi has suspended Kirti Azad & virtually disowned their most truthful fiercely independent Patna Sahib MP. Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) March 14 2018 However the BJP has lost only seven seats in by-elections held so far in the past four years. In the by-elections since Narendra Modi stormed to power in 2014 the BJP lost to Congress on four seats to the Samajwadi Party on two seats and to the Rashtriya Janata Dal on one seat. According to the Lok Sabha Secretariat the BJP has 274 MPs in the Lower House excluding the Speaker of the House. ALSO READ: BJP s tally in Lok Sabha down to 274 from 282 in 2014 8) It s Nitish s time to offer an explanation : After the Bihar results former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav said that the people have given their verdict and it is Janata Dal (United) President Nitish Kumar s time to offer an explanation for his party s loss in the state bypolls. The Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly said: Nitishji used to advise that one should go to the people s court but now the public has given its verdict and it is Nitishji s turn to give an explanation. (Nitish) is a morally corrupt person. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader said he welcomed those who felt the suffocation of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to the Grand Alliance. Yadav also said that his party s victory in the Araria and Jehanabad Assembly seats was not casual and that the results had paved a new direction for the country. Earlier he took to Twitter to dedicate the win to the people of the state and thanked them for supporting the Lalu Prasad-led RJD and his ideology. ALSO READ: Bihar by-poll results a warning for BJP Nitish: Jitan Ram Manjhi 10) Winning Gorakhpur and Phulpur was prestige issue for BJP: The results of Gorakhpur and Phulpur came as a shock to the BJP. Gorakhpur was vacated by Chief Minister Adityanath who had been its representative since 1998; Phulpur fell vacant after his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya quit it. Winning these was a prestige issue for the party. With agency inputs
.story-content span .story-content p .story-content div color:#000!important;font-family: open sans Arial!important;font-size:15px!important ALSO READ UP energy watchdog spares industry from tariff shock Global investors to infuse nearly 840 mn in power projects: Tata power CEO Heatwave 2018: Power demand in India to touch record high this summer Only 4 projects fit for Mega Power Policy benefits span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 Three states have come forward to participate in the bidding process wherein cheap power will be procured from stressed assets as part of a new power ministry scheme. Gujarat and Maharashtra have asked for 500 Mw each under the programme while Uttar Pradesh is set to procure 1 000 Mw. The scheme was launched as one of the measures to provide relief to stressed power generating assets. The new centralised bidding for 2 500 Mw will be held which would invite quotations from power developers for a lump sum tariff. This would also involve power aggregation and disbursement according to the cost and the states demand. The lump sum tariff would have to be quoted with a very nominal fixed cost portion. Officials said power developers will bid against the cap offered on fixed cost. Power tariff for coal-based power plants comprises fixed cost and variable cost. Fixed cost is the capital cost of the power plant and variable cost comprises cost of fuel transportation etc. If a state has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) it has to pay the fixed charge even when not procuring power. The government will also set a power aggregator which would call for tenders and collate all bids and power supply. It would then disburse power to states that wish to procure low fixed cost electricity. Sources said state-owned Power Trading Corporation (PTC) will be the aggregator and the bid document is being drafted by Power Finance Corporation (PFC). PFC executives said Gujarat has expressed interest to follow a similar bidding route to procure an additional 5 000 Mw. In the last five years no fresh PPAs have been issued by any states except Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. UP later cancelled the PPAs it signed. About 105 000 Mw of power plants are classified under stressed assets due to either lack of fuel supply or PPAs or both.
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has transferred 37 IAS officials including 16 District Magistrates an official said on Saturday. Rajiv Rautela the District Magistrate of Gorakhpur who courted controversy on Wednesday for barring the media from accessing details at the Lok Sabha bypoll counting centre has been shifted and promoted as Divisional Commissioner of Devipatan. The bureaucratic rejig was effected late on Friday. File image of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath. PTI The Samajwadi Party has wrested Gorakhpur Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath s home constituency from BJP after several decades. Anoop Chandra Pandey the industrial and infrastructure development commissioner (IIDC) credited with the success of the UP Investors Summit held in February has been rewarded with the additional charge of the NRI Department besides the additional charge of Greater Noida. Alok Sinha has been made the new principal secretary (Commercial Tax) Nitin Ramesh has been made the new principal secretary (Housing). He replaced Mukul Singhal who has been sent to the Silk Department. Senior bureaucrat Rajeev Kapoor who was in waiting ever since his return from a central deputation has been made the chairman of PICUP; Alok Tandon has been given additional charge of Noida as its chairman. Deepak Agarwal has been made the new divisional commissioner of Varanasi while Chandra Prakash Tripathi has been made the new commissioner of Saharanpur. Ravindra Naik has been made the director industries while Saumya Agarwal has been given the charge of vice-chairperson of Kanpur Development Authority (KDA). Chandra Bhushan Singh has been given charge as new District Magistrate of Aligarh SV Ranga Rao is the new commissioner of Azamgarh while Shivakant Dwivedi has been made the new District Magistrate of Azamgarh. Rajendra Prasad is the new District Magistrate of Bhadohi Krishna Karunesh (Balrampur) Pramod Kumar Upadhyaya (Hapur) Hemant Kumar (Amroha) Navneet Chahal (Chandauli) Rama Shankar Maurya (Hathras) and Amit Singh is the new District Magistrate of Sonebhadra. Pranjal Yadav who was a special secretary in Udyog Bandhu and played an important role in the Investors Summit has surprisingly been shunted out and made the new director (Training). Surendra Vikram has been removed and replaced by Bhawani Singh as District Magistrate of Ballia. Sarika Mohan has been removed and replaced by Sheetal Verma as District Magistrate of Sitapur. Akhilesh Kumar Mishra has been made the new District Magistrate of Pilibhit. District Magistrate of Bareilly Raghvendra Singh who had created a storm after his comments on the social media on the growing communal temper in the state has also been removed.
As it became clear that the Samajwadi Party was heading to victory in the bye-elections in Uttar Pradesh and the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted to congratulate the winners claiming the result showed anger was simmering against the Bharatiya Janata Party. But the truth is that the Congress found itself in a difficult situation on Wednesday: the party did not know whether it should be happy about these results or worried. Congress members celebrated the Opposition s convincing victory over the BJP as further proof that the electoral machine created by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah was not invincible. As beaming Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders distributed sweets in Parliament to celebrate their victory Congress members joined in saying the entire Opposition was united in its goal to defeat the BJP in the 2019 general election. It is not an impossible task said a senior Congress leader. These elections have once again demonstrated that the adulation for Modi has turned into anger. But amid all the celebrations there were signs of worry. For one today s results will make it difficult for the party to forge a major alliance for the 2019 election on its terms. The good news is that the first step towards the formation of an opposition alliance has been taken but in the process our bargaining power has been reduced said a Congress functionary from Uttar Pradesh. That the party suffered a drubbing in both Gorakhpur and Phulpur parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh its candidates finished far behind those of the Samajwadi Party which was supported by the Bahujan Samaj Party and the BJP showed it has little presence in this crucial heartland state. The Congress s footprint in fact has shrunk across India having being marginalised also in states such as Bihar West Bengal Odisha and Tamil Nadu where it has ceded space to regional forces. In Uttar Pradesh particularly the Congress has much to worry about now that it stands isolated by the partnership of Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati. After today s results the leaders of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party have reason to believe that there is no advantage in aligning with the Congress as the party would only erode their Dalit and minority support without offering much in return. Not the leader As a pan-India party the Congress cannot possibly be kept out of any major alliance that the Opposition may form in the near future but its shrinking footprint makes it increasingly difficult for the grand old party to play a lead role in such a coalition. The Congress though has an opportunity to regain its pre-eminent position among Opposition parties if it retains Karnataka and wrests Rajasthan Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh from the BJP in the Assembly elections later this year. The party is hoping the positive momentum generated by today s results would see it through the upcoming elections. For now with the Congress still to prove itself regional satraps such as West Bengal s Mamata Banerjee and Telangana s K Chandrashekar Rao are attempting to form a non-Congress non-BJP third front . The West Bengal chief minister in particular has been actively pushing for such a grouping with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam s MK Stalin Telugu Desam Party s N Chandrababu Naidu and Akhilesh Yadav. The regional forces are not convinced that Rahul Gandhi has the capability to lead an anti-BJP alliance and the ongoing effort to form a third front is essentially aimed at denying the leadership of a future opposition alliance to the Nehru-Gandhi scion. Banerjee conveyed precisely this point when she chose to send a second-rung leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay for the dinner hosted by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for opposition leaders on Tuesday. As if to stress the point the Trinamool Congress chief will personally attend a meeting of opposition parties being organised by Nationalist Congress Party s Sharad Pawar in Delhi on March 27. Indeed Trinamool Congress leaders said that while it would be difficult to keep the Congress out of any opposition alliance there was no way it could be accepted as the lead player. By going for the dinner we have indicated that we have not shut the door on the Congress a senior Trinamool leader pointed out referring to Sonia Gandhi s meeting. But at the same time we do not want it to hog the limelight. The Congress did not help its case by not allying with the Samajwadi Party for Gorakhpur and Phulpur bye-polls. It is learnt that talks to form such an alliance broke down because the Congress insisted that the Samajwadi Party forfeit its claim to one of the seats. The Congress decided to contest on its own when the Samajwadi Party rejected its claim. Congress leaders said they could still have saved face had they withdrawn their candidates in the interest of opposition unity after Mayawati extended support to the Samajwadi Party. We could have taken credit for the results today a senior Congress leader said. But we ended up exposing our flanks.
New Delhi: The results of bypolls in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar do not bode well for the Congress as the strengthening of regional outfits may weaken the grand old party s chances of leading a joint Opposition front for the 2019 general elections. Political observers feel that unless the Congress reclaims some states from the BJP and retains Karnataka in Assembly elections slated to be held later this year its chances of leading such an alliance may weaken further. Representational image. AFP The Congress however feels that the victory of the SP-BSP combine in Uttar Pradesh is an aberration and it is the only party with a pan-India presence capable of cobbling together and leading a coalition to defeat the BJP. The Congress was left out of the SP-BSP combine in the Uttar Pradesh bypolls where the alliance elbowed out the BJP in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath s bastion of Gorakhpur and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya s constituency in Phulpur. While on the one hand the Congress is seeking to put together a joint Opposition alliance to take the BJP on in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections regional parties are hoping to forge a united front without the Congress as another alternative. TRS chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has already taken the lead in this and has been in touch with leaders of other regional parties such as Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress. The Congress is also carrying on with its efforts to keep the Opposition together. Party leader Sonia Gandhi hosted a dinner recently for all non-BJP parties an event that was attended by leaders of 20 Opposition parties including the Congress. Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala said it was now crystal clear that the people of the country had given its no confidence to the Modi brand of politics driven by rhetoric than reality and guided by headline management than the country s management . Naturally they are looking at alternatives. Opposition political parties are driven by the pressure and will of India s people to save the essence of India s foundational values and come together to defend them despite the disagreement of politics and conflict of interest at times he said. The Congress was the only natural party with a pan-India appeal which could stitch the coalition together in the fight for India s foundational and civilisational values he told PTI. Surjewala was not unduly worried about the party losing ground in the states its two candidates lost their deposits in the Uttar Pradesh bypolls and said this was an aberration . There will be some aberrations like we saw on Wednesday yet the umbrella or the path to tread upon will be laid by the Congress so that everyone can walk ahead hand-in-hand together he said. Another Congress leader former Union minister S Jaipal Reddy said the idea of a third front as propagated by Rao was merely a stunt to befool the people. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi however had said yesterday that the verdict of the bypolls showed the anger of the people against the BJP and that they would vote for any non-BJP candidate who had the potential to win. Gandhi also said the Congress party was keen to rebuild the party in Uttar Pradesh but that would not happen overnight. The Congress is keen on rebuilding the party in Uttar Pradesh but that will not happen overnight he tweeted in Hindi yesterday. A senior Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh and a former minister feared that after the bypolls regional parties SP and BSP might think the Congress was irrelevant in the state. He said if this idea gained ground the bargaining power of the Congress could take a severe hit and the party may be given just 5 to 6 seats out of a total of 80 in the state in an electoral arrangement for the next Lok Sabha polls. The fate of the Congress is now totally in the hands of these two parties. And neither will want the Congress to contest in more than 5-6 seats out of a total of 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP the former minister told PTI. The SP and BSP have their own vote banks and will not want the Congress to be strengthened as they fear that it could eat into their constituencies. In the last Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh the Congress contested in only 103 of the 403 seats while the SP fought from 298. The situation is not very different in other states such as Karnataka West Bengal Maharashtra Andhra Pradesh and Telangana where regional players are seeking to flex their muscles and will demand a greater pound of flesh from the Congress. In Karnataka the BSP and regional outfit JD-S have already tied up and in states such as Maharashtra and West Bengal the NCP and the TMC would want to dominate the electoral arrangements. The Congress poll analysts said can strengthen its position only if it wins Karnataka and later states such as Rajasthan Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh where it is in a direct contest with the BJP.
NEW DELHI: A few days before polling chief minister Yogi Adityanath s camp received feedback that getting Upendra Dutta Shukla elected from Gorakhpur would not be an easy task as the party was not doing well particularly in rural areas. The chief minister thence asked partymen to ensure high polling at least in urban areas. But by the time they swung into action it was too late. Yogi s absence from his constituency also turned out to be a handicap. Though he continued to connect with locals during his visits to Gorakhpur his effectiveness in Gorakhpur as chief minister could not match his tenure as the head of the Gorakhnath Math and local MP. His election as chief minister had also changed the fortunes of his Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV). It not only stopped recruiting but started working for implementing policies of the state government. HYV has been considered as the major source of strength for Yogi in Gorakhpur and adjacent areas. HYV state general secretary PK Mall confirmed to ET the freeze on inducting new members. HYV members are now also engaged in making people aware about the Yogiji government s good works and its policies he said and added that HYV also continued with efforts to maintain social harmony. Apart from HYV Yogi as Math head had direct connectivity with voters as the temple is known for its socio-political connections. He then had time for voters who could approach him at the premises of the temple. People started missing his style of his functioning as a local MP. He had then enough time to ensure proper monitoring of people s problems which were brought to his notice. After becoming the CM he depends mostly on his team for getting such work done a person in Gorakhpur said. Things apparently changed for Yogi after he shifted to Lucknow. BJP s defeat indicates it did not receive information on the political developments at the grassroots although the mechanism he developed for ensuring his victory was still in place. His supporters had always information in advance about electorally weak areas before the poll process began said a resident of Gorakhpur. May be Yogi s camp failed to convince voters that their local MP had grown and had the much heavier responsibility of taking care of the nation s politically most-crucial state.
NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh led the nationwide increase in communal violence in 2017 according to statistics placed by the Union Home Ministry in parliament on Wednesday. The figures indicate that incidents of communal violence have gone up to 822 and killed 111 people last year the highest in four years.According to the centre s statistics Uttar http://journals.fotki.com/kkdigital/digital-marketing-courses/ Pradesh Rajasthan Bihar and Jharkhand accounted for the biggest chunk of the 15 per cent increase in communal incidents in 2017 over the previous year.The spike in violence in these states is a sharp contrast to reports from states such as Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh that appear to have succeeded in keeping the situation under check.Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir told the Lok Sabha that the communal violence was reported to be attributed to religious factors land and property disputes gender related offences social media related issues and other miscellaneous factors. Uttar Pradesh also continues to top the list of states with maximum communal violence incidents and deaths. 44 people were killed and 540 injured in UP in 2017. This compares poorly with 29 deaths and injuries to 490 people in 2016 and 22 deaths and 410 injuries the previous year.The statistics contradict Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who had a few months back claimed that not a single riot had taken place in the state after he came to power. Comments When we came to power hooliganism was at its peak and there was not a day when riots did not take place...the governments at the helm used to call over rioters and honour them...but in these eight months not a single riot has taken place Yogi Adityanath said in November last year during campaigning for the local body elections.An analysis of Home Ministry statistics tabled in parliament indicates that the only time communal violence figures had been higher over the last seven years was in 2013 when riots broke out in Muzaffarnagar region of Uttar Pradesh that left over 60 dead.
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