Tag: Assembly

Assembly polls in 9 states: Semi-final before the 2024 LS polls

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The results of the recently concluded Tripura elections and upcoming assembly polls in eight states in the current year will be a trailer and the semi-final before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The results will show whether the BJP continues to sway the voters or the Congress-led Opposition will defeat the BJP in the upcoming elections. Regional satraps would naturally want to protect their turf.
The eight states where elections are going to be held in the current year are Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and the three northeastern states, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland.
The poll schedule runs through the year. The voting process in Tripura ended on 16 February 2023 and the results will be announced on March 2 whereas Meghalaya, and Nagaland will go to polls on February 27. Karnataka to go for polling in April- May. Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram will face elections at the year-end. Jammu and Kashmir may also go for polls, the first since the abrogation of Article 350 in 2019.
Congress, BJP, and regional parties are all playing it, marshaling all their resources. The states where BJP and Congress remain the leading contenders are- big states like Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chattisgarh. Congress is ruling Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, BJP Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh. A two percent swing, either way, would change the results.
BJP wants to expand further while Congress struggles to raise its head. It has already lost the northeastern states, which was its stronghold at one point in time to the BJP, and BJP has increased its foothold steadily everywhere. Even the Communists have lost Tripura to the BJP. With such high stakes, the worst-case scenario for Congress is to lose Rajasthan and Chattisgarh and not win any of the other seven states. The best-case scenario is to retain what it has and gain more.
The BJP is on a mission mod. Mission 350′ (to get 350 seats in Lok Sabha) is their stated goal. It is going all out to enable Prime Minister Narendra Modi to perform a hat trick.’
Earlier, the BJP chief Nadda sounded the poll bugle, asking the cadres to “Prepare to win all nine Assembly polls this year. The party is getting votes of Backward Classes, SCs and STs, and is giving them representation. This shows our resolve of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, and Sabka Prayas,” he said; while addressing the party’s national executive recently.
The two parties have already begun their poll exercises, with Modi campaigning in the North East and the Congress concentrating on Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. Key regional players like the ambitious Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, hoping for a hat trick, are also preparing for the battle of 2023.

The BJP wants to focus on the South, which has 129 seats, of which the party has only 29 seats, 25 coming from Karnataka. The party wants to win at least 50 seats. But the regional satraps have a firm hold in Southern states, be it Telangana or Kerala.
“The upcoming 2023 assembly elections will be the final journey for communists, and the Congress party will become a poster”, according to Tripura’s former Tripura chief minister Biplov Kumar Deb. It will be a trial by fire between BJP and regional parties in the northeastern states. The seven states count for 25 seats.
After completing Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo’ Yatra, the Congress workers are enthused.
We must wait for Yatra’s electoral impact, as it depends on follow-up. Organizational unity is a crucial challenge, especially in states such as Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Telangana, where traditionally, Congress had done well in the past. The party’s high command must not mess up as it did in Punjab and elsewhere. It must choose its alliance partners and assess its strength correctly.
Secondly, it has to find a balance between old guards and younger leaders. Thirdly, Congress must choose a new, catchy narrative and raise correct issues, particularly of interest to the common man, like bread and butter issues.
For the BJP, money is no constraint, nor is the organization. Above all, the BJP depends on Modi’s magic to sway the voters.
However, the Saffron party is on the back foot regarding price rise, inflation, and jobs. There are no takers for its Hindutva ideology in the South. If the opposition concentrates on the bread and butter issues and convinces the voters to move away from the BJP, it would be an ‘advantage Opposition.’ The BJP also has to fight the dynasties, welfare politics, and social engineering to conquer the South. Regional satraps like K. Chandrashekhar Rao still have a hold on the electorate.
Each player has to use a different poll strategy to win and go for a suitable alliance. The Congress needs a different narrative, while the BJP ideology does not attract people in the South. The parties have to overcome some disadvantages to utilize their advantages successfully. Ultimately, it all depends on the voters and Dame Luck.
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#Assembly #polls #states #Semifinal #polls
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 24, 2023
Whatever Akhilesh Yadav said in Assembly is bundle of lies’, says UP DyCM Pathak

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Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Thursday said the protest by Samajwadi Party MLAs during the governor’s address in the Assembly was condemnable, asserting that party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s remarks in the House were nothing but a “bundle of lies”.
Pathak said he had hoped that Yadav would apologise for the “hooliganism” of his party legislators during his speech in the House.
We heard the Leader of Opposition for long and we were thinking that he would apologise after seeing the hooliganism of the Samajwadis at the time of the governor’s address, he said.
Pathak said he condemns the way the SP members created a ruckus during the address in the House.
He said whatever the SP chief said on the governor’s address is a “bundle of lies” and there is no truth in it.
Yadav on Thursday termed Governor Anandiben Patel’s address in the House as “cut and paste speech” and alleged that the schemes mentioned have not been implemented on the ground.
The budget session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislature began on a stormy note on Monday with the governor reading out the address amid sloganeering by the opposition.
Pathak, participating on a discussion on the governor’s address, praised senior SP member Shivpal Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav, though.

He said the leader of the opposition was a gentleman but some people around him mislead him.
The deputy chief minister listed the achievements of the BJP government, while pointing out the shortcomings of the previous SP dispensation.
He also talked about the recent Global Investors Summit and its success to attract investors.
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#Akhilesh #Yadav #Assembly #bundle #lies #DyCM #Pathak
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 23, 2023
BRS to contest all 175 constituencies in upcoming AP assembly polls

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Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh (AP) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) state president Thota Chandrasekhar on Wednesday said that the party will contest from all the 175 constituencies during the next Assembly elections in the state.
He said issues pertaining to farmers, youth and women were on the party’s agenda and argued that the nation was in critical condition, with farmers and youth suffering from lack of opportunities.
Chandrasekhar said that after BRS comes to power “the Telangana development model will be implemented in Andhra Pradesh for the latter’s swift growth.” He participated in a demonstration in Vijayawada earlier this week with the BRS cadre, and on Wednesday he decorated the Vangaveeti Ranga statue on Bandar Road.
Addressing to reporters on the occasion, Chandrasekhar claimed that the BRS was picking up steam in national politics and that this development was also being seen in Andhra Pradesh. He denounced the BJP-led federal government, saying it had done Andhra Pradesh grievous injustice by not carrying out the promises made in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. He made note of the fact that the people of Andhra Pradesh were abandoned and lacked even a state.
“If voted to power, the BRS will build the State capital within three to four years. We will also complete construction of the Polavaram project, establish Kadapa Steel Plant, Vizag railway zone, Duggarajapatnam port and implement other projects assured under AP Reorganisation Act,” he added.
He said that the Congress was no longer a power to be reckoned with and was unable to challenge the BJP. As a result, the BRS created the slogan “Ab ki Baar, Kisan Sarkar,” providing the voice to the poor that was sorely lacking.
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#BRS #contest #constituencies #upcoming #assembly #polls

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 22, 2023
Yediyurappa bids adieu to Karnataka Assembly with ‘farewell’ speech

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Bengaluru: In what probably is his “farewell speech” in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly of which he was a member for decades, state BJP strongman and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday said, till the last breath of his life he will honestly strive towards building the party and bring it to power.
The 79-year old veteran leader, who has already announced his retirement from electoral politics, said there is no question of him sitting at home, and after the assembly session he will tour the state and campaign for the party and its candidates.
Intervening during the discussion on state budget, the four times CM repeatedly urged the ruling party legislators to go before the people with confidence and seek votes and said it is certain that the BJP will come back to power with a clear majority
“If god gives me strength in the next election too, which is five years after this election, I will make all efforts for the BJP to come to power. As you are already aware I have said that I will not be contesting polls, but the respect shown to me and positions given to me by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party cannot be forgotten during my lifetime,” he said.
“Till the last breath of my life I will honestly strive for building BJP and to bring it to power, let there be no doubts about it….I want to tell all our (BJP) MLAs on this side (treasury benches) to work with confidence and prepare for election, many from that side (opposition) are ready to come with us, if you are confident, we can take them along and bring back BJP to power with a clear majority, ” he said.
Noting that he was speaking for the last time in the Assembly, with the session set to conclude on Friday, Yediyurappa said, “this in a way is my farewell, as I cannot come to the assembly and speak after this.”
Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy however intervened and said, Yediyurappa will be making his last address in the House on Friday.
Yediyurappa in July last year announced that he will not be contesting the assembly polls, and will be vacating his Shikaripura Assembly seat, from where his younger son and the party’s state Vice-President B Y Vijayendra will be contesting if the high command agrees.
The veteran leader, who began his electoral politics as ‘Purasabha’ president in Shikaripura in Shivamogga district, was first elected to the Assembly from Shikaripura in 1983 and went on to win eight times from there.

“I have heard certain speeches criticizing the BJP for doing injustice to Yediyurappa and neglecting me. The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have never neglected me, and considering the position and respect that they gave me, I’m indebted to Modi, and I can never forget the opportunities and positions given to me.”
He said, as the party gave him the opportunity, he was able to become Chief Minister four times. “the opportunities that I have got, no one else has got ever.”
“If someone is under the illusion that they can make Yediyurappa sit quietly, by saying certain things, there is no question of Yediyurappa sitting quietly. I want to tell the legislators on the ruling side that BJP coming to power once again with a clear majority is as much certain that there are sun and moon, and they (Congress) sitting on that side (opposition) is also certain, let there be no doubt about it, don’t think that I’m making a prophecy,” he added.
Yediyurappa further said he will visit all the assembly constituencies after this assembly session, and in the next two months everyone will see how there will be a change in Karnataka and the wind will blow in favor of the BJP.
“… only thing that you (ruling party MLAs) have to do is go back to your constituencies after the session, earn the trust of the people, and inform them about the programs and schemes announced in the budget for their benefit,” he added.
Yediyurappa resigned as CM on July 26, 2021. Age was seen as a primary factor for his exit from the top job, with an unwritten rule in the BJP of keeping out those above 75 years from elected offices; also the high command wanted to make way for fresh leadership ahead of the Assembly polls.
Targeting Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, Yediyurappa sought to know what he meant by stating that he will not contest from the Badami seat, which he had won in the last election.
“Does it mean you (Siddaramaiah) have not done development work in the constituency, or are you lacking confidence about winning from there again? When you are lacking courage to contest from the constituency, despite having worked there for the last five years, how will people from the other constituency trust you and will give you an opportunity?” he asked.
“I’m not saying this for the sake of criticism. My advice to Siddaramaiah even now is, if you want to give back to the constituency from where you had won and became the Leader of Opposition, you have to contest and win from there once again, only then it will have a meaning. If you contest from any other constituency, people there will feel that you had fled from the earlier segment and will not trust you,” he said, urging Siddaramaiah to rethink about it.
Siddaramaiah, a former CM, who currently represents Badami segment in Bagalkote district, has said that he will contest from Kolar in the upcoming polls, if the Congress leadership agrees.
Siddaramaiah was not in the House when Yediyurappa spoke.
Intervening, Deputy Leader of Opposition U T Khader said the Congress Legislature Party leader enjoys the public trust and popularity and he can contest and win from any of the 224 assembly segments.
Yediyurappa, during his speech, also advised Chief Minister Bommai to implement the seventh pay commission for the state government employees.
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#Yediyurappa #bids #adieu #Karnataka #Assembly #farewell #speech
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 22, 2023
Congress MLAs in Haryana marches to Assembly over old pension scheme

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Chandigarh: Congress MLAs in Haryana on Tuesday marched to the Vidhan Sabha under the leadership of former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda to support the demand of government employees for restoration of old pension scheme (OPS).
The MLAs also raised issues concerning the public and highlighted the ‘failures’ of the BJP-JJP government in the state.
The party’s state unit chief Chaudhary Udaibhan specially joined the march.
“Unemployment, corruption, crime, inflation and atrocities are at their peak in the state. The government uses lathi-charge on the people raising their demands in a democratic way,” Hooda said.
“This government lathi-charged first the farmers, then the youth, then the employees and then elected representatives of the panchayats. The Congress is committed to raise its voice against such undemocratic actions of the state government, both on the streets and in the House,” he added.
Hooda said today Haryana is facing maximum unemployment in the country.
“About two lakh posts are lying vacant in government departments. Amid all scams and paper leaks, even in the isolated recruitments, people from other states are being selected instead of those from Haryana,” he said.
Citing the example of the latest recruitment of technical lecturers, Hooda said out of 157 general category candidates, about 100 from other states were selected.

“While all state governments give priority to the natives in recruitments, the BJP-JJP government in Haryana is sometimes giving preference to people from other states. In such a situation, where would the youth of Haryana go,” Hooda asked.
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#Congress #MLAs #Haryana #marches #Assembly #pension #scheme
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 21, 2023
Final polling percentage in Tripura assembly polls will be 92 % : CEO

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Agartala: The polling percentage in Thursday’s Assembly elections in Tripura would be around 92 percent, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gitte Kirankumar Dinkarrao said.
Voter turnout was 91.82 percent and 89.38 percent in 2013 and 2018 Assembly elections, respectively.
The CEO said that when the voting officially ended at 4 p.m. in the afternoon, nine percent of voters were in the queue in 1,600 polling stations across the state and they were being allowed to cast their votes as of late Thursday evening in a large number of polling stations in different districts.
“Over 81.1 percent of the 28.14 lakh voters exercised their franchise when the polling officially ended at 4 p.m.. Over 2.2 percent people, mostly polling and security personnel, cast their votes through postal ballot before Thursday’s voting,” Dinkarrao told the media.
He said that except for five incidents, the voting across the state was 100 percent peaceful. Six people were arrested in connection with these incidents, he said.
“The Election Commission has initiated zero poll violence missions and that was fully achieved,” the CEO said. He said that it is a matter of satisfaction that in all polling stations, more than one polling agents of candidates were present, webcasting done, and Central Armed Police Force and micro observers were present in all the polling stations.
In all, 259 candidates, including 31 women, are in the fray for the election to the 60-member house. In the 2018 Assembly polls, there were 297 candidates, including 24 women.

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#Final #polling #percentage #Tripura #assembly #polls #CEO
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 16, 2023
BJP will lose Telangana Assembly polls 2023, says Owaisi

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Hyderabad: AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government is running the administration with a bulldozer and not Constitution.
While talking to ANI, Owaisi said, ” Those doing ‘bulldozer politics’ in UP have taken the lives of a mother-daughter. They want to run the govt with a bulldozer, not Constitution. They will not gain anything politically by doing all this.”
On being asked about Telangana BJP Chief Bandi Sanjay’s Taj Mahal remark, he stated, “the BJP will fail in the Telangana Assembly polls in 2023.”
On February 16, Bandi said, “Owaisi says he is so happy as the Secretariat looks like the Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal is a tomb which means the Secretariat looks like a tomb to Owaisi. KCR is building Secretariat like the Taj Mahal to see the happiness in the eyes of Owaisi.”
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#BJP #lose #Telangana #Assembly #polls #Owaisi
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 16, 2023
Will AIMIM really contest 50 seats in Telangana Assembly polls?

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Hyderabad: Ahead of upcoming Assembly elections in Telangana, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi announced that his party will contest at least 50 seats out of 119 seats in Telangana. This statement has led to speculations in political circles.
However, BJP seems to be confident that AIMIM will not contest in 50 seats.
The saffron party’s national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao on Wednesday said that the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party will not contest 50 seats as it will damage the prospects of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
To support his claim, he said that the steering of BRS is in AIMIM’s hand and the nuts and bolts of the Owaisi-led party are in Telangana CM KCR.
Akbaruddin Owaisi’s statement in Assembly
During the recently held Assembly session, Akbaruddin Owaisi reacted to Telangana IT minister KT Rama Rao’s remark that AIMIM has only seven seats in the house.
While reacting to KTR’s statement, Akbaruddin Owaisi said, “I have taken a very serious note of his (KTR) comment on AIMIM. I assure him that I am going to make sure I talk to my party president and see that we can contest more seats in the upcoming elections. I will make sure that we contest on at least 50 seats and win at least 15 of them. I will make sure that my party president agrees”.
Assembly elections in Telangana are scheduled to be held at the end of this year for all 199 constituency seats. In the last assembly elections, BRS contested all the seats and won 88 seats.
AIMIM, BRS performance in previous Telangana Assembly polls
In Telangana State, the previous Assembly polls were held on December 7, 2018. In the polls, the main parties were Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Indian National Congress (INC), and BJP.

After the polls that were held nine months earlier that the scheduled date, TRS which is now BRS formed the government by winning 88 seats out of 119 improving its seat share by 25.
In the polls, the seat share of INC decreased from 21 to 19 whereas, AIMIM managed to win seven seats.
Meanwhile, BJP which tried hard to form a government in the elections managed to win only a single seat. Its seat share dipped from five to one.
BJP aims to win Telangana Assembly polls 2023
After an impressive performance in GHMC elections, BJP is leaving no stone unturned to win a majority of seats in the upcoming Telangana Assembly polls to form government in the state.
However, due to welfare schemes and the developmental works carried out by the BRS government, it is unlikely that BJP will be able to form a government in the state.
Earlier a survey also revealed that BRS will form a government for the third time in Telangana state. However, it predicted that the seat share of the ruling party may decline.
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#AIMIM #contest #seats #Telangana #Assembly #polls
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 16, 2023
Tripura Assembly polls: Voting begins amid tight security

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Agartala: The polling for the Tripura Assembly elections began amid tight security on Thursday.
The voting started at 7 am and will continue till 4 pm.
According to Election Commission, over 28.14 lakh electorates of which 14,15,233 are male voters, 13,99,289 are woman voters and 62 are of the third gender, are eligible to cast their franchise. The voting is underway at 3,337 polling stations.
Adequate security arrangements have been made for the polls. The state has 97 all-women-managed police stations. It has 94,815 voters in the 18-19 age group and 6,21,505 in the 22-29 age group. The highest number of voters are in the 40-59 age group at 9,81,089.
The fate of the 259 candidates will be sealed on 60 Assembly seats today.
A triangular contest is on the cards as Congress and CPIM, which have been arch rivals for years, stitched a pre-poll alliance to defeat the ruling BJP while the BJP which is looking to retain its power is contesting in alliance with Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) and the Tipra Motha which is being seen as a kingmaker in case of a hung assembly scenario, emerged as an influential regional party floated by the royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarma in 2021. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress has also put up candidates on several seats.
The BJP is contesting on 55 seats and its ally, IPFT, on six seats. But both allies have fielded candidates in the Ampinagar constituency in Gomati district.
The Left will contest on 47 and Congress on 13 seats, respectively.Of the total 47 seats, the CPM will contest 43 seats while the Forward Bloc, Communist Party of India ( CPI) and Revolutionary Socialist Party ( RSP) will contest one seat each.

Over 28 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes in the election for the 60-member assembly in the border state.
Tripura is the first state to go to the polls this year. While polling for Nagaland and Meghalaya assemblies will be held on February 27, five more states face elections this year in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
A total of 259 candidates, including 20 women, are in the fray in Tripura. The counting of votes will be done on March 2.
This time Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded 12 women candidates.The BJP which had never won a single seat in Tripura before 2018, stormed to power in the last election in alliance with IPFT and had ousted the Left Front which had been in power in the border state for 35 years since 1978.
BJP won 36 seats in the assembly and got 43.59 per cent of the votes in the 2018 election. The CPI (M) won 16 seats with a 42.22 per cent vote share. The IPFT won eight seats and Congress could not open its account.
The BJP is exuding confidence that it will improve its performance. Party’s top leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and party chief JP Nadda campaigned in the state.
Apart from national leaders, the star campaigners, Chief Ministers of Assam and Uttar Pradesh, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Yogi Adiyanath respectively also campaigned in Tripura.
On the other hand, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, and senior party leaders Brinda Karat, Prakash Karat, Mohammad Salim and former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar campaigned for the party in Tripura.
Congress campaigners included party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Dipa Dasmunshi and Ajoy Kumar. However, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra did not campaign in the state.
The CPI-M-led Left Front ruled the state for nearly four decades, with a gap between 1988 and 1993, when the Congress was in power but now both the parties joined hand with an intention to oust BJP from power.
Tipra Motha, which has raised demand for Greater Tipraland, could upset the calculations of both BJP and Left-Congress alliance. Tipra Motha, chaired by Tripura royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, is contesting at 42 seats.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress may act as a spoiler as it is contesting 28 seats and 58 independent candidates are also trying out their luck.
Chief Minister Manik Saha is contesting the polls from Town Borodowali. Congress has fielded Ashish Kumar Saha against him. Manik Saha replaced Biplab Kumar Deb as chief minister in May last year.
Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma is contesting from Charilam seat.
Tripura BJP state president Rajiv Bhattacharjee is contesting from the Banamalipur constituency. Biplab Deb earlier represented the seat.
CPI(M) state general secretary Jitendra Choudhury is contesting from the Sabroom constituency.
The BJP has fielded Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik from the Dhanpur constituency. Bhoumik is the first woman from Tripura to become a Union minister. Tipra Motha has fielded Amiya Dayal Noatia against Bhoumik in the seat.
BJP has fielded sitting MLA Pranajit Singh Roy from the Radhakishorpur constituency. He is pitted against CPI-ML’s Partha Karmakar.
BJP’s Papiya Dutta will face Congress candidate Sudip Roy Barman in Agartala.
In Karbook, CPI(M) candidate Priyamani Debbarma is contesting against BJP’s Ashim Tripura and Tipra Motha’s Sanjay Manik.
In the run-up to the elections, Chief Minister Manik Saha said that the demand for a “Greater Tipraland” is not possible as Tripa Motha Party is not able to define the boundary.
“Greater Tipraland, we have heard this name before also. In every Assembly election, some or other slogans like Tipraland are created and after every 5 years, new local parties emerge and raise such slogans. I have repeatedly asked where is the boundary, sometimes they say that Greater Tipraland is in Bangladesh, and sometimes they say that there are some parts of Assam and Mizoram too. This means they are in a fix. What exactly they are trying to say and want to say, we are not able to understand anything. When we talk about this matter, they say it is linguistic culturally, they are not able to define or describe properly,” Saha said during an exclusive interview with the ANI, on the demand of Greater Tipraland.
He had also termed the democratic ouster of the Left Front government in Tripura in the last assembly polls by the BJP as “historic” and something “that has barely happened in India’s history”.
“It’s a history that after 35 years of rule, BJP removed the Communist government here in a democratic way…It has barely happened in India’s history,” he said.
“Communists committed murders and violence here, so it is important that they do not return to power as violence cannot lead to development. Numerous people had to sacrifice their lives. All of us are very concerned,” Saha added.
BJP in its manifesto promised welfare proposals such as special canteen meals to the poor three times a day at Rs 5 each, a Balika Samridddhi bond of Rs 50,000 to each underprivileged family on the birth of a girl child and scooters for meritorious college girls.
The manifesto also promises smartphones to 50,000 meritorious students, two free LPG cylinders to all beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, land deeds to those without any holdings, and an annual payout of Rs 3,000 to all landless farmers.
The counting of votes will take place on March 2, coinciding with the date of the Meghalaya and Nagaland Assembly polls results.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 16, 2023
Poll Body To Take Call On J&K Elections, Statehood After Assembly Polls: Amit Shah

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SRINAGAR: Restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), as promised by the Centre, would be done after the Assembly poll in the Union Territory (UT) and a call to conduct elections would be taken by the Election Commission of India (ECI), Union Home Minister Amit Shah said today.
Talking to news agency ANI in a interview, Shah noted that there has been a marked improvement in the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir as the lowest militancy-related incidents were reported in the recent past.
He also insisted that Article 370, which was done away with by the Centre in August 2019, had actually harmed the country and the BJP had always been against it.
Noting that development in J&K was leading to gradual ending of militancy, Shah said, “See all the figures. There is a lot of change in Jammu and Kashmir.” Indicating that he could not comment on the timing of the poll in J&K, Shah said, “I had clearly stated that statehood will be restored in Jammu and Kashmir after elections. The process for preparation of voters’ list is nearing completion in the UT. Now, the Election Commission has to take a call on elections.”
On the issue of the emergence of new leadership in J&K, Shah said that new leadership would emerge from local bodies where poll had been held earlier. “The panches and sarpanches, who have been elected…new leadership will emerge from them…Since the time militancy started in J&K, the militancy-related figures are at their lowest today. Crores of tourists and ‘yatris’ are visiting J&K now. This is a huge change,” he noted.
Shah said removing Article 370 has been on the agenda of BJP and Jana Sangh. He also referred to India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru in the context of Article 370. “Since 1950, it was on our agenda to remove Article 370 from J&K. Today, the way J&K is witnessing development and decrease in militancy shows that change is coming,” he said. Shah said those slamming the BJP should answer in whose tenure militancy grew in J&K.
“As far as elections are concerned, do they not remember that local body polls were held under our rule? These did not take place for 70 years. Three families were holding sway in J&K and they are making noise…Farooq Abdullah had gone to England. In whose tenure, militancy grew…there should be an answer,” Shah said.

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#Poll #Body #Call #Elections #Statehood #Assembly #Polls #Amit #Shah
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

February 15, 2023