NEW DELHI:  Ahead of counting of votes on Thursday, both the BJP and the Congress are preparing for all possible scenarios, especially in Goa and Uttarakhand, where the exit polls have shown it to be a close finish.

Both parties are looking at the option of seeking support from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and the Independents if they fall short of the majority mark of 21 in the 40-member Assembly.

In 2017, the MGP had lent support to the BJP after the results, but this time it contested in alliance with the TMC. In 2017, the Congress had emerged as the single largest party but failed to form government as BJP acted swiftly and forged alliances with MGP, GFP and Independents. 

“All options are being considered and plans are already in place for possible alliances in Goa. Senior leadership will hold a series of meetings and decisions will be taken based on the situation in each state,” said a Congress leader.  

In Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel and Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda will be the Congress crisis managers even as CM Pushkar Singh Dhami exuded confidence that BJP’s performance would exceed projections.

Despite exit polls giving full majority to AAP in Punjab, the Congress has sent Ajay Maken as observer along with Pawan Khera. For Manipur, the party has appointed Chhattisgarh minister TS Singhdeo and senior leaders Mukul Wasnik and Vincent Pala as observers.   

Congress’ trusted crisis manager

Shivakumar was sent to Rajasthan during the crisis following Sachin Pilot’s rebellion. He had also prevented poaching of Karnataka MLAs in 2018, forcing CM BS Yeddyurappa to resign ahead of the floor test  

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav |

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the ruling BJP on Tuesday of attempting to “steal” votes and said exit polls are meant to create a perception that the saffron party will emerge victorious in the Uttar Pradesh election.

At a press conference here, he also alleged that government officials in Lucknow are directing their subordinates in the districts to slow down the counting of votes and prolong the process till late night where the chances of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning the electoral contest are slim.

Yadav alleged that the instructions are particularly with regard to 47 seats which the BJP had won in the last state Assembly polls with a margin of less than 5,000 votes.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also alleged that the BJP-led state government is “stealing” EVMs and a truck with voting machines was caught in Varanasi.

The seven-phase Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls concluded on Monday. The counting of votes will be taken up on March 10.

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Monday asked Akhilesh Yadav to accept defeat and said on March 10 the Samajwadi Party will become “‘samaapt vaadi party'”.

Counting of votes will be held on March 10.

Several exit polls have forecast a clear majority for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh.

In a series of tweets in Hindi, Maurya said, “The claims of the Samajwadi Party and that of Akhilesh Yadav Ji have fallen flat. This means that on March 10 the people of Uttar Pradesh will make the Samajwadi Party a ‘Samaapt vaadi Party’ (a party, which has come to an end).”

“Akhilesh Yadav Ji, accept defeat before the counting of votes. Come to the ground from sky-high arrogance. People know your mindset, they know the goons of your party very well. “They know that if the Samajwadi Party returns to power there will be hooliganism, crime, riots, corruption and illegal grabbing once again,” he said.

In another tweet, Maurya also said that the future of the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress will remain in dark for the next 25 years.

JAIPUR:  Not ruling out the possibility of a post-poll alliance with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, Congress national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday said a decision in this regard will be taken “based on the circumstances”. 

 Notably, she did not rule out the possibility of forming a post-poll alliance with the Samajwadi Party.

“Decision will be taken based on the circumstances that arise. First, let the results come,” she said.

When asked whether the newly elected MLAs would be taken to Rajasthan to prevent horse-trading, Priyanka said: “It is a question of the future. The conditions will be known only after the results are out.”
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Rajasthan PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasara and Gujarat in-charge Raghu Sharma were present at the airport to receive her.

Priyanka arrived in Jaipur on Monday to discuss the post-poll scenario with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, ahead of the Assembly poll results in five states on March 10.

The Congress general secretary, who was accompanied by party leader Rajeev Shukla, was received by Gehlot, state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra and others at the airport here.

Asked about speculation that the party might shift some of its leaders who would emerge victorious in the five state Assembly polls to Jaipur to prevent them from being “poached”, Gandhi sought to downplay it, saying it is a matter of the future.

During her brief interaction with reporters at the airport, she said people must have thought about whom to vote before exercising their franchise.

“The public will make the right decision,” the Congress leader said.

On a question about post-poll alliances, she said everything will depend on the circumstances.

Congress sources said Gandhi will discuss the post-poll scenario in the five states with Gehlot, a veteran party leader.

Later in the day, the Congress general secretary attended a programme organised by an NGO at a hotel.

Sources said select entrepreneurs attended the event in which Gehlot was also present.

After the event, Gandhi went to the chief minister’s residence for dinner.

The results of the Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa Assembly polls are scheduled to be announced on March 10.

NEW DELHI: Several exit polls on Monday forecast a clear majority for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab with some of them giving an edge to the saffron party in Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.

While India Today-Axis My India predicted 288-326 seats for the BJP and its partners in Uttar Pradesh and 71-101 for the SP alliance, News 24-Today’s Chanakya predicted 294 seats for the NDA and 105 for the Akhilesh Yadav-led alliance.

News 24-Today’s Chanakya predicted 43 per cent vote share for the BJP alliance in Uttar Pradesh and 35 per cent for the SP and its partners.

CNN News 18-Matrize predicted 262-277 seats for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and allies and 119-134 for the Samajwadi Party (SP) and allies in Uttar Pradesh.

Times Now-Veto predicted 225 and 151 seats for them, respectively.

Most of them were also unanimous in predicting a big win for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab, with India Today-Axis projecting up to 76-90 seats in the 117-member assembly.

A few exit polls also forecast a hung assembly in Punjab, the only poll-bound state where Congress is in power while giving a clear edge to the AAP.

News 24-Today’s Chanakya predicted a wave in the AAP’s favour in Punjab, giving it 100 seats with a margin of 10 seats on either side.

It gave 43 to the BJP and 24 to the Congress in Uttarakhand.

TV9 Bharatvarsh-Polstrat, however, predicted 56-61 seats for the AAP in Punjab, making it the frontrunner.

The Congress was mostly predicted to be securing the second spot in Punjab.

In Uttarakhand, both the Congress and the BJP were favoured by different exit polls to win the assembly polls.

The ABP News-CVoter forecast an edge for the Congress in Uttarakhand, giving the party 32-38 seats in the 70-member assembly and the BJP 26-32 seats.

Goa was predicted by most pollsters to be heading for a hung assembly.

The BJP was given a clear edge by most exit polls in the election to the 60-member Manipur assembly, with the Congress being seen a distant second.

The BJP is in power in four of the five states.

The exit polls signal that the BJP remains the dominant party in these states and indicate a big swing in the AAP’s fortunes as Kejriwal’s party is also seen to have emerged as a force in Uttarakhand and Goa where it may corner a decent poll percentage if not many seats.

Most exit polls also predicted a big fall in the fortunes of the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and a setback for the Congress, which had hoped to retain power in Punjab and make a comeback in states like Uttarakhand and Goa.

The counting of votes will take place on March 10.

Exit polls have mostly predicted that the BJP would be emerging as the single-largest party in Manipur, where elections were held in two phases on February 28 and March 5.

According to Zee News-Designboxed, the saffron party might bag anything between 32 and 38 seats in the 60-member Assembly, while the Congress would possibly muster 12-17 seats.

IndiaTV Ground Zero Research has forecast 26-31 seats for the BJP, with the Congress ending up with 12-17 constituencies and other parties with 11-22 seats.

In almost every exit polls projection, Congress was seen as bagging fewer seats than the last election’s tally.

The party had pocketed 28 seats in 2017, three short of the magic number.

All pollsters are unanimous about BJP’s better performance.

The saffron camp, which won 22 seats in 2017, had stitched up an alliance with the NPP and other regional outfits to form government in the state, with N Biren Singh at the helm.

Interestingly, non-BJP and non-Congress parties are being expected to grab a major part of the Assembly pie this time.

India News has forecast 23-28 seats for the BJP, 10-14 for the Congress, and as many as 19-26 seats for other parties.

Results of the elections will be declared on March 10 after counting of votes.

The BJP had, during its campaigns, claimed that it had successfully created a bandh-free Manipur and bridged the hill-valley divide in the state.

It promised to empower women and bring militant groups to the discussion table if voted to power this time.

IMPHAL: A total of 11.40 per cent of 8.38 lakh voters Saturday exercised their franchise in the first two hours of voting across 22 constituencies in the second and final phase of assembly elections in Manipur.

No untoward incident has so far been reported from anywhere, election officials said. Among the early voters were Congress leader and former chief minister O Ibobi Singh in Thoubal district.

“Congress will definitely win with an absolute majority, but in case we fall short by one or two seats, the party is open for a coalition,” he said after casting his vote.

The electoral fate of 92 candidates will be decided on Saturday, including 12 from the BJP, followed by Congress (18), National People’s Party (11), Janata Dal (United) and Naga People’s Front (10 each).

Polling will continue till 4 pm The first phase of voting held on February 28 was marred by stray incidents of violence and repoll was ordered in 12 polling stations in three districts – Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Imphal East.

Ambedkarnagar (UP): Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday claimed the BJP is hatching a conspiracy to end reservation and hence, is selling government organisations to the private sector.

Addressing an election meeting in the Jalalpur assembly constituency, Yadav said his party will win all the seats of Ambedkarnagar as well as of neighbouring Azamgarh district in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

“The BJP is hatching a conspiracy to end reservation, and hence it is selling government organisations to the private sector,” he said.

Ambedkarnagar has five assembly seats and will vote on March 3 in the sixth phase. Azamgarh, with 10 assembly seats, will vote on March 7 in the last phase.

The BJP is in a bad situation after the polling so far, Yadav claimed.

“In the five phases of elections, the people of the state have rejected the BJP, and by the time the sixth phase comes, it will become certain that the BJP would be wiped off,” Yadav said.

With the high-octane Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls reaching the Purvanchal region of the state, caste factor appears to be gaining prominence.

Regional parties like the ones led by Om Prakash Rajbhar (SBSP) and Anupriya Patel (Apna Dal-Sonelal), which have formed alliances with the SP and the BJP respectively, have support bases in their respective castes in this region.

Former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal

Hoshiarpur: A court here on Thursday granted bail to former Punjab chief minister and SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal in a dual constitution case that was filed against his party in 2009.

The court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Rupinder Singh granted bail to Badal (94) in the case wherein the complainant had accused the SAD of submitting two different constitutions — one with the Gurdwara Election Commission and the second with the Election Commission of India (ECI) to seek recognition as a political party.

Hitesh Puri, lawyer for social activist and complainant Balwant Singh Khera, said that Badal had furnished his surety bonds/bail bonds in the local trial court of ACJM to the tune of Rs 1 lakh in pursuance of the interim bail order of Wednesday passed by the court of J P S Khurmi, Additional Sessions Judge, Hoshiarpur.

Badal on Thursday appeared in the trial court of ACJM.

In October last year, a court here had granted interim bail to Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal in the same case involving the allegation that his party had submitted a false undertaking to the poll panel to seek recognition for his party.

The complainant had alleged that the SAD had given a false undertaking to the ECI that it had amended its constitution to incorporate the principles of socialism and secularism whereas it continued its activities as a panthic party and openly participated in Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee elections.

DEHRADUN: Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat on Monday claimed his Congress party will win 45-48 seats in the assembly polls this time owing to a strong anti-incumbency wave.

“If we compare the 2002 assembly polls with the 2022 assembly polls we are in a better position this time. In 2002 we won the polls on the strength of our positivity while the anti-incumbency against the BJP government at that time was not as strong as this time,” Rawat said.

“In comparison to 2002 there is more positivity in Congress in 2022 and so is the anti-incumbency against the BJP. So we are confident of winning 45-48 seats and forming the government,” he said.

The Congress general secretary said in 2002 everyone was in doubt about the party’s victory but he personally was sure it would win at least 40 seats.

In 2002, the Congress had formed the government winning 36 out of a total of 70 seats.

Rawat was the party’s state unit president at that time and the election was fought under his leadership.

Rawat said when Congress president Sonia Gandhi saw the impressive turnout at her rallies in Bageshwar she had agreed with him that the party was going to form the government in the state.

The 2002 assembly poll results in Uttarakhand had even surprised the then deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani, he said.

Rawat said Advani had invited him to tea to explain how he managed to win the polls.

In the 30-member interim assembly before the year 2002, the BJP had 23 seats and the Congress two.

In the 2012 assembly polls, the Congress formed the government again but with the help of independents as it was four seats short of the magic figure.

Yashpal Arya was the party’s state unit chief at the time of 2012 assembly polls.

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CHENNAI: Even as the votes for the urban local bodies are being counted on Tuesday, early trends indicate that the ruling DMK is set to register a landslide victory.

As many as 218 members have been elected unopposed for corporations (4), municipalities (18) and town panchayats (196), said the state election commission (SEC).

The four candidates elected unopposed for Corporations belong to the DMK. They were elected from Erode (ward 15), Karur (ward 22) and Vellore (ward 7 &8).

Similarly, the 18 unanimously elected representatives from municipalities include 15 from the DMK and three independents.
 
Among the 196 Town Panchayat representatives who were elected unopposed, 110 belong to the DMK and its alliance parties, Congress, Left, MDMK and VCK. About 13 of them are from the AIADMK and 73 are independents.
 
According to SEC’s official website, as of 11 am, results were announced for 69 ward members’ posts in Erode, Thanjavur, Chennai, Karur, Madurai and Virudhunagar corporations. The DMK alliance emerged victorious in 53 seats, while the AIADMK bagged six. Independents won seven councillor posts.

Similarly, results were announced for 344 ward member posts in over 100 municipalities, of which the DMK won 253 seats. While the AIADMK registered a victory in 71 seats, the BJP and the DMDK which faced the election alone won three seats each.

About 1236 out of 1788 ward members who emerged victorious in Town Panchayats are from the DMK and its allies. The AIADMK won 334 and BJP received 26 seats. DMDK won in five places.