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NEW DELHI: The ruling Congress will declare its chief ministerial candidate on Sunday. The indication came from chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who is considered to be the front-runner in the race.
Party leader Rahul Gandhi will be in Ludhiana, where he is expected to make the announcement.
Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi claimed that bullets were fired at his vehicle on a highway in the western part of the state.
Here is a round-up of the key political developments on Thursday:
Uttar Pradesh
Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya filed his nomination papers from the Sirathu assembly seat here in presence of BJP President JP Nadda and Apna Dal (S) leader Anupriya Patel. Talking to reporters after filing the nomination, Nadda said that Maurya was a senior leader of the party and besides Sirathu he has played a key role in development of the state in the past five years.
In Lucknow, chief minister Yogi Adityanath accused his predecessors of failing to undertake “police reforms and modification” as the latter wanted to use the department as their “personal tool”. He claimed that the state was free of riots and terrorist activities for five years and that Uttar Pradesh had become the preferred destination for investors.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, meanwhile, alleged his car was fired upon by unidentified men while he was returning to Delhi from Hapur district in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. Owaisi’s car was near the Chhijarsi toll plaza on the Hapur-Ghaziabad stretch of the National Highway 24 when the incident took place at around 6 pm.
Punjab
Rahul Gandhi is likely to announce the name of Congress’s chief ministerial candidate for the Punjab polls on Sunday, when he visits Ludhiana for a virtual rally.
Gandhi had announced that the Congress will soon declare its chief ministerial face for the February 20 election and a decision on it will be taken after consulting the party workers.
Chief Minister Channi and state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu have, directly or indirectly, made a case for themselves to be declared as the party’s nominee.
Channi also indicated in his constituency Chamkaur Sahib that the chief ministerial face of the Congress could be declared on Sunday.
In Dhuri, from where he is contesting, AAP’s chief ministerial nominee Bhagwant Mann claimed that people of Punjab are tired of giving chances to Congress and the SAD for the last 44 years and now want the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to be in the saddle.
Uttarakhand
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address a digital rally on February 4 covering 14 assembly constituencies of Uttarakhand, BJP sources said on Thursday. On the same day, Modi is also likely to address a digital rally in Uttar Pradesh, sources said.
It would be Modi’s second set of digital rallies with the first one having been held on January 31.
Kisan Congress leader Rakesh Kumar Singh was appointed the poll coordinator for Srinagar and Dharampur assembly constituencies in Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal is contesting from Srinagar seat in Pauri district while Dinesh Aggarwal is contesting from Dharampur seat in Dehradun.
Goa
Congress’s Assembly poll candidates in Goa will take a pledge of loyalty to the party in the presence of its senior leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday, when he will be on a day-long visit to the state, a party functionary said. During the visit, Gandhi will also address a public meeting in Sankhalim Assembly constituency, which is currently represented by state Chief Minister and BJP leader Pramod Sawant, he said.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal made a strong pitch to the supporters and workers of other political parties, including the BJP and the Congress, to vote for the AAP in the upcoming Goa Assembly polls for the sake of their own future as well as that of the coastal state. He said they can vote for the AAP without having to change their party affiliation.
Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala described Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal as “Chhota Modi” and said he has come to Goa to give “covering fire” to the ruling BJP which is “losing” ground in the coastal state going to polls on February 14.
Manipur
Hectic campaigning continued in the north-eastern state. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in Lok Sabha about some leaders from Manipur being asked to take off shoes before entering a meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah drew flak from the BJP.
“When somebody comes to our home, we always request him to remove shoes outside, it’s our culture. We keep separate slippers for home, Rahul Gandhi doesn’t understand this. I must say he is a brainless person,” Union minister Prahlad Joshi said while reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that a group of politicians from Manipur was ‘forced to remove their shoes’ at Amit Shah’s home.
The five states are set to go to polls from mid-February onwards.
Party leader Rahul Gandhi will be in Ludhiana, where he is expected to make the announcement.
Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi claimed that bullets were fired at his vehicle on a highway in the western part of the state.
Here is a round-up of the key political developments on Thursday:
Uttar Pradesh
Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya filed his nomination papers from the Sirathu assembly seat here in presence of BJP President JP Nadda and Apna Dal (S) leader Anupriya Patel. Talking to reporters after filing the nomination, Nadda said that Maurya was a senior leader of the party and besides Sirathu he has played a key role in development of the state in the past five years.
In Lucknow, chief minister Yogi Adityanath accused his predecessors of failing to undertake “police reforms and modification” as the latter wanted to use the department as their “personal tool”. He claimed that the state was free of riots and terrorist activities for five years and that Uttar Pradesh had become the preferred destination for investors.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, meanwhile, alleged his car was fired upon by unidentified men while he was returning to Delhi from Hapur district in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. Owaisi’s car was near the Chhijarsi toll plaza on the Hapur-Ghaziabad stretch of the National Highway 24 when the incident took place at around 6 pm.
Punjab
Rahul Gandhi is likely to announce the name of Congress’s chief ministerial candidate for the Punjab polls on Sunday, when he visits Ludhiana for a virtual rally.
Gandhi had announced that the Congress will soon declare its chief ministerial face for the February 20 election and a decision on it will be taken after consulting the party workers.
Chief Minister Channi and state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu have, directly or indirectly, made a case for themselves to be declared as the party’s nominee.
Channi also indicated in his constituency Chamkaur Sahib that the chief ministerial face of the Congress could be declared on Sunday.
In Dhuri, from where he is contesting, AAP’s chief ministerial nominee Bhagwant Mann claimed that people of Punjab are tired of giving chances to Congress and the SAD for the last 44 years and now want the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to be in the saddle.
Uttarakhand
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address a digital rally on February 4 covering 14 assembly constituencies of Uttarakhand, BJP sources said on Thursday. On the same day, Modi is also likely to address a digital rally in Uttar Pradesh, sources said.
It would be Modi’s second set of digital rallies with the first one having been held on January 31.
Kisan Congress leader Rakesh Kumar Singh was appointed the poll coordinator for Srinagar and Dharampur assembly constituencies in Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal is contesting from Srinagar seat in Pauri district while Dinesh Aggarwal is contesting from Dharampur seat in Dehradun.
Goa
Congress’s Assembly poll candidates in Goa will take a pledge of loyalty to the party in the presence of its senior leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday, when he will be on a day-long visit to the state, a party functionary said. During the visit, Gandhi will also address a public meeting in Sankhalim Assembly constituency, which is currently represented by state Chief Minister and BJP leader Pramod Sawant, he said.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal made a strong pitch to the supporters and workers of other political parties, including the BJP and the Congress, to vote for the AAP in the upcoming Goa Assembly polls for the sake of their own future as well as that of the coastal state. He said they can vote for the AAP without having to change their party affiliation.
Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala described Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal as “Chhota Modi” and said he has come to Goa to give “covering fire” to the ruling BJP which is “losing” ground in the coastal state going to polls on February 14.
Manipur
Hectic campaigning continued in the north-eastern state. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in Lok Sabha about some leaders from Manipur being asked to take off shoes before entering a meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah drew flak from the BJP.
“When somebody comes to our home, we always request him to remove shoes outside, it’s our culture. We keep separate slippers for home, Rahul Gandhi doesn’t understand this. I must say he is a brainless person,” Union minister Prahlad Joshi said while reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that a group of politicians from Manipur was ‘forced to remove their shoes’ at Amit Shah’s home.
The five states are set to go to polls from mid-February onwards.
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