Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav shares details of assets

Akhilesh Yadav has became the first Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister to declare his assets publicly.

Akhilesh (38), who declared his assets on the UP government website, owns three residential plots - two in Lucknow and one in Etawah - besides agriculture land worth Rs. 98 lakh. He has investments totalling Rs. 1 crore, and Rs. 1.18 crore in cash.

The Chief Minister also has a Pajero worth Rs. 20 lakh and loan worth Rs. 1.3 crore against his name.

Akhilesh took over as the state Chief Minister from Mayawati earlier this month after his Samajwadi Party's sweeping win in the assembly elections. Maywati too had declared her assets earlier this month when she filed for her Rajya Sabha nomination. Mayawati declared her assets at Rs. 111 crore. Behenji, as the former chief minister is known, in her declaration had said she has 380 carats of diamonds, and one kilogram of gold. Together, these are worth just under a crore. Her silver dinner set, which weighs nearly 20 kgs, is worth 9 lakhs.

UP cabinet minister Raja Bhaiya lands in trouble over his age

Controversial Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh, alias Raja Bhaiya on Tuesday landed in another controversy over his age disclosed in his election nominations even as Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav backed him on his criminal antecedents.

As per the affidavit filed by Raja Bhaiah, the indendent MLA, with his nomination papers in assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, he mentioned his age as 38 years.

Raja won from Kunda seat in Pratapgarh district in 1993-the first time he entered the electoral fray--and if this affidavit is to be correct he should have been 19 years at that time, which is not the permissible age for contesting polls.

One can contest assembly polls only after attaining the age of 25 years.

Asked on the issue, Mulayam Singh Yadav said he would work good as he was a youth.

Besides Prision, Raja Bhaiya has been alloted Food and Civil Supplies department in Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's cabinet.

Raja Bhaiya was not available for comments.

On criminal antecedents of Raja Bhai, Mulayam said "no court has held Raja Bhaiya guilty. There are many allegations against party members. Who is there in SP who does not have FIR registered against him?"

SP Leader Akhilesh Yadav set to take oath as UP's youngest CM

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav is set to take oath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on Today for the first time, after his party gained absolute majority by winning 224 seats in the 403-member Assembly.

A host of top VVIPs including LK Advani, former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandra Babu Naidu and Janata Dal (U) president Sharad Yadav, industrialist Anil Ambani, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan and others will also witness history as it is made when Akhilesh will become the youngest ever CM of Uttar Pradesh.

Though invitations were also sent to Mamata Banerjee and Jayalalita, both of them have are unlikely to turn up.

The 38-year-old Akhilesh will be the state's youngest chief minister and his Cabinet is likely to be a mix of youth and experience.

He, however, will have his task cut out fulfilling the long list of promises made by his party in its poll manifesto.

Samajwadi Party had announced a slew of poll sops, including providing laptops to intermediate pass students, tablet computers to high-school pass outs, allowance to unemployed youths, free treatment to patients suffering from serious ailments and loan waivers for farmers.

Akhilesh will also have to take a call on constituting a commission for taking legal opinion on providing reservation to Muslims and implementing recommendations of the Ranganath Mishra Commission and the Sachar Committee.

The SP leader has said improving law and order situation and rooting out corruption in the state are among his top priorities.

Besides, restoration of student unions in universities and colleges will also be a challenge for him.

Even before taking the reins of the state, the party is under attack from Opposition parties, including outgoing Chief Minister Mayawati, who has alleged that the law and order situation had deteriorated following declaration of poll results in favour of SP.

Mayawati is move to Delhi as an Member of Parliament

With return to power in Uttar Pradesh far in the horizon, and national politics heating up with mid-term poll talks, BSP chief Mayawati is all set to move to Delhi as an Member of Parliament.

Mayawati on Tuesday filed her nomination papers for Rajya Sabha polls in Lucknow. Her entry into the upper house of Parliament is a foregone conclusion as her party has 79 MLAs in the Assembly.

The move to file nomination comes after the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister held a meeting with party MPs, MLAs and office-bearers over the issue.

Clearly, Mayawati’s latest move appears to be aimed at establishing herself at the national level prior to the Lok Sabha polls scheduled to be held in 2014.

BJP gets angry critique for UP performance from parent body RSS

The BJP described its miserable performance in Uttar Pradesh as a wasted opportunity. Its parent body, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), has a far more severe critique. In editorials in two different mouthpieces, the RSS said that "the lack of inspirational leadership" in Uttar Pradesh punished the BJP.

In the elections, whose results were declared on Tuesday, the BJP managed only 47 seats - four less than it won in the last state elections in 2007. Uttar Pradesh, desperate for a change, rejected the incumbent Mayawati in record numbers. But the BJP was not considered an option. Instead, Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party made a triumphant return to power with a huge mandate.

The RSS said that the BJP was guilty of a disconnect with the people of the state, just like the Congress. "Core ideological issues, principled approach and credibility of leadership are needed to sway the voter. More than the party, the leader and more than the leader, his track record (performance) determines poll outcome these days," one of  its editorials said today.

The RSS also said that in UP, the party seemed to have a "bigger army of leaders than workers."

The RSS  says via its editorials that the BJP needs more leaders like Narendra Modi; the article praises the Chief Minister of Gujarat for his effective governance in his home state.

Mr Modi did not take part in the BJP's campaign in Uttar Pradesh. He was sulking because his bete noire, Sanjay Joshi, was given a major role in handling the party's affairs for the election. On record, the BJP has said that Mr Modi was preoccupied with his sadbhavana tour, a series of fasts across the state dedicated by Mr Modi to "communal harmony." The party has repeatedly been asked if Mr Modi, a charismatic campaigner, via his absence, hurt his party's chances. The BJP has said it will analyse and introspect the effect of Mr Modi's no-show.

The RSS' praise for Mr Modi comes as the party has been reiterating that he is among a group of six contenders for the BJP's prime ministerial candidate for the next general elections, scheduled for 2014. After the recent state elections, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said both her party and she anticipate early elections.

Mr Modi's ambitions for a transfer to the national political league are well known. However, the riots in Gujarat in 2002, the worst in independent India, have cast him as a leader who failed to protect his people. A series of court cases are determining whether Mr Modi can be held complicit for the riots. So far, he has not been indicted or held responsible by a special investigation team appointed by the Supreme Court.

SP MLAs meet today, Akhilesh Yadav set to become CM of UP

With Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav fully backing him, party’s state president Akhilesh Yadav appears all set to become the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Officially, a decision on choosing between 38-year-old state SP president Akhilesh and his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, would be taken at the legislature party meeting at 11 am today, four days after the SP swept to power with a thumping majority in the state Assembly polls.

SP supremo Mulayam Singh has pitched for his son to be appointed as the next chief minister despite some senior members of the party being apprehensive about the move.

Party sources said that the senior leaders like Azam Khan and Akhilesh's uncle, Shivpal Singh Yadav were in favour of Mulayam Singh as CM.

Party sources said that the senior leaders like Azam Khan and Akhilesh's uncle, Shivpal Singh Yadav, who were in favour of Mulayam Singh as CM. They were of the view that Mulayam would be a better choice at this moment when there has been a sudden outbreak of violent incidents in the state, which it sees as a deliberate attempt to sully the party's image.

The situation requires handling by a seasoned leader rather that a greenhorn in administration, they feel.

On the other hand leaders like Naresh Agarwal and Mulayam’s other brother Ramgopal Yadav have voiced their preference for Akhilesh.

Keen to present a united face, the party top brass left the final decision to Mulayam, who backed his son.

As per reports, at a late night meeting yesterday, Mulayam was able to ensure that those opposed to Akhilesh see reason in the generational change being effectuated in the party.

Moreover, Azam Khan has been offered the Speaker’s post, while Shivpal Singh Yadav may be given a big portfolio, reports said.

Akhilesh Yadav, the young member of Parliament from Kannauj, has proved he had come of age in Uttar Pradesh's rough and tumble politics, steering his party to a landslide victory in elections to the 403-seat state Assembly.

Akhilesh comes of age

The day Samajwadi Party won 224 seats on its own in the state, all eyes were on Akhilesh Yadav who was in the forefront fielding the media and articulating the party's views and strategies.

Akhilesh's leadership of the party in the most crucial state in Indian politics has only come in for closer scrutiny in the recent months and run-up to the seven-phased elections.

An engineer by training, having studied in Karnataka's University of Mysore, Akhilesh, 39, also had education in Australia.

This background helped him in bringing in new perspectives to the party's policies. The party has promised free laptops for students and computer education, with a focus on educating girls, in the state.

Considered a youth icon with a judicious mix of leadership qualities, he had, during the high voltage poll campaign, raised issues concerning both urban and rural India such as poverty, agriculture, corruption and social evils.

The young Samjawadi Party leader had carried out an intensive campaign for the party in the elections, taking to the street on foot and on cycle.

He reached out to people at the grassroots through road shows across the state and sought to convey a message of being accessible and reachable.

Party leaders said Akhilesh reshaped SP's thinking by going beyond caste mobilisation and sought to connect its campaign to the aspirations of the youth in the country's most populous state, which lags behind in human development parameters.

Akhilesh also attempted to wash off the taint of his party's association with criminal elements during its rule in the state. He vetoed induction of don-turned-politician D.P. Yadav.

Akhilesh had jumped into the poll fray in 2000 during a by-poll and won the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat, previously held by his father. Since then, he has won all the Lok Sabha elections from that constituency. He had also won the Firozabad Lok Sabha seat in 2009, but vacated it to retain Kannauj.

SP workers torched houses in UP

After storming back to power Samajwadi Party state president Akhilesh Yadav had promised that goondaraj won’t return to Uttar Pradesh like during previous SP regimes. Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav too instructed party workers to maintain discipline.

However, SP workers don’t appear to have heeded to the advice.

In a fresh incident of violence following SP’s victory in the state, several houses were torched in Bambia village in Reosa area of Sitapur district Wednesday night, allegedly by SP workers.

SP workers beat up several villagers and torched their houses as they had not voted for the SP in the polls.

The villagers had apparently voted for an independent candidate.

A case against 12 persons has been registered, Station Officer of Reosa Pramod Shukla said.

Rahul Gandhi: UP loss my fault, I will continue to work for UP

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday put up a brave face despite his party’s poor performance in the Assembly elections held in five states, including Uttar Pradesh.

Rahul, who had led the Congress’ campaign in Uttar Pradesh, said, “First of all, I congratulate Mulayam Singhji and Akhileshji, people of Uttar Pradesh supported them.”

“I had led the campaign, I was standing in the front, and it is my responsibility. We fought, fought hard but results are not encouraging,” he told reporters who had assembled outside his residence here.

“I had promised the people of UP that I will continue to be seen in the villages and cities of the state… with the farmers, with the poor… my work will continue. I will continue to work for UP,” he added.

“I will try to get the Congress stand up again in UP and (ensure) that we win one day,” Rahul said with a pause.

On the reasons behind the party’s poor performance, Rahul said, “Organisationally we are not where we should be in UP and generally there was a mood in favour of the Samajwadi Party, which is pretty apparent.”

He further opined that the fundamentals of Congress in UP are weak, saying, “We have to get the fundamentals correct. Yes there has been improvement from 2007 but we will have to take it forward.”

“We haven’t done well in the whole of UP; I view my work as working for the people of this country. I will continue to do that,” Rahul said, adding, “I expect victories along the way and I expect defeat too.”

SP will decide today who will be next CM in UP

After ousting the BSP government of Mayawati through its impressive win in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, the parliamentary board of the Samajwadi Party will meet on today to decide who will be the next chief minister.

The meeting of the parliamentary board of the party is slated to start at 11 am during which name of the party's chief ministerial pick will be decided.

Although, Mulayam Singh Yadav will be chosen as the leader of the Samajwadi Party parliamentary board, there is a growing clamour for the coronation of his son Akhilesh, who is the man responsible for his party’s resurgence in UP.

Though, Akhilesh himself maintains that the reins of power will remain in the hands of his father, most of the newly-elected party MLAs, senior leaders and party workers feel that it is time for rewarding Akhilesh for pulling the party out of morass and scripting a new image for it.

When asked who will be the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh told reporters yesterday with all humility that Neta ji will be in the hot seat. He and other party leaders including Ram Gopal Yadav and Shivpal Singh Yadav also categorically ruled out that there was any dispute or any ambiguity over the leadership issue.

However, they maintained that any decision taken by the party chief and the parliamentary board would be acceptable to all of them.

So in this context, it would be interesting to see if SP chief feels the pulse of his supporters and decides to anoint his son-who has been the game changer for Samajawadi Party- the chief minister of the state to carry forward his legacy and fulfil the hopes of the state.

Rahul Gandhi: I want to change UP. 2012 elections

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi said on toay that he is not concerned about win or loss in the high-stakes assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh (UP) as his only aim is to restore honour of the people of the state.

Addressing a press conference here, on the last day of campaigning for the 1st phase of polls due to be held on Feb 8, Rahul said, “In the past few months I have learnt, probably, what I learnt in last seven years. I have learnt what it means to be passionately believer in an idea.”

“Frankly I am not concerned about what the results are…what has been going on in UP in the last 22 years is a crime. It is our duty to not accept the misrule and the type of games being played with the people of this state,” he said, adding, “I have realised the power of the people the state. I have realised that this state can stand on its feet very soon.”

“Mission 2012 is not my line…my mission is not to change UP, I want to change UP. 2012 elections, then 2014 elections, Rahul Gandhi will not step backward till the UP stands on its feet,” he stressed.

When asked by a scribe whether he was conceding defeat by talking about ‘being not concerned about election results’, he said, “I am not conceding defeat, I am conceding victory. The results will be solid for the Congress. People of UP are looking at Congress seriously, wherever I go the people are saying this to me. “

“Be it 200 (seats), 400 or 2, till the time people of UP don’t get respect I will be here. We are here not to form alliances with political parties, we will form alliances only with the people of UP,” he added.

UP polls: First phase of campaigning ends today

The politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh is expected to witness intense electioneering on today as the campaigning for the first phase of assembly elections ends this evening.

In a bid to woo voters before the first phase of voting, top leaders of all major political parties will tour the length and breadth of the state and address election rallies.

According to reports, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will address meetings and rallies across different districts including Varanasi and Ghazipur. Meanwhile his sister, Priyanka Gandhi will tour Raebareli and Amethi.

Priyanka, while addressing a huge gathering of Congress supporters yesterday defended the government and also her brother saying that Rahul was not in politics to get the Prime Minister's job.

She also backed Home Minister P Chidambaram on the 2G scam case by saying, “As a Home Minister he has huge responsibility and I feel sad when he has to respond to the rants of the people who are not concerned with the issue that he has to deal with."

Separately, BSP chief and Chief Minister Mayawati is scheduled to address rallies in Kushinagar and Gorakhpur.

In the recent past, both Congress and BSP have locked themselves in a tough duel in the run up to the assembly polls, which is by and large being seen as a four-cornered contest with Samajwadi Party and the BJP as the other two key players.

The assembly elections in UP are being seen as a litmus test for Congress leader and youth icon Rahul Gandhi, who has launched an aggressive campaign against the Mayawati government.

The 40-year-old Gandhi scion has toured the entire state in the past one year, assiduously working towards reviving the party's lost fortunes. The Congress had won eight Lok Sabha seats out of the 22 in 2009 in same constituencies that go to polls on Wednesday. With Congress emerging as the main challenger to the ruling BSP, many have linked the poll results - win or loss - to Rahul Gandhi's electoral credibility.

Besides Congress and BSP, the BJP too is not sparing any effort to woo voters in order to seize power in Uttar Pradesh. BJP senior leader LK Advani will address a rally in Lucknow today.

BJP President Nitin Gadkari will be addressing rallies in Balia and Ghazipur and BJP star campaigner Uma Bharti will woo voters in Gonda, Siddharth Nagar and Faizabad.

On February 8, 55 assembly seats across 10 districts in UP will witness voting in the first phase.

Will Mayawati's magic work in 2012?

Her rock solid Dalit support may still be intact. But with charges of corruption and poor governance enveloping her, Chief Minister Mayawati may find the going tough in Uttar Pradesh, say political activists and pundits.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is determined to retain power it bagged in the country's most populous state five years ago on its own, stunning foes and friends alike. It will be no bed of roses this time, though.

For starters, there is disenchantment, widely referred to as anti-incumbency. Mayawati and government are battling corruption allegations too. Even admirers say she seems to have withdrawn from the people she claims to represent.

Then there is the opposition factor. The Samajwadi Party is charged up, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is determined to regain the support base it has lost while the Congress wants to make a spectacular comeback.

"She may not win a majority this time," political analyst N Bhaskara Rao said, referring to Mayawati, the four-time Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

According to him, neglect of the basic "bijli-sadak-pani" (electricity, road, water) issues cast doubts on her ability to win an outright majority from the staggered seven-phase election starting Feb 8.

Rao admits that Mayawati's decision to deny tickets to a third of her legislators and sacking of 16 ministers over corruption charges shows she has strong decision-making capabilities.

But the 2007 magic -- "social engineering" -- has more or less broken down. Compared to five years ago, Brahmins and other upper castes don't seem to be backing her that enthusiastically.

Badri Narayan, an expert on Dalit issues with the Allahabad-based Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Social Sciences, says that Mayawati's popularity was declining.

"Her Dalit vote bank is intact but sections of Muslims, Brahmins and Kurmis are shifting towards the Congress," Narayan said.

In his view, though Mayawati has an image of an iron lady, the distance between her and her party workers has increased over the past five years.

"As a person she is good, understands rural society, and has politically proved herself many times. But her exclusivity is going against her," said Narayan.

After her political baptism in 1977 by BSP founder Kanshiram, school teacher Mayawati had a meteoric rise in the party. She was made his heir in 2001 and became the party chief two years later.

In 1995, Mayawati created history by becoming India's first Dalit woman Chief Minister in Uttar Pradesh.

It was a short stint. She returned to power in March 1997 for another brief stint, and again was chief minister May to August 2002. She finally became chief minister on her own right in May 2007.

But even as her ambitions soared, the 2009 Lok Sabha election checkmated her. The BSP won just 19 seats, far below the 40 it hoped to capture. That was in part due to a Congress comeback, thanks to Ranul Gandhi.

Today too, Rahul Gandhi is going hammer and tongs against Mayawati.

BJP leader dares Rahul to become PM

With just over a week before polls begin in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today took on Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi. Throwing down the gauntlet at the young Gandhi scion, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad dared him to become the Prime Minister.

"Let Rahul Gandhi become the Prime Minister for once. Two years are left. Let the country also realise the capability he has to run this country and the understanding he possesses of the country's problems," Mr Prasad said.

Taking a dig at the young Congress leader, Mr Prasad further said that in order to become the PM, all that Rahul Gandhi needed to do was to ask Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to step aside.

Mr Prasad's comments come in the wake of a tough four-cornered contest in UP where the Congress led by Rahul Gandhi has emerged as a serious contender to stake claim to power in the state. The 40-year-old leader has aggressively campaigned in the state, often targeting the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party government over issues of corruption and land acquisition. More recently, the Congress' controversial move to carve out a sub-quota for backward Muslims from the existing 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) is being viewed as a political masterstroke given the electoral significance of the community in the state. Muslims constitute a sizeable section of UP's electorate - 18% to be precise. The minority quota move has been vehemently opposed by the BJP which has dubbed it as divisive and has promised to scrap it if voted to power.

Meanwhile, the Congress, scoffing at the BJP's remarks on Rahul Gandhi, said that it was a sign of surrender by the saffron party which had resigned to the reality of the Congress coming back to power.

"They have admitted the reality. After all, they understand that the Congress will come back to power at the Centre in 2014 and in Uttar Pradesh in 2012. They cannot stop or change it, no matter what they say to the nation," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

As both parties engage in a verbal duel over Rahul-as-PM, the man himself has consciously shied away from taking up any position in the government. He, instead, has focussed on strengthening the party at the grassroots level as also re-energising the youth wing. More significantly, he has been assiduously working to revive the Congress' fortunes in Uttar Pradesh - a state which, with its 80 MPs in Lok Sabha, clearly holds the key to power at the Centre. Congress leaders though have, on several occasions, voiced their support for Mr Gandhi to assume a larger role in the working of the government and have openly backed him as the party's choice for the prime minister's post.

NRHM scam accused official shoots himself dead today

A key official who was under scanner for his role in the National Rural health Mission (NRHM) scam shot himself dead on Monday.

Sunil Verma was project manager of Jal Nigam, which had also received funds as part of NRHM. After a scam was reported in the project, Verma’s role was questioned as he was the official responsible for proper implementation of the scheme.

Verma shot himself dead at his Vikas Nagar residence here today morning at around 8.30 am. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared brought dead.

DIG OF Police, DK Thakur confirmed the sequence of events to a news channel. He said, “Sunil Verma has shot himself dead today morning. His son told us that CBI had interrogated his father on January 4 and he was under stress. His family feels that he committed suicide because of that.”

The CBI had included Verma’s name in the first FIR alongwith Babu Singh Kushwaha and also raided his residence.

Verma’s is the fourth person involved in the NRHM scam to have died under mysterious circumstances.

Priyanka Gandhi on entering politics

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said she was open to the idea of campaigning for the party in election-bound Uttar Pradesh and "will do anything to help my brother" Rahul Gandhi.

"I am here in Amethi and Rae Bareli. My brother and I will talk to each other. I will do anything to help my brother. I will do whatever he requires me to do," Priyanka, 40, told reporters in Amethi - Rahul's Parliamentary constituency - when asked if she would campaign with him.

She has been overseeing Congress election preparations in Amethi and Rae Bareli but has not actively participated in campaigning. However, she said she was open to the idea of campaigning if Rahul asked her to do so.

"I have not decided yet. For now I am going to oversee elections in these 10 constituencies which fall within our Parliamentary constituency. If Rahul wants me to campaign, I will campaign," Priyanka said.

Asked if she would join active politics if Rahul so wants, Priyanka eluded a direct reply saying: "He knows to what extent he requires me."

She arrived in Amethi on Monday from New Delhi in a chartered aircraft which landed at an airstrip at the Indira Gandhi Flying Academy in Fursatganj, about 35 km from here.

Women supporters shouted slogans of "Priyanka Gandhi, Zindabad" to cheer her up.

Voting for the 403-member state Assembly is to be held in a seven-phase schedule between February 8 and March 3.

Priyanka Gandhi is expected for the coming assembly in UP

Priyanka Gandhi is expected to hold important meetings with the states Congress office bearers on Monday, officially kicking off the election campaigning for the coming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

She is also likely to visit Amethi and Rae Bareli, pocket-borough of Nehru-Gandhi family, later today.

This became clear after the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee included her name to the Election Commission in the list of party leaders and personalities, who are likely to campaign for the party in the state.

"Priyanka's name figures along with that of other senior leaders like her mother AICC president Sonia Gandhi for whom the party has sought car passes from the Election Commission for campaigning," Congress sources said.

Reports also claim that Priyanka might lead the campaign in Amethi and Rae Bareli districts, which are represented by her brother Rahul and mother respectively in the Lok Sabha.

"It is to facilitate her (Priyanka's) visit, in case she decides to visit the state during electioneering for the coming elections, and ensure that there is no problem in making arrangements for it at the last minute," they said.

Priyanka, 39, had taken primary membership of the Congress in 2004 but has remained away from active politics. The sources said there is a demand for Priyanka Gandhi from all over the state but she is expected to confine herself to Rae Bareli and Amethi districts.

As Rahul will be busy with campaigning in other parts of state and Sonia is likely to divide her time among all the five states where assembly elections are scheduled, Priyanka would take care of these two districts.

"She has a personal rapport with the people of these two constituencies and it is like a second home to her," the sources said, adding that she had been a frequent visitor to these areas and had also taken part in campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls.

It will be a seven-phased poll in Uttar Pradesh between February 4 and 28.

Aamir Khan says: Vote for clean candidates

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan will urge people not to vote for candidates with criminal background in upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.


The National Election Watch and the Association for Democratic Reforms said Tuesday: "Aamir`s recorded message will be sent through automated calls to lakhs of voters till elections in the five states are over."

Besides English and Hindi, the message will go out in regional languages too, ADR said. The actor has already recorded a one-minute video clip.

EC issues order to cover statues of Mayawati and of elephants

With little over a day left for the deadline to expire, government officials were on Tuesday busy covering up statues of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati and of elephants, the ruling BSP's symbol, in Noida and Lucknow to comply with the Election Commission’s order.

Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi in his directive had instructed that all the statues must be covered by 5 pm Wednesday (January 11).

The Lucknow park has nine Mayawatis and 25 elephants while the one in Noida boasts of two Mayawatis and 52 elephants. Considering the enormity of the task, officials are scrambling to get the work done before the deadline ends.

It’s not just the big elephants that are a cause of worry; there are hundreds of small elephants across the two parks which also have to be covered.

Considering the ‘colour ban’ – material of any party colour can’t be used - pink has emerged as the colour of choice for the jumbo operation. While it is pink plastic sheets for the elephants, it is pink cloth for Behenji.

Although the work had begun yesterday itself but owing to confusion over who would take charge of the operation, crucial hours were lost leading to the race against time today.

In Lucknow the responsibility has been given to Lucknow Development Authority while in Noida the Noida Authority is carrying out the work with help from UP Rajkiya Nagar Nigam.

The unusual order has sparked a debate across Uttar Pradesh, which will go to polls over seven phases in February.

While opposition parties are thrilled over the Election Commission conceding their demand, the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party has taken strong exception to the EC move.

"This is the right step. After all, Mayawati's statues are all over the place together with those of elephants in the several parks and memorials created by her with government funds worth thousands of crores. How can those be kept open when we are not even allowed to put up posters or banners," said Samajwadi Party leader Shiv Pal Yadav.

BSP spokesperson Swami Prasad Maurya countered him by labelling the poll panel's move as unfair.

"If elephants have to be wrapped up because elephant is also the BSP symbol and the Election Commission thinks the statues can influence voters, then why don't they cover every lotus growing in ponds and not allow any individual on the street to raise his hand," he said, referring to the Bharatiya Janata Party's symbol of the lotus and the Congress' hand symbol.

Some political analysts were of the view that the move could prove counter-productive and ultimately help Mayawati consolidate her Dalit vote bank.

Five-day election tour of Rahul Gandhi will end today

After attacking the ruling BSP government in Uttar Pradesh and targeting the opposition BJP in the past few days, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will on Friday hold a rally in Saharanpur.

Saharanpur rally will mark the end of Rahul Gandhi’s five-day election tour of Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly Elections will be held between February 4 to 28.

Addressing a rally in Pilibhit on Thursday, the Congress leader made a scathing attack on BJP as the district is the political turf of his cousin Varun Gandhi, who is the Lok Sabha member from that constituency.

While accusing the BJP of making only "false and hollow promises", with the sole intent of serving its short-term political gains, Rahul Gandhi appealed to the people to vote for the Congress which alone could insure a bright future for them.

"While the BJP's unreliable character was known to all, it was once again amply demonstrated in the Lok Sabha Tuesday, when in sharp contrast to its earlier categorical assurance, the party declined to support the Lokpal bill," he said.

In Bareilly, Gandhi also chose to take on the Samajwadi Party. "Ever since the UPA government has announced 4.5 percent reservation for Muslims, Mulayam Singh Yadav has become jittery, which is reflected in his new found demand for raising the Muslim reservation to 18 percent," he said.

Terming it as Mulayam Singh's "lip service", he said, "I would like to see if Mulayam Singh Yadav is going to endorse this in his party's election manifesto."

He earlier flayed Uttar Pradesh Chief MInister and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati for perpetuating large-scale corruption, which he termed as the cause of Uttar Pradesh's backwardness and poverty.

Mayawati: FDI decision taken to help Rahul's foreign friends

Slamming the Centre for its decision to allow Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail sector, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has appealed to the government to roll back the decision.

Taking the war of wards between her and Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi even further, Mayawati said that the decision on FDI has been taken to help Rahul's foreign friends.

"Rahul Gandhi has always stayed abroad and earlier he used to get his foreign friends to stay in the houses of poor people in Uttar Pradesh, make fun of poverty and now they are getting foreign companies into India," Mayawati said.

She claimed that the government allowed FDI in spite of objection from its allies. "The decision to allow FDI in retail is suicidal and will affect small businesses, poor and farmers," she said.

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also made it clear that she will not let foreign companies to do business in the state till the BSP government is in the state.

Warning the government, Mayawati said, "We will take a strong stand aganist the Congress if the government does not take a decision to roll back FDI in retail."

The Union Cabinet on Thursday cleared 50 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail and 100 per cent FDI in single brand retail despite division within the UPA on the issue.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Left, UPA ally Trinamool Congress along with some Cabinet ministers Veerappa Moily and Mukul Wasnik had opposed it.

While the BJP feels that the FDI will lead to unemployment, the Left has said that it may lead to price rise.