POLITICS

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections that concluded on Thursday, banked largely on the consolidation of OBC leaders in almost all the major political parties. However, the poll results have shown up shocking results as a number of prominent OBC leaders have lost their seats.

Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesman Rakesh Tikait has said the BJP worked only to garner the maximum votes and has been successful in doing that. "We held farmer agitation successfully for 13 months. We are 'andolankari' and BJP is 'votekaari'. This time, all political parties took farmers seriously and included their welfare in their manifestos.

The Prime Minister, while addressing the party cadre at the BJP headquarters here, came down heavily on people, who try to stop action against the corrupt. "There has been a conspiracy to stop action against corruption. Some people have the uncanny tendency of filing up their own treasure/chests. People of India are expecting from us (BJP) that our honest government will punish the corrupt. Should we not rise up to this expectation of the common people," Modi asked

Kejriwal said, "the people of Punjab have now spoken. I love you Punjab. Sukhbir Singh Badal has lost, Captain Sahab has lost, Channi Sahab has lost, Parkash Singh Badal has lost, Navjot Singh Sidhu has lost and Bikram Singh Majithia has lost. This is nothing but a revolution." Kejriwal said the first revolution took place in Delhi, today it has taken place in Punjab, and now this will spread to the whole country.

The Congress' disgruntled group is likely to convene a meeting on Saturday or Sunday to discuss the poll results as the leaders are upset with the party's performance in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur. The G-23 group has been sidelined in the party since they raised the issue of reforms in the Congress and election for the top post.

According to the Election Commission's announcement, the ruling BJP managed 37.83 per cent votes this time against 21 seats and 36.3 per cent votes in 2017, when the party came to power in the northeastern state first time in alliance with the four National People's Party (NPP) MLAs, four Naga People's Front (NPF) members, the lone Trinamool Congress MLA and an Independent member.

Addressing the people outside his house in Sangrur, Mann thanked all the Punjabis, and said: "You have fulfilled your responsibility very well, now it is my turn to fulfill the responsibility." "We have good intentions and that is why the people of Punjab have trusted us. Trust me, change will be visible in a month. Now you will not have to go to the offices of government employees.

Five women were elected to the 60-member Manipur Assembly in the 2022 polls, the highest-ever in the electoral history of the state, where 10,57,336 women voters (52 per cent) outnumbered the male electorate of 9,90,833. Firebrand women leader and JD-U candidate Thounaojam Brinda, who was the Additional Superintendent of Police (Headquarters), also contested the elections from the Yaiskul constituency but came third, bagging 4,574 votes (18.93 per cent).

BJP alliance partners Apna Dal and Nishad party have outperformed the Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. As per the latest trend, both the BJP's alliance partners are together either leading or winning in 19 seats while Congress only won two and BSP is leading in one seat.

"The US approach to Iran's principled demands, coupled with its unreasonable offers and unjustified pressure to hastily reach an agreement, show that the US is not interested in a strong deal that would satisfy both parties," Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani tweeted, Xinhua news agency reported.