With this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also sent a strong message to ally, Janata Dal-United President and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, that their partnership remains intact and that they will be formidable partners at the hustings.
With controversial Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan in the line of the Election Commission's (EC) fire for his comments, Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today came out in his support, accusing the poll body of taking action without going through his explanation.
The banner reads, 'BJP Karyakartaon Ka Thane Main Aana Mana Hai (BJP workers are forbidden from entering the police station)'.
'All sorts of tactics are used on political adversaries.'
"You are safe aren't you? I hope you have not faced any danger," shot back Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday when asked about the law and order situation in the state in the backdrop of the Badaun gang rape and murder case and the Azamgarh gang-rape incident.
Western UP contributes nearly 70 seats to the 402-member UP assembly. In 2017, the BJP had swept the region. Every pre-2022 poll survey had suggested the party would face its biggest attrition from this region because of the farmers' groups.
As India inches closer towards the general elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has emerged as the most searched chief minister on search giant Google.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday hit back at Narendra Modi for the "56-inch chest" remark alluding to his father and Samajwadi Party supreme Mulayam Singh, saying the BJP prime ministerial candidate is the "biggest liar" with a "56-inch belly".
Karunanidhi, 94, died at the Kauvery hospital on Tuesday following prolonged illness.
With his "extravagant" birthday celebrations drawing flak and questions being raised on the source of funds, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday asserted that state money was not spent on the celebrations and dubbed those making it an issue as "ignorant".
Here's a recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours.
Under fire over a spate of serious crimes in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said that the law and order situation in his state was better than that in many other parts of the country and maintained that his government was working to improve matters.
The Samajwadi Party leadership in Uttar Pradesh came under attack on Sunday over holding the annual festival of song and dance at the Yadav family's native village at a time when hundreds of victims of Muzaffarnagar riots were living in difficult circumstances in relief camps.
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A special Central Bureau of Investigation court on Tuesday allowed the plea of YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, facing corruption charges, to visit Kolkata and Lucknow to mobilise the support of parties like the Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party against the move to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh.
A photograph purportedly showing Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav with an accused of Saharanpur violence sparked a controversy but the Uttar Pradesh government was quick to dismiss it as "baseless and misleading".
His outburst came a day after UP Governor Ram Naik asked the state government to take action over the reported damage to the bungalow vacated by the former chief minister, calling it a serious matter involving the taxpayer's money.
A controversy erupted on Monday over reported moves by the Uttar Pradesh government to withdraw cases against Muslim leaders in connection with Muzaffarnagar riots even as Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said only some information has been sought and this did not mean cases were being dropped.
Three MLAs of Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party, including Mahendra Singh who was arrested from a dance bar in Goa, were suspended from party membership for their alleged involvement in anti-party activites.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday ordered 18-hour power supply in villages, 20-hour at tehsil level and in Bundelkhand region besides deciding to ink a pact with the Centre to ensure electricity in all UP villages by 2019.
Addressing an election rally, BJP chief Amit Shah said, "As soon as the BJP forms the government in UP on March 11, we would search (Gayatri Prasad) Prajapati even from the hell and send him to jail."
The stalemate over the appointment continues as UP CM Akhilesh Yadav recommends same name to Ram Naik for the fourth time in 20 days.
Presenting our list of ten influential and best-dressed Indian women across professions.
The Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court on Monday granted reprieve to arrested Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders as the ruling Samajwadi Party prosecutors chose to soft peddle on them.
The 124th birth anniversary of Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar on Tuesday was observed with traditional fervour across Maharashtra.
The Uttar Pradesh chief minister vows to curb corruption and bring in transparency in governance.
Shivpal refused to comment on whether the SSM will eventually part ways with the Samajwadi Party.
A Cabinet note of the much-awaited legislation is ready and is likely to be put before the state Cabinet in the next 15 days.
The party will hold a series of protests against Akhilesh Yadav govt beginning with the 'gherao' of the secretariat next week.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav may not have been able to fix the responsibility for the Samajwadi Party's dismal performance at the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited his constituency Varanasi on Friday, for the first time since taking charge. During his two-day visit, the PM is also adopted Jayapur village.
The Central Bureau of Investigation may give a clean chit to former Uttar Pradesh Minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya in the murder of Kunda Deputy Superintendent of Police Zia-ul-Haq as it has not found any anomaly in the lie detector test conducted on him.
UP CM Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Yadav fired barbs at each other at an event to celebrate the SP's silver jubilee, barely two days after putting up a united show.
Ruling Samajwadi Party appeared to be headed for a split on Sunday as Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his party supremo and father Mulayam Singh were engaged in an open face-off, sacking each other's loyalists Shivpal Yadav and Ramgopal Yadav.
The Opposition is putting up a symbolic fight for the presidential polls as it knows that the BJP has the numbers to get its candidate elected to the top post.
According to community leaders, Rajnath Singh has filled party posts with Thakurs and pushed Brahmins to the margins. Archis Mohan reports
Sensing defeat, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party have launched a new game plan for a fractured mandate in Uttar Pradesh so that they can have bargaining power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.
Outside CM's residence, high drama was witnessed with youth supporters of Akhilesh assembling in large numbers to vent their fury.
A Congress-led opposition on Tuesday came together seeking to pin down the government on the demonetisation issue in the winter session of Parliament beginning tomorrow but a consenses eluded on Trinamoll Congress's proposed march to Rashtrapati Bhawan for meeting the President.
Uttar Pradesh is under the scanner again as that state IAS Association has taken on CM Akhilesh Yadav for the suspension of Durga Shakti Nagpal, who campaigned against the sand mafia
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