He said that he would be surprised if the Congress-led by Dr Manmohan Singh did not win. "Dr Manmohan Singh is a well known economist. He is a thorough gentleman. I would be surprised if Congress party led by him did not come back to power," Singh said. He ridiculed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's claim that she would be the future prime minister.
Ahmed, who has been declared a proclaimed offender in Bahujan Samaj Party MLA Pal's murder case by a trial court in Allahabad, said he feared for his life.
Senior Samajwadi Party leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Mohammad Azam Khan, UP Vidhan Sabha Deputy Speaker and BJP leader Rajesh Agarwal and former state BSP President Indrajit Saroj are leading.
The chief minister also stated in unambiguous words that while dealing with the complaints the government would proceed in accordance with the law and irrespective of the caste, creed and political affiliations of the guilty.
The Samajwadi Party stormed to the power with 224 of the 403 assembly seats.
Two men from her village have been arrested. National Security Act will be invoked against the accused.
As the analysts were exploring common links in the rise of Barack Obama as the United States President and the Mayawati phenomenon back home, the Bahujan Samajwadi Party chief was busy finalising her caste-based plans for the coming Assembly elections.The BSP, which had romped home in Uttar Pradesh last year, is planning to contest Assembly elections in all the constituencies in the five states -- Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir.
Two other ministers Swantradev Singh and Mohsin Raza also took oath.
The petition had challenged UP Governor Shastri's decision to invite Mulayam Singh Yadav to form government without considering Mayawati's recommendation for dissolution of the assembly.
Samajwadi party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav warned that if it the act is not scrapped, it could lead to a civil war in Uttar Pradesh.
Even as both the ruling Samajwadi Party and its bte noire, the Bahujan Samaj Party may swear in the name of secularism, neither of the two critical players in Uttar Pradesh politics is willing to go for a united nominee against their common political foe, Narendra Modi, who seemed cocking a snook at them from Varanasi. Sharat Pradhan reports
A basic outline and roadmap for Opposition unity are likely to be deliberated upon with the contentious issue of seat sharing and leadership questions to be avoided for now.
The number of policemen injured in them was 1,443 and 13 were killed, the data showed.
An Uttar Pradesh government panel on Sunday accused a Bharatiya Janata Party MP of inciting Saharanpur riots, besides blaming laxity by local officials, sparking a war of words among parties with BJP dismissing the report as "politically motivated" and an attempt by ruling Samajwadi Party to hide its "failures".
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attributed the impressive show by his party to the "alert voters" who he said rejected the 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) of opposition parties.
33 per cent feel Mayawati will be the best chief minister.
In the recent past, Adityanath and the RSS seem to have come closer. The warmth is more on the part of the RSS. And even now, not all requests from the RSS are accommodated by the UP government, points out Aditi Phadnis.
The Congress took a jibe at rebel Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh for his remark that he could understand Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's "pain" when she was "humiliated" by Mulayam Singh Yadav, saying it took him a long time to understand it.
'Modi's charisma and appeal is unparalleled.' 'Yogi has his own appeal and people connect.' 'He is seen as trustworthy, hardworking and honest.' 'People feel that these qualities are both common to Yogi and Modi.'
The former UP chief minister said at this juncture that she and the entire party were in deep sorrow and could not think of anything else.
A Samajwadi Party MLA and a Bharatiya Janata Party leader too joined Mayawati's party, BSP General Secretary Naseemuddin Siddiqui told a press conference in Lucknow.
As many as 1,250 plots were allotted to a number of people, including politicians, mediapersons, bureaucrats and relatives of retired judges, by the Noida authorities, allegedly in violation of rules.
The Samajwadi Party parliamentarian said he was not afraid of Sonia, CBI, IB or RAW and added that a 'collective onslaught' of Sonia and Mayawati was 'most welcome.'
Counting of votes for the bypolls in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand will be taken up on Sunday.
Speaker Manohar Joshi has decided to call an all-party meeting to discuss how to ensure smooth functioning of the House.
As the Uttar Pradesh assembly election battle hits new lows, Rediff.com's Aslam Hunani walks you through all you need to know about the fifth phase of polling on February 27.
'People are questioning these highways and expressways in UP because ultimately, they want to get bread and butter first.'
The long-awaited, much hyped Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance in Uttar Pradesh is "99 per cent off" said a senior congress leader as the Congress is all set to release a list of 24 candidates in Uttar Pradesh in the absence of Mulayam Singh Yadav giving his nod to the alliance.
The 266-page report, submitted by the PWD to Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday, extrapolates that most of the disfigurement in the state property was caused to tiles, sanitary and electrical equipment fitted in the house.
The Uttar Pradesh Police is mulling over slapping the stringent National Security Act (NSA) against the six people arrested for the rape and murder of two Dalit sisters in the state's Lakhimpur Kheri.
73 constituencies will vote on Saturday.
'If Muslims who are 20 percent of UP's population feel the SP has no future they will go with the BSP. Even if 10 percent Muslim vote goes to the BSP every equation will change.'
Global tenders will be floated to build the road, while the government will take care of the administrative part
According to sources, the SIT is set to probe all the high profile financial and other irregularities during the previous regime and it may involve several senior politicians and officials.
'Congress and BSP are in the fray, but not in the contest.'
Former Bharatiya Janata Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya on Wednesday said he was not going back to the saffron camp and indicated joining Samajwadi Party on Friday.
The Election Commission has rubbished any allegations of misuse of the EVMs.
