"Lalu ji had madhur sambandh (cordial relations) with my father and political mentor Ram Vilas Paswan. I thank him for lending credence to my leadership. But, my current priority is the ongoing state-wide Ashirwad Yatra", Chirag told reporters in Patna.
Voting for the seventh and final round will be held on March 7 for Varanasi and its eight adjoining districts.
Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad on Friday left for Delhi to placate Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose party stormed out of the nascent anti-Bharatiya Janata Party grand alliance for Bihar assembly elections on Thursday.
Describing the nationwide bandh as an "unprecedented" success, the BJP today claimed the UPA government has been reduced to minority after the Samajwadi Party, an outside supporter of Congress-led coalition, joined the bandh with its chief Mulayam Singh Yadav courting arrest.
The percentage was 63.14 per cent in Hathras, 61.89 per cent in Firozabad, 63.04 per cent in Kasganj, 65.7 per cent in Etah, 61.51 per cent in Mainpuri, 59.13 per cent in Farrukhabad, 61.93 per cent in Kannauj and 58.35 per cent in Etawah.
The monk-turned politician will take the reins of the most populous state for a second time in a row after completing his full five-year term.
'Amar Singh witnessed some of the major political developments from close quarters'
Ahead of a rally where he will share the dais with Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, Rajya Sabha member of Parliament Amar Singh on Tuesday said it would be "extremely wrong" to add "political connotation" to his attending the programme.
After sharing the dais with SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav earlier this month, former party leader Amar Singh on Monday had a closed door meeting with the national president again at his residence.
'How can Netaji forget Amar Singh called him names? He has come back to Netaji because he failed to gain entry in any political party.'
'Why do the English-speaking class feel they are the only ones who are efficient in work?' 'My own mother was from a village and she was more efficient than me. She used to handle crises better than me.' 'We will have to come out of our elite perception of governance.'
Petitioner in disproportionate assets case against Mulayam Singh Yadav and his family blames the CBI for it double standards. Sheela Bhatt reports.
"The issue of second ballot paper to Mulayam Singh Yadav was not warranted under rule 15 of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Rules, 1974. Therefore, the second ballot paper issued to Yadav may not be taken up for counting," the Commission said.
Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Thursday said that his political outfit does not support the ruling UPA government at the Centre and neither does it support the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.
'Priyanka Gandhi is not Indira Gandhi, declares Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav. According to Yadav's confidant Azam Khan, if Priyanka formally joins politics and campaigns everywhere in UP, then political parties will treat her as a politician. Chief Minister Mayawati is also preparing a dossier on Priyanka and her businessman husband Robert Vadra to counter her charm offensive in the electoral battle.
Other than promising several sops to Muslims in Uttar Pradesh, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav also declared that he would set up a high-level commission to investigate "financial irregularities" by the Mayawati government. Sharat Pradhan reports.
Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav got Justice N K Mehrotra an extension of two years, nearly a week after he had completed his full-term as UP Lokayukta. Sharat Pradhan reports.
Political observer Nazarwala, who made a spot-on prediction on Rediff.com of Mayawati's victory in the 2007 Uttar Pradesh assembly election, assesses Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's likely political resurrection.
Having a dig at Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's pledge of reservation to Muslims in the party's manifesto, Congress today said his party does not have the numerical strength in Parliament to deliver on the promise by amending the Constitution.
Mulayam Singh's bid to get a third front on his side is to get into a position where he can barter for the prime minister's job with the support of either the BJP or the Congress, says Seema Mustafa.
With Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav joining ranks with the Left parties and Telugu Desam Party to press for a judicial probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge into coal-gate scandal, the Manmohan Singh government's problems have compounded.
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh has lashed out at Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, accusing him of trying to evoke Muslim sentiments on the controversial Babri Masjid demolition issue, to garner votes.
Yadav also called for firming up of an Opposition alliance to take on the BJP in the 2024 general elections, suggesting that the Congress must focus on over 200 seats on which it is in direct fight with the saffron party, while taking a 'backseat' in states where regional parties are a formidable force.
"I am a five-time legislator and it has been allotted to me as a senior member of the state assembly," he said.
In an apparent reference to Ramgopal, Mulayam Singh said "one person has influenced his son" which has led to "problems in the party".
Supreme Court Justice Cyriac Joseph retires on January 27. Before he does so, he would have to deliver his verdict on the high-profile corruption case against Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and his family.
"I have been saying it for the last 10 years that if there is anybody who is the biggest agent of the BJP, it is Mulayam Singh Yadav. If anybody dances to the tunes of the BJP, it is Mulayam Singh Yadav," Rashid Alvi, the Congress spokesperson, said while addressing a public meeting in Moradabad on Wednesday night
In the wake of his pushing for controversial member of Legislative Assebly D P Yadav's induction into the party, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Thursday sacked Mohan Singh as national spokesman.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said the decision to join the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre in the changed political scenario would be taken by Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Soon after getting formally installed as Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Akhilesh Yadav has got down to giving shape to his core team of bureaucrats, many of whom were known to have been loyalists of his father and Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.
On the event of the third anniversary of UPA II Samajwadi party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav told the media that he would not support any former bureaucrat for the post of the President. He said that he wanted a person with a political background to hold the top post
Leaders from across the political spectrum criss-crossed the entire state to woo the voters but Mulayam mostly kept indoors.
'If the Opposition does make a dent, it could encourage the efforts of regional parties to come together for the larger battle in 2024 and mark the beginning of a new anti-BJP politics.'
"Mulayam Singh is the first choice of party legislators, members of Parliament and senior party office bearers. He has experience of running the government and he will be the CM, if party is voted to power", Akhilesh said in reply to a question
'The bottomline is that Rahul Gandhi's dream of ruling Uttar Pradesh has been buried. The talk is no longer of 'strengthening' the party, but of 'extending' the life of the Congress ministry in Delhi -- at almost any cost,' says T V R Shenoy.
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".
The war over the alleged fake CD reached the Supreme Court on Monday when senior advocate Shanti Bhushan sought contempt proceedings against politician Amar Singh for "fabricating" conversations between the two and Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra appears to have shed the maximum sweat among top leaders for over the last 45 days in the seven-phase Uttar Pradesh assembly elections campaign.
Delhi Police on Friday told a court that it did not find it necessary to record the statements of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh to ascertain the authenticity of voices on the CD purportedly having their talks with lawyer and Team Anna member Shanti Bhushan.
Yadav denied any possibility for a post-poll alliance between the BJP and the Rashtriya Lok Dal's Jayant Choudhary.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances