Assembly Elections 2022 Highlights:

Polling for the second and last phase of assembly elections in Manipur began at 7 am on Saturday in 22 constituencies across six districts. A total of 8.38 lakh voters are eligible to cast their ballots in this phase in the districts of Thoubal, Chandel, Ukhrul, Senapati, Tamenglong, and Jiribam.

All arrangements are in place to hold voting in 1,247 polling stations adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rajesh Agarwal had said on Friday. The electoral fate of 92 candidates will be decided on Saturday, including 12 from the BJP, followed by Congress (18), National People's Party (11), Janata Dal (United) and Naga People's Front (10 each). Polling will continue till 4 pm.

Here are highlights of Assembly Elections 2022

Congress misled farmers in the name of loan waiver; Modi gave them Rs 6,000 every year: Nadda

BJP national president J P Nadda on Saturday accused the Congress of misleading farmers in the name of loan waiver, and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given Rs 6,000 to farmers every year under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme. "Today many people call themselves farmer leaders, but they did nothing for the community. The Congress has misled the farmers in the name of loan waiver. (On the other hand) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given Rs 6,000 every year to farmers under PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi," he said at an election meeting. "When the prime minister started the Jan Dhan Yojana, the opposition made fun of it. (SP chief) Akhilesh ji, who was born with a silver spoon, and Rahul (Gandhi) ji asked what will happen with bank accounts for the poor? Today, the money given under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi, Prime Minister Awas Yojana and other schemes goes directly into the bank accounts of the poor, and there are no middlemen," he said.

Nadda also claimed that the Samajwadi Party (SP) deceived the NISHAD party, and it was the BJP which worked to fill the plate (of the people). NISHAD party is an ally of the BJP and its election symbol is a plate filled with food.

Polls in UP 'pro-incumbency', people fighting for continuation of govt: Modi in Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday described the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls as "pro-incumbency", saying the people themselves are fighting for continuation of the government. Addressing an election rally at Khajuri village in Varanasi, the prime minister said that due to their aversion towards him, "dynasts" were making fun of 'vocal for local' and the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Even on the Ukraine issue, the opposition is busy doing politics and adding to the people's woes, Modi said. In a swipe at the Congress, he said the party which derived political mileage for years from Khadi now hesitates to even take its name. Modi added that his government has made Khadi and yoga international brands. Varanasi will vote in the last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on March 7.

As vote counting day nears, Congress leaders from Goa head to Delhi to meet seniors

Ahead of the March 10 results of the Goa Assembly polls, Congress leader Michael Lobo met AICC general secretary K C Venugopal in Delhi and discussed likely political scenarios and government formation. A day after Lobo met with Venugopal, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) chief Girish Chodankar and Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat are visiting senior party leaders in the national capital on Saturday to discuss likely political strategies to be adopted post result, sources said. Had fruitful interaction about post-political scenario and Government formation with @INCIndia AICC General Secretary (Org) Shri @kcvenugopalmp ji, AICC Goa I/C. Told him that people of Goa believe in @INCGoa and have voted us to form people-centric Govt, Lobo tweeted after meeting Venugopal.

On Saturday, Chodankar landed in Delhi. He said all the state unit presidents and legislative party leaders from the states where polls were held are called to Delhi to analyse the situation. Sources said that Kamat will reach Delhi later on Saturday. Congress is wary of the repeat of the 2017 situation when it was nudged out of the race to form a government in Goa by numerically inferior BJP. In 2017 polls, Congress had won the maximum 17 seats in the 40-member House restricting BJP to 13. However, the saffron party outwitted the Congress and formed a coalition government with the help of regional parties under the leadership of Manohar Parrikar (now deceased).

UP polls: BJP in for tough fight in Mirzapur

The contest for the five assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur appears to be challenging for the BJP even though it had swept the district, neighbouring the prime minister's Varanasi parliamentary constituency, last time riding the Modi wave. The five seats of Mirzapur Chunar, Mariyan, Mirzapur Nagar, Majhawan and Chhanbey will vote in the last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, and are poised for a strong contest between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party.

The BSP and the Congress candidates are working to ensure that the contest is a multi-cornered one. An anti-incumbency sentiment was evident among several people in the district.

The BJP has repeated its candidates in four seats and has allotted Majhawan to ally NISHAD Party. Strengthened by ties with regional parties like the Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) and the Suheldev Bharat Samaj Party (SBSP) of Om Prakash Rajbhar, the Akhilesh Yadav-headed SP alliance is making all efforts to take away the advantage the saffron party had in 2017.

Known for its famous Vindhyachal temple, Mirzapur is about 50 kilometres from Varanasi. Like in Varanasi, where the BJP-led coalition had won all the eight seats in the last elections, the saffron party had swept all five seats in Mirzapur too.

Among various issues, an important one on which many are unhappy with local BJP leaders and the state government is the demolition of over 930 houses as part of the Vindh project on the pattern of the Kashi Vishwanath project. "Owners of these demolished houses were given below-market rates," said Shiv Ram Mishra.

Manipur records 28.19% voter turnout till 11 am

28.19% voters turnout recorded till 11 am in the second phase of #ManipurElections2022 pic.twitter.com/5Kxl1Obcqj

— ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2022

UP polls: Zonal magistrate for elections in Kairana seat suspended for negligence

The Election Commission has suspended an official deployed as a zonal magistrate for elections in the Kairana Assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh for negligence in duty, officials said on Saturday. Voting for the Kairana Assembly seat in Shamli district was held on February 10 in the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections.

On the directives of the Election Commission, Assistant Commissioner of Commercial Taxes Narender Pratap Singh, who was deputed as zonal magistrate in the Kairana constituency, has been suspended, Shamli District Magistrate Jasjit Kaur said. The district authorities had recommended action against the official based on a complaint stating EVM machines were found unattended in his vehicle after polling in the constituency.

The complaint was lodged by the Samajwadi Party. A policeman and a home guard have already suspended in this connection.

#ManipurElections2022 | People queue up to cast votes at a polling station in Thoubal district

"Unemployment is the main issue. We're voting for more opportunities," said young voters pic.twitter.com/fiU8NRslZ8— ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2022

Blast outside expelled BJP leader's residence in Manipur

Unidentified miscreants lobbed a crude bomb at the residence of expelled BJP leader Ch Bijoy in Lamphel area in Manipur's Imphal West district, police said. The incident took place on Friday night, hours before the second phase of the assembly elections was to begin, they said. Nobody was injured in the blast triggered by two masked persons, who came in a two-wheeler, a police officer said. Bijoy, who was expelled from the saffron party last month for six years on disciplinary grounds, told reporters, "The attack might be a threat to make me politically silent. Further investigation is underway, police said. Polling for the second and last phase of assembly elections in Manipur began at 7 am on Saturday in 22 constituencies across six districts.

First Published:Mar 5, 2022 10:18 AM IST