UP polls 2022 phase 2 LIVE: Early Holi on March 10 with BJP win, says Modi

UP polls 2022 LIVE updates, phase 2: Elections will be held in Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Amroha, Badaun, Bareilly, Shahjahanpur. Catch updates on Uttar Pradesh polls phase 2

UP election 2022 Phase 2 LIVE updates: Fifty-five seats spread across nine districts, including some in Rohilkhand region, will go to polls today in the second phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh, which will see senior Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Azam Khan and state Finance Minister Suresh Khanna trying their luck at the hustings.

As many as 586 candidates are in the fray in this phase with the seats spread across Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Amroha, Budaun, Bareilly and Shahjahanpur.

ALSO READ: Elections 2022 LIVE: Voters to seal BJP's fate in UP, Goa, U'khand today

Polling will be held from 7 am to 6 pm.

The first phase of the seven-phase Uttar Pradesh polls was held on February 10. The results will be declared on March 10.

ALSO READ: Assembly elections 2022: Lost your voter ID? You can still vote, here's how

Catch LIVE updates on UP Assembly polls 2022

1:32 PM

Muslim girls feel safer under BJP's rule in UP: PM Modi

Highlighting how safe Uttar Pradesh has become for all, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “Muslim girls feel safe under the BJP’s rule in Uttar Pradesh. A large number of Muslim girls are going to schools and colleges in the state now”

12:52 PM

UP polls 2022 LIVE: ITBP personnel help senior citizens to reach polling booths in Bijnor and Najibabad

Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel help senior citizens to reach polling booths in Bijnor and Najibabad as second phase polling in Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections is underway

11:33 AM

UP polls 2022 LIVE: No surprise if SP wins all 7 seats in Saharanpur, says Imran Masood

It would not be a surprise if the Samajwadi Party bagged all seven seats in the Saharanpur area which is polling on Monday, Imran Masood, who recently quit Congress to join Samajwadi Party (SP), has said.

 

"The BJP has been making false promises, they have been exposed already. People are aware of this and that was the reason, very few could be seen to welcome the Prime Minister, nor was his rally attended in large numbers. Farmers and youth of Uttar Pradesh want the new government under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav. That is the only and biggest issue on which the polls are being fought," Masood told IANS as the second phase of the assembly polls got underway in western Uttar Pradesh.

 

Despite the fact that all top BJP leaders, including the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister, and Home Minister Amit Shah, campaigned in this area, Masood said, "The enthusiasm with which the voting has started, it is clear that Uttar Pradesh people want Akhilesh Yadav to be the Chief Minister. I would not be surprised if the Samajwadi Party wins all seven seats in Saharanpur."

11:07 AM

Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls: BJP up against the Muslim challenge

The Rohilkhand region to Delhi’s northeast and Shahjahanpur to the tip of the Avadh region vote on February 14 in the second phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh. Between them, they contain 55 seats being contested by 584 candidates. As in most parts, the contest has narrowed to a straight fight between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal (SP-RLD) combine, with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the fray in places — mainly on account of its candidates.

 

In Rohilkhand, too, the BJP maintained its victory streak in the 2017 election, picking up 38 seats, while the Samajwadi Party, in alliance with the Congress, got just 15 seats in an erstwhile stronghold. Although the tables haven’t yet turned, there is palpable worry in the BJP over retaining an invincible lead. The BJP’s strategy is predicated on a “split” in the Muslim votes, which determine the outcome in at least six parliamentary seats (Saharanpur, Rampur, Moradabad, Amroha, Bijnor, and Bareilly) that have a minority population of close to or over

 

50 per cent. The BJP has even counted Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), which has fielded six candidates in this round, as a potential “spoiler”, besides the BSP and the Congress. Read on...

10:54 AM

UP Assembly polls: BJP is keeping emotions alive on Kashi and Mathura

The Supreme Court’s verdict on the Ram janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute in Ayodhya on November 9, 2019, settled the issue by giving ownership of the disputed 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya to the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust.

 

Does the verdict have a bearing on other centuries-old disputes regarding temples and masjids? The answer lies in the statements of former BJP MP Vinay Katiyar, one of the key accused (now exculpated) in the demolishing of the Babri Masjid, by calling for temple construction in Kashi and Mathura soon after the apex court’s decision.

 

With the ongoing elections in UP, the pitch for separating the Kashi-Mathura shrines from masjids and constructing grand temples has gained traction with UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya tweeting: “Ayodhya aur Kashi bhavya mandir nirman jaari hai, Mathura ki tayyari hai (grand temples are being constructed in Ayodhya and Kashi, and Mathura will be next).” Read on...

10:33 AM

UP is the worst performer in every report, survey: Akhilesh Yadav

Amid the heat and dust of the election campaign, Akhilesh Yadav, chief of the Samajwadi Party, takes time off to tell Nitin Kumar how he thinks the Yogi Adityanath government has failed, especially in providing employment and law and order, and what he will do if brought to power. Read the edited excerpts

9:35 AM

Major candidates to watch out for in phase two of UP Assembly polls

State Finance Minister Suresh Khanna, several other ministers in the Yogi Adityanath government, and Samajwadi Party's sitting MLA Mohammad Azam Khan are among those in the fray for 55 seats in the second phase of assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh for which voting will be held on Monday.

 

The voting will begin at 7 am and end at 6 pm.

 

As many as 586 candidates are in the fray for the 55 Assembly seats in the second phase. Two crore voters will decide the fate of 586 candidates. Read on...

8:31 AM

BJP will secure over 300 seats in UP Assembly; it is 80 vs 20 election: Yogi Adityanath

BJP will secure over 300 seats in UP Assembly; it is 80 vs 20 election: Yogi Adityanath 

7:08 AM

UP election 2022 LIVE: Voting begins in 9 districts

UP election 2022 LIVE: Voting begins in 9 districts

6:50 AM

UP election 2022 LIVE: Vote to continue development journey of 'riot-free' Uttar Prades, says Yogi Adityanath

Hours ahead of the commencement of the second phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath extended greetings to the voters and urged them to vote for "riot-free" and "fear-free" state.

 

"Warm greetings to all voters of the second phase of UP elections 2022! Along with voting rights and duties, there is also 'Rashtra Dharma'. Make sure to vote to continue the development journey of 'riot-free and fear-free new Uttar Pradesh'," Adityanath tweeted in early hours of Monday in Hindi. Read on...