BJP Ministers flock Varanasi
Union Ministers have swarmed Varanasi — the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi — because there is a feeling in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that if the party fails to perform in this temple town it would be loss of face for the party. The arithmetic advantage of Congress-SP alliance has given jitters to the BJP. BJP national president Amit Shah is camping in Amethi House while senior Ministers are sweating it out in different nukkad sabhas. Nadda, Manoj Sinha, Smriti Irani, Narendra Singh Tomar, Kalraj Mishra, Anant Kumar, Mahendra Pandey and Anupriya Patel are all present. Besides, Power Minister Piyush Goyal frequents this city. Dr Kausahl Kishore Mishra, head, political science at Banaras Hindu University, said, “Modiji’s prestige is at stake. The BJP might get a majority in the State but if it does not win from this region it will be treated as Modi’s loss as UP is voting for Modi not BJP.”
Ansaris having a free run
It seems the BJP as well as the SP has given walkover to the Ansari family contesting the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections under the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) banner. While nomination papers of BJP candidate Ashok Singh was rejected during the scrutiny from Mau seat where the BSP has fielded mafia don and sitting member Mukhtar Ansari, and now the election symbol of SP candidate Haider Ali Tiger against Mukhtar’s elder brother Sibatullah Ansari was also rejected from Mahmudabad seat in Ghazipur district. The SP had sent the election symbol of Haider Ali Tiger by a chartered flight on the last day of the nominations but it was rejected as it reached after 5 pm — thus giving a big blow to the ruling party. Mukhtar is still in jail but his family members are campaigning for him in Mau. The Ansari family is contesting three Assembly seats in Mau-Ghazipur districts on BSP ticket after they were denied tickets by the SP. Mukhtar’s son Abbas Ansari, is new entrant from the family contesting from Ghosi seat.
Farmers refuse to clear loans till poll results
With political parties playing the loan waiver card to woo farmers, small and marginal farmers have refused to clear dues till the poll results are out. All the political parties — be it Congress, SP, BSP or BJP — all have promised loan waiver if it comes to power.
A senior bank official in Bank of Baroda said bank employees are confronting hostile villagers who are not willing to clear their dues. “The report of February is quite dismal. The loan collection is not up to the mark. If I quantify it is not even 40 per cent of total monthly loan realisation,” the official said. Majority of the crop loans availed by farmers in UP are from the rural branches of nationalised banks through Kisan Credit Card - a scheme of the Centre. “We are waiting for the outcome of (election) result. The Prime Minister has promised waiver of loans in the first meeting of the BJP Government. If that happens I will save some money,” a farmer Ram Naresh said. He had taken Rs 50,000 loan from Gramin Bank of Baroda in Faizabad branch.
MSY says no to electioneering
Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav has refused to go for electioneering in eastern Uttar Pradesh - the region where much is at stake for SP-Congress alliance. “There is firm no from 5, Vikramaditya Marg. Mulayam does not want to take part in electioneering anymore,” a close confidante of Mulayam told The Pioneer.
