Samajwadi Party expels Azam Khan for six years

Lucknow, May 24 (ANI): The Samajwadi Party on Sunday expelled senior leader Mohammad Azam Khan for six years for anti-party activities, capping weeks of bitter feud with the party leadership over its closeness with former BJP leader Kalyan Singh and its choice of Jayaprada as the party candidate for the Rampur Lok Sabha constituency.

“Azam Khan was involved in anti-party activities for a long time. Despite the national leadership’s request he continued indisciplined behaviour and did not attend party meetings due to which he has been expelled from the party for six years,” the party’s state president, Shivpal Singh Yadav, said.

Khan, 60, a founder member of the party, had actively campaigned against Jayaprada in the Rampur constituency and made adverse comments against Amar Singh.

Khan had raised the banner of revolt against the party leadership after JayapPrada’s candidature from Rampur was declared. He was also peeved over Mulayam Singh Yadav’s friendship with former BJP leader Kalyan Singh, who was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh during the 1992 Babri mosque demolition.

He had termed Yadav’s closeness with Kalyan Singh as against the sentiments of Muslims. (ANI)

Fifth phase witnesses approximately 62 percent polling for Lok Sabha

New Delhi, May 13 (ANI): The fifth and final phase of general elections 2009 witnessed an overall 62 percent polling for 86 Lok Sabha constituencies across nine states and two union territories.

The polling for general elections to Lok Sabha came to an end on Wednesday. The polling was by and large peaceful except for stray incidents of violence in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

The last phase saw violence with one death being reported from West Bengal and one from Tamil Nadu.

The counting for all the Lok Sabha seats will be held on May 16.

In Jammu and Kashmir moderate to heavy polling has been reported in the fifth and final phase of elections in the Baramulla and Ladkah Parliamentary constituencies. Latest reports say about forty percent voters had caste their votes in the Baramulla constituency while as the percentage in the Ladakh seat touched around 60 percent.

In Tamil Nadu, 55 per cent voting was recorded. In Puducherry, an estimated 66 per cent voters exercised their franchise to elect the Union Territory’s lone representative in the Lok Sabha.

In Uttar Pradesh, over 50 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the polling for 14 seats of the Western and Rohilakhand region.

In Uttarakhand, more than 35 per cent voting has been recorded in five constituencies. n Punjab, an estimated 62 per cent polling was reported in the nine Lok Sabha seats.

In Himachal Pradesh, 50 to 55 per cent polling was reported in all the four constituencies.

Prominent candidates in the fray include Home Minister P Chidambaram, DMK’s T R Baalu, Dayanidhi Maran and M K Azhagiri, Congress’ Md Azharuddin, BJP’s Maneka and Varun Gandhi and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, MDMK’s Vaiko and SP’s Jayaprada.

Polling has been completed to 457 Lok Sabha seats since the exercise began on April 16.

The Lok Sabha has 545 members, but elections are held to 543 seats as two members are nominated from the Anglo-Indian community. (ANI)

Jayaprada’s hotel room raided in Rampur

Rampur, May 12 (ANI): Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate from the Rampur Lok Sabha seat Jayaprada’s hotel room was raided by the police late on Monday night.

Her supporters claim that it was another attempt to harm Jayaprada.

Earlier, she accused her fellow SP leader Azam Khan of being involved in cheap campaigning against her, and added that she would take the matter to the Election Commission.he actress-turned politician further alleged that Khan and his supporters had released CDs and posters that were not good in taste.

Claiming that she considered Khan as her elder brother, Jayaprada said the senior SP leader was hell-bent upon spoiling her image. (ANI)

Stage set for fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections

New Delhi, May 12 (ANI): The stage is set for the fifth and last phase of Lok Sabha elections in 86 constituencies in seven States and two Union Territories on Wednesday.

In this phase, polling will take place in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab; and two Union Territories – Chandigarh, Puducherry.

Elections will be held to four seats in Himachal Pradesh, two in Jammu and Kashmir, nine in Punjab, 39 in Tamil Nadu, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, 11 in West Bengal, five in Uttarakhand, the lone one seat each in Chandigarh and Puducherry.

Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are the only states to have undergone polls in all the five phases.

The prominent contestants in the fray are Congress’s P. Chidambaram and Mohd. Azharuddin, BJP’s Maneka Gandhi, Varun Gandhi, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Vinod Khanna, DMK’s M K Azhagiri, Dayanidhi Maran, T R Baalu and A Raja, MDMK’s Vaiko, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party’s Jayaprada.

The other important contestants in the fray are Mani Shankar Aiyar, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Sajjad Gani Lone, and Tamil actor M Karthik.

So far, elections have been completed to 457 seats since the exercise began on April 16.

On May 7, the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections held for 85 constituencies spread across seven States had witnessed 57 per cent voting of the total 9.46 crore eligible votes.

The first, second and third phases of polling were held on April 16, 23 and 30 respectively.

The counting of votes will take place on May 16. The 543-member House will be constituted before June 2. (ANI)

Campaigning for fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls comes to end

New Delhi, May 11 (ANI): Campaigning in 86 constituencies in six States and two Union Territories that are scheduled to undergo polls in the fifth phase of general elections on Wednesday (May 13) concluded on Monday evening.

The fifth and last phase of the Lok Sabh elections will witness polling taking place in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh States and Chandigarh and Puducherry, the two Union Territories.

The prominent contestants in the fray are Congress’s P. Chidambaram and Mohd. Azharuddin, BJP’s Maneka Gandhi, Varun Gandhi, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Vinod Khanna, DMK’s M K Azhagiri, Dayanidhi Maran, T R Baalu and A Raja, MDMK’s Vaiko, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party’s Jayaprada.

The other important contestants in the fray are Mani Shankar Aiyar, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Sajjad Gani Lone, and Tamil actor M Karthik.

Elections will be held to four seats in Himachal Pradesh, two in Jammu and Kashmir, nine in Punjab, 39 in Tamil Nadu, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, 11 in West Bengal, five in Uttarakhand, the lone one seat each in Chandigarh and Puducherry.

Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are the only states to have undergone polls in all the five phases.

So far, elections have been completed to 457 seats since the exercise began on April 16.

On May 7, the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections held for 85 constituencies spread across seven States had witnessed 57 per cent voting of the total 9.46 crore eligible votes.

The first, second and third phases of polling were held on April 16, 23 and 30 respectively.

The counting of votes will take place on May 16. The 543-member House will be constituted before June 2. (ANI)

Campaigning for fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls comes to end

New Delhi, May 11 (ANI): Campaigning in 86 constituencies in six States and two Union Territories that are scheduled to undergo polls in the fifth phase of general elections on Wednesday (May 13) concluded on Monday evening.

The fifth and last phase of the Lok Sabh elections will witness polling taking place in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh States and Chandigarh and Puducherry, the two Union Territories.

The prominent contestants in the fray are Congress’s P. Chidambaram and Mohd. Azharuddin, BJP’s Maneka Gandhi, Varun Gandhi, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Vinod Khanna, DMK’s M K Azhagiri, Dayanidhi Maran, T R Baalu and A Raja, MDMK’s Vaiko, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party’s Jayaprada.

The other important contestants in the fray are Mani Shankar Aiyar, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Sajjad Gani Lone, and Tamil actor M Karthik.

Elections will be held to four seats in Himachal Pradesh, two in Jammu and Kashmir, nine in Punjab, 39 in Tamil Nadu, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, 11 in West Bengal, five in Uttarakhand, the lone one seat each in Chandigarh and Puducherry.

Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are the only states to have undergone polls in all the five phases.

So far, elections have been completed to 457 seats since the exercise began on April 16.

On May 7, the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections held for 85 constituencies spread across seven States had witnessed 57 per cent voting of the total 9.46 crore eligible votes.

The first, second and third phases of polling were held on April 16, 23 and 30 respectively.

The counting of votes will take place on May 16. The 543-member House will be constituted before June 2. (ANI)

Jayaprada accuses Azam Khan of launching a cheap campaign against her

New Delhi, May 11 (ANI): Samajwadi party candidate from the Rampur Lok Sabha seat Jayaprada has accused her fellow SP leader Azam Khan of being involved in cheap campaigning against her, and added that she would take the matter to the Election Commission.

The actress-turned politician, who is seeking re-election from Rampur constituency in Uttar Pradesh, further alleged that Khan and his supporters had released CDs and posters that were not good in taste.

“I am yet to see the content of the CDs but the posters released by them are very bad in taste, damaging my reputation. I am approaching the Election Commission to check this sort of campaigning,” she said.

“This is not good. They want to demoralize woman’s pride by engaging in cheap campaigning,” she said adding that she has already approached the police on the issue.

Claiming that she considered Khan as her elder brother, Jayaprada said the senior SP leader was hell-bent upon spoiling her image.

“He is like my elder brother. But he is sullying my image by involving in cheap campaigning against me. His action is an insult to women,” she said.

When asked if Khan was indirectly hitting at Kalyan Singh by doing so, she said, “if that was the case then why he (Khan) is supporting Congress which was equally responsible for Babri Masjid demolition”.

“It is ethically and morally wrong on the part of the senior leader Khan for supporting the candidature of her opponent Noor Bano,” she added. (ANI)

Filing of nominations for final phase of Lok Sabha elections ends today

New Delhi, Apr 24 (ANI): Filing of nominations for the fifth and last phase of Lok Sabha elections comes to an end on Friday.

Scrutiny will be held on Saturday and polling will be held for 86 seats on May 13.

In this phase, polling will be held for two seats in Jammu and Kashmir, nine seats in Punjab, four seats in Himachal Pradesh, eleven in West Bengal, five in Uttarakhand, 39 in Tamilnadu, 14 in UP and one each in Puducherry and Chandigarh.

Major candidates who are in the fray are P Chidambaram from Tamil Nadu, Varun Gandhi from Pilibhit, his mother Maneka Gandhi from Aonla, Cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin from Moradabad and Jayaprada from Rampur. (ANI)

Jayaprada files nomination papers from Rampur

Rampur / Ludhiana, Apr 21 (ANI): Actor-turned-politician and Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Jayaprada has filed her nomination from Rampur seat in Uttar Pradesh

She was accompanied by SP General Secretary Amar Singh, actors-turned-politician Sanjay Dutt and Jaya Bachchan.

“Amar Singh said come and join us. I replied, don’t know how to give speech. Then Amar Singh said you just serve the public,” said Dutt, who has also been recently elevated as the party’s general secretary.

Before filing her nomination, Jayaprada addressed a public rally.

Meanwhile, in Ludhiana constituency of Punjab, Congress party spokesperson Manish Tiwari filed his nomination papers, accompanied by former state Chief Ministers Amarinder Singh and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal.

“In the next five years, we will seek rupees 100 billion from the Central Government and utilize the money for the development of Ludhiana. The Akali Dal post advertisement of development but we, by changing these advertisements into reality, will show people of Ludhiana how development is done,” Tiwari said.

Tiwari’s Congress party is pitted against the coalition of the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Polling for Rampur and Ludhiana seats will take place in the fifth and final phase on May 13. (ANI)

Mulayam Singh says dialogue will clear rift with Amar Singh

Moradabad / Bareilly, Apr 9 (ANI): Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said that he would speak to party colleagues Amar Singh and Azam Khan and resolve matters amicably in his effort to clear the air between both the leaders.

“The decision will come out on the day when I, Azam Khan and Amar Singh sit together. Nobody is doing anything against the party. Amar Singh and Azam Khan are working towards achieving the goals of the party,” Mulayam said on the sidelines of an election rally here on Wednesday.

It may be recalled that on Tuesday Amar Singh had threatened to quit on being upset at fellow party member Azam Khan reportedly insulting him time and again.

On his part, Azam Khan had been opposing the candidature of film actress-turned-politician and sitting Member of Parliament Jayaprada from Rampur constituency for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, Sanjay Dutt, General Secretary of Samajwadi Party has been visiting temples and Muslim shrines in different parts of Uttar Pradesh and also meeting people from different walks of life.

Donning a typical political outfit, Sanjay Dutt offered a ‘chadar’ at the Dargah Sharif of Aala Hazrat at Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh and also offered prayers.

“Sanjay Dutt and Amar Singh had come to visit at this shrine. The cleric there wanted Amar Singh to take up issues of Muslims and give them opportunities in different job sectors of the country especially in the government sector. He was also asked to stop harassing and doubting Muslims as terrorists,” said Nasir Qureshi, an official of the Aala Hazrat Dargah Sharif.

Earlier, Samajwadi Party had decided to nominate Nafisa Ali as its candidate for the Lucknow parliamentary seat after it had to drop Sanjay Dutt as per the directives of the Supreme Court. (ANI)

Amar Singh threatens to quit SP over abuse

New Delhi/Lucknow, Apr.7 (ANI): Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh on Tuesday threatened to quit after he was insulted by party member Azam Khan.

“SP can exist without me, but not without Azam Khan, it appears,” said an upset Amar Singh.

It all started when Azam Khan questioned the renomination of actress Jayaprada as the party’s candidate from Rampur.

Azam Khan asked the leadership to remove Jaya from what he saw as his political turf.

Mulayam Singh Yadav then asked a sulking Azam Khan to contest the high-profile minority seat himself. (ANI)